The tallest building in Hong Kong

WONDER OF BUILDING TECHNOLOGY "Asian New York" The moment of this writing, the International Finance Centre - 2 (Two International Finance Center) is the tallest building in Hong Kong. This slender, graceful tower was designed by «Cesar Pelli & Associates» together with «Rocco Design Limited», and built the company «Ove Arup & Partners»; its height reaches 416 m at the highest point of the curved arch of teeth, 407 m - the highest point of the roof indoor and 402 meters - if we consider the highest habitable floor. In Hong Kong, due to typhoons and earthquakes, the emphasis on excessive lateral loads. In essence, the designers of the area often have to skillfully balance between building requirements and criteria for selecting material floor plates. This is necessary in order to achieve the appropriate structural rigidity without the abstraction is too large acreage of communication or columns. In particular, the MFC-2 designers have chosen a combination of a massive reinforced concrete frame made of square profiles with eight rectangular reinforced concrete mega-columns of steel and concrete with a stiff bearing mountings and eight steel columns is much smaller. Like Jin-Mao Tower (Jin Mao Tower), completed five years earlier, this ensemble of structural elements is mounted in a cruciform design with the mega-columns. This is done in order to evenly distribute the vertical force of gravity and lateral loads between the frame, secondary braces and small corner columns to resist the slight gravitational loads generated on the edges of the floor plates. Feature of the tower is that its construction were used high-strength steel and concrete. In addition, an interesting solution is the combination of the three built-in skeleton frame of the cantilever beams and belt height of 3 stories (called "retro-casting"). The important role played exceptionally lightweight system curtain walls, as well as a wide distance (24 m) between the mega-columns, each facade, which together provide sufficient lateral resistance and torsion. It is therefore no longer necessary in the application of domestic supports, and is not required "to spend money on excessive strength of the corner columns. From the base and up to the sixth floor of the mega-columns formed from the six high-strength steel sections of thickness 90 mm, placed in a body of high-strength concrete. With the increase of height of steel profiles is reduced from six to three and, eventually, to one on the upper floors because the size of the column and the strength of concrete is also reduced. These changes in the ratio of steel / concrete, and are accompanied by changes in the connections between steel and concrete. Therefore, it turns out that off the ground and 26 floors of the building of mega-columns made of concrete, and above 26 stories, they only steel, concrete lining and fire protection. This design clearly indicates the progress made in the design and materials only a few years after construction Jin-Mao Tower. In fact, among countless other awards, the contractors MFC-2 set a record for laying the concrete in the biggest pit in the world, assembled the largest cantilever beams in the world and exceeded the world record for pumping concrete more than 28 meters. Recall that the previous record-holder for the injection of concrete - Pertronas Tower, where the solution was fed to a height of 380 meters. In addition to the striking simplicity of the building MFC-2, we must note a record time of its construction, made possible by increasing the free distance between the columns. Due to the relatively shallow hard rock at the site of the building became possible to make a surprising and unusual record for a set of indicators pit. He has a round shape with a diameter of 61.5 meters, with a wall thickness of 1,5 meters and a depth of 40 meters, in addition, it gets to the bottom level of the solid rock. To accelerate and facilitate the installation of the tower is set enough basement slabs. In addition, the construction was carried out on a counter-method that made it possible to begin construction of the frame and mounting the columns of the tower before the completion of foundation - namely, for 18 months. In addition, each mega-colonies were formed by its own hydraulic, jack-steel formwork. Reinforced concrete frame with a grid interior columns (about 3x3) is also built with its own formwork. In conclusion, it should be noted that the system of flooring and facades have been designed with a minimum number of components, thanks to a long beam with a high-profile and simple compounds ceiling beams. In turn, the slabs made of concrete, cast in steel formwork on the data of simple beams so that the filling does not even require temporary supports to complete solidification of the solution. As a result of these time-saving innovations, the contractors were able to achieve the elusive goal - to build one floor every three days, even taking into account the fact that they both worked on other sections of the tower. ______________________________________ Translated from English by T. Ponomarenko © Copy materials from the site is strictly prohibited! See also: Diamond in the Arab world is one of the most popular buildings in the Hollywood films High-altitude "bottle opener" Asian skyscrapers, "twins" Silver champion in Hong Kong skyscraper to a height of buildings, promoting foreign investment asymmetrical response to the architectural "Chamberlain" small town fit inside the building Despite the strike, the skyscraper in Dubai has grown supergiant One of the most original Chinese beauties skyscrapers