Jerman Cheung
East Asia Press Office,Hong Kong
Earlier this month, Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin, the fourth largest city in China, had its last pour of concrete for the roof of core at 597m.
Upon completion, the building will be the tallest in structural level in China and second only to Dubai’s 601m high Burj Khalifa.
Affectionately known as the ‘walking stick’, the tower is characterised by its slender profile, which is a 65m x 65m square at the base tapering to 45m along each side at roof level.
Arup has been providing geotechnical, façade and structural engineering services for this mega tower since 2008. Designing such a slim tower founded on soft ground in an area of high seismic activity poses formidable challenges for Arup engineers. After rigorous testing and analysis, the design team developed a highly efficient structural system with only four mega columns which connect to belt trusses and cross-bracing within each structural zone – a first time for tall buildings across the world. This scheme provides a very stiff lateral system to resist both wind and earthquake load.
The building foundations also feature the world’s longest pile with high slenderness ratio – 1.0m diameter bored piles in 100m in driving length. Arup designed the trials and carried out detailed numerical analysis to prove that the piles, though going against conventional design code recommendations, would be sufficient and cost-effective.
The skyscraper is expected to be opened for business in 2016. Extremely tall and slim, the building sets a bold and dynamic statement for new Tianjin.