Jin Mao Tower

JinMaoBuilding.jpg
20191114_Jin_Mao_Tower-3.jpg

Name of Building

Jin Mao Tower

Town or City, Country where the building was originally established

Shanghai, China

Date the building was designed and/or first built

1996 - Design finished.
1999 - Construction completed.

Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible

Architect - Adrian Smith
Developer - China Jin Mao Group
Engineer - Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Geo-Location

31.23579271764544, 121.50572763836887

Materials

Steel
Concrete
Glass

Size and/or Scale of Building

Height - 420 meters, 88-stories

Architectural Type

Commercial

Formal Style

Neo-Futurism

Building Description

A modern-day pagoda standing at 420.5 meters tall in Shanghai. Jin Mao Tower is a commercial skyscraper built by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The building, constructed primarily of steel, concrete, and glass, is a contemporary play on Chinese culture.

Jin Mao Tower's structure relies heavily on the number eight, with 88 floors, eight steel columns, etc. The number eight in Chinese numerology is often associated with prosperity. These structural elements are not limited to cultural heritage, however. They also prevent natural disasters. The pagoda structure allows the building to withstand typhoons and earthquakes, similar to other contemporary skyscrapers.

Image source

Image 1 - JinMaoBuilding
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/JinMaoBuilding.jpg
Image 2 - 20191114_Jin_Mao_Tower-3 (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/20191114_Jin_Mao_Tower-3.jpg)

Creative Commons or other copyright information

Image 1 - Creative Commons
Image 2 - Creative Commons

Student First and Last Name

Moanna Dixson

Bibliographic references for the item

https://www.som.com/projects/jin-mao-tower/
https://www.permasteelisagroup.com/historic-project/jin-mao-tower/#:~:text=The%20concept,LEED%20Platinum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Mao_Tower

Citation

Architect - Adrian Smith, Developer - China Jin Mao Group, and Engineer - Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, “Jin Mao Tower,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/144.

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