Guangzhou International Finance Center, Skyscraper in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.
The Guangzhou International Finance Center, also called Guangzhou West Tower, is a 103-story, 438.6 m skyscraper at Zhujiang Avenue West in Tianhe District. Its facade is dark blue glass covered with vertical rows of small blue and green LED dots, crossed by horizontal bands of yellow light. The tower narrows as it rises. Inside, a curved white atrium ceiling with rectangular skylights is supported by slender grey columns above a polished light marble floor.
The project began in 2005 and was completed in 2010, creating a modern landmark for Guangzhou's economic growth. Its opening marked a turning point in the city's skyline and reinforced Tianhe District's role as a major financial hub.
The building received recognition from the Royal Institute of British Architects through the Lubetkin Prize in 2012 for outstanding architecture outside the European Union.
The building is easy to navigate through its extensive elevator system, which transports visitors to the public areas. The observation decks offer views over the city and are accessible during regular operating hours.
The tower's structural system, a steel-tube concrete巨型 diagonal grid outer tube with a reinforced concrete shear-wall core, is the only one of its kind among the world's supertall buildings. Its facade carries 85,000 square metres of glass curtain wall, and refuge floors every 15 storeys each hold 3,000 people. The roof stores 600 cubic metres of fire water for gravity-fed extinguishing if power fails.
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