Skyscraper won't cause subsidence

By Dong Zhen  |   2008-11-3  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

LUJIAZUI'S latest skyscraper will not put the area under risk of land subsidence, local geotechnical investigators have said.

The latest skyscraper project, Shanghai Center, will be more than 600 meters high when completed, making it one of the tallest buildings in the world. It will tower over Chinese mainland's current tallest building, Shanghai World Financial Center.

Officials with the Shanghai Geotechnical Investigation & Design Institute said they had completed the geotechnical investigation for the Shanghai Center project. They found the site suitable to uphold the super-tall building, though engineers said the foundations must be dug 80 meters deep to be strong enough.

The method of laying the foundations for the center is still under discussion, but construction will not shake the foundations of nearby tall buildings, said investigators. They added that subsidence in the area can be controlled to very safe levels.

Shanghai Center has received approval for construction but an exact date for the project to break ground has not been announced.