Shanghai World Financial Center 

The Shanghai World Financial Center is a national icon symbolizing China’s prominence in the global market. Centrally located in the Pudong District of Shanghai, the mixed-use tower contains office, trading, hotel, museum and retail space. The podium level enlivens the streetscape and engages passersby.

LERA first performed an alternative structural design for a contractor of this 1,509-ft (460-m) tall building in 1997. When the developer, Mori Building Company, elected to construct an even taller building at 1,614-ft (492 meters) on the existing foundations, with 16% more floor area, others were unable to provide a design to match their ambition. LERA, however, developed a new structural system that decreased the amount of steel and concrete and provided enhanced reliability and robustness, all while speeding up construction and reducing costs in both structural and non-structural systems. 

SWFC won Best Tall Building in the World in 2008 from The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), with the jury stating, “The structure is nothing short of genius.”