SHANGHAI | World Financial Center | 1,614 FT / 492 M | 101 FLOORS

[avcellvs]

July 27th 2004.

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1090905755.jpg

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1090905814.jpg

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1090906314.jpg

[dchen]

July 30th 2004

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1091144790.jpg

[James Raymond]

Down, down, down!:D

[avcellvs]

July 30th 2004. Diggin' like craze !

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1091144790.jpg

[Matace]

Hmmm, let me guess, another year or so until they finish digging that hole?

[dchen]

A posting on the cameraunion thread says underground structure would probably start in Oct, unless the Long Yuan Group is trying to make some troubles, which is the contractor of the "hole" and has lost in bidding for the main structure contract.

[avcellvs]

July 21th 2004, a pic from skyscraperpage gallery. Impressive view, the WFC will be really close to the JinMao tower.

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/570/2278mini-img_1395.jpg

[vincent]

dchen, the contract for the main tower was announced? who got the contract?

[dchen]

The Chinese words on the site in the photo above mean "Long Yuan Construction", the contractor of the SWFC "hole". The posting I mentioned does not indicate who wins the main tower contract but says Long Yuan is out now.

[Jaroslaw]

.

[High Pointer]

.
:???:

[avcellvs]

August 4th 2004. Activities are nearly totally out of sight now ! We are going to need photos from another angle.

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1091594661.jpg

[tuy]

How much deeper will the hole go? Somebody will have to take pictures from Jin Mao.

[stq]

dig dig dig,
let's keep diggin...

some activities is always better than none

[alejandro]

Yeah, that's true, but I was really hoping to see some metal raising up...

:no: :rock: :no:

[High Pointer]

All we can do is hope against hope that after the foundation is finished, steel will start to rise. Even though I do not have a good feeling about SWFC, I really hope it goes up.

[avcellvs]

August 10th 2004.

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1092116130.jpg

[avcellvs]

August 16th 2004, from the Oriental Pearl.

http://community.webshots.com/s/image14/4/77/62/175747762VxUwYx_fs.jpg

Another view (featuring the Food Court destruction under progress too)
http://community.webshots.com/s/image14/4/80/56/175748056MOureQ_fs.jpg

[vincent]

wow, they almost clear out all the food court already.

sunny and clear day in SH btw!

[avcellvs]

Mid August 2004, from the Oriental Pearl. Another clear and detailed view of the plot.

http://community.webshots.com/s/image2/9/52/11/176595211slxJcx_fs.jpg

[avcellvs]

August 23th 2004.

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1093237812.jpg

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1093237784.jpg

[dchen]

It's great we can have regular photos by Cityrain's posting at cameraunion.net. But probably we won't be able to see more details from now on as the hole is getting deeper, until the tower starts to rise.

The best photography location is from Jinmao. But unfortunately the view of SWFC plot from Jinmao's observation deck is blocked by its lower floors.

[avcellvs]

Yes and the Oriental Pearl is a bit too far for very detailed views unless the photos have a very high resolution and the weather is clear.

[Matace]

Does anyone have an idea how long the excavation phase is supposed to last?

[avcellvs]

^
Son, a 492 meters deep excavation is no easy job !
An entranced supertall fan invite us to join the diggers army ! Till the victory !

No precise date, a August 26th 2004 post, shot from the Oriental Pearl

http://community.webshots.com/s/image7/3/23/52/179932352JZDiFg_fs.jpg

[Matace]

Oh i know it does, dad. Though they don't have to go 492 metres DEEP, just high!

[avcellvs]

More seriously, they began this excavation in late may and this has been the most spectacular works since construction resumed in march. They have been digging rather quickly, this can't last very long now. Remember dchen gave us the october date for the begining of undergroung structure construction. Though his source was a forum discussion with no official validity, this seems quite plausible.

[Fabb]

... we'll found out within two months.
If this skyscraper ends up being built, we'll always remember the endless wait, false starts and uncertainties.

[avcellvs]

we'll always remember the endless wait, false starts and uncertainties.
Prima donna routine, call it glamour.


August 27th 2004. This look like late day work, I don't know if they go on at night but this could mean there is a calendar with deadlines...

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1093611592.jpg

[vincent]

i just don't understand why the 4-lane local roads in Pudong just can't prevent traffic jam.

[Dark357g]

Last URL doesnt work for me.

[Matace]

^It worked ok for me, must be some other problem.

[avcellvs]

A pic posted on september 7th 2004 (it may have been shot earlier), from the Oriental Pearl.

http://community.webshots.com/s/image7/4/70/64/184747064tweuLv_fs.jpg

[Razqal]

Is there ever a day in Shanghai where the sky is clear and blue? Every photo I've seen is smoggy, drab, grey and polluted. I'd hate to live there.

[Matace]

I can't help but LOVE the Jin Mao Building! Sorry, bit off topic there.

[coth]

Last URL doesnt work for me.
copy/past it to addressbar.

[Dark357g]

....I'm not that dumb, I'm saying that one URL posted led to a "this page can not be displayed"

[JACKinBeantown]

That's a big hole.

[avcellvs]

September 14th 2004. Out of sight.

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1095139912.jpg

[teddybear]

Isn't that Shanghai has problem when you dig out the water will come out easily?

[Matace]

Thanks for the update avcellvs. This is Union Square Phase 7 all over again, it will be ages before we start to see this project beef out.

[Razqal]

I think I read somewhere that the hole they're digging is going to be the swimming pool for the hotel in Jin Mao.

[Fabb]

Probably a bad joke.

[Razqal]

At least they wouldn't be wasting the hole if they didn't build SWFC.

[Builder]

September 14th 2004. Out of sight.

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1095139912.jpg

here you go


http://img1.imagetown.net/33184570.jpg

[Fabb]

Looks promising. Finally.

[teddybear]

Could not see the picture

[JACKinBeantown]

Me neither.

[avcellvs]

September 17th 2004 :
http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1095400809.jpg

Sorry for those who can't access the cameraunion server pix from my posts.
Neither can I imagine the reason why, nor I can't fix the problem.
Here is a link to the WFC thread (http://forum.cameraunion.net/showthread.php?threadid=221857&pagenumber=1), just in case it works better.

[Razqal]

I dont' understand why the hole is round if the building is square. And the hole looks kinda small to be the base for a pretty tall building.

[avcellvs]

The excavation depth is not progressing anymore, isn't it ?
It looks quite similar to the US7 one, may be digging times are over...
What will be the next step ? A crane for the underground floors construction ?

[Fabb]

I dont' understand why the hole is round if the building is square.

It's the same for US7.
I guess that the foundations don't depend much on the shape of the building.

[Matace]

The excavation depth is not progressing anymore, isn't it ?
It looks quite similar to the US7 one, may be digging times are over...
What will be the next step ? A crane for the underground floors construction ?

Exciting, if the hole is indeed finished that will be pretty quick. Lets hope the whole construction process ends up that way.

[vincent]

why the hole is round? coz of Roman empire...think

[Aboveday]

The shape of the hole reminds me about the design of the tower,
"Corresponding to the Chinese conception of the earth as a square and the sky as a circle, the interaction between these two geometric forms gives shape to the tower(KPF)"
That anicent chinese concept thing which KPF cited has been proved wrong by science ,does KPF use this to satirize chinese culture?

[Razqal]

The shape of the hole reminds me about the design of the tower,
"Corresponding to the Chinese conception of the earth as a square and the sky as a circle, the interaction between these two geometric forms gives shape to the tower(KPF)"
That anicent chinese concept thing which KPF cited has been proved wrong by science ,does KPF use this to satirize chinese culture?

:no:

[ENDOPHINS]

¤Ñ¶ê¦a¤è.........:hilarious

[avcellvs]

The shape of the hole reminds me about the design of the tower,
"Corresponding to the Chinese conception of the earth as a square and the sky as a circle, the interaction between these two geometric forms gives shape to the tower(KPF)"
That anicent chinese concept thing which KPF cited has been proved wrong by science ,does KPF use this to satirize chinese culture?

Oh no ! Aboveday ! Did you had a hard day ? If this is not a joke, this is totally paranoid. :???: Scientific and cultural representations of the world are two different things and as time goes by, even scientific concepts can turn out to be wrong. Can you imagine one reason why KPF would specifically despise chinese culture ?

Toying with these symbols (as geometric patterns) to elaborate a building was just one of the possible creative process, there is no real "message" behind it.

[avcellvs]

September 17th 2004.
WAO ! :crazy: A CLOSE UP OF THE EXCAVATION !
ITS BOTTOM IS COVERED WITH CONCRETE !
SMALL CYLINDRICAL ELEMENTS SEEM TO DRAW A... HMM ! square... (<sorry ;))

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1095400665.jpg

[Fabb]

I'm happy that you can see a square.
I don't see one.


http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1095400665.jpg

[avcellvs]

Look at the lines drawn by these cylindrical elements, they form a 90 angle I interpret as the corner of the square building base. it has the right orientation : both parallel and perpendicular to the street in between the JinMao and the WFC (the orientation of the cranes platforms on the border of the excavation confirm it).

I may be wrong, there is always this danger of seeing what you wish to see...

[Fabb]

OK, it makes sense.

I bet that before three to four months, the construction will start to rise above ground.

[Aboveday]

Oh no ! Aboveday ! Did you had a hard day ? If this is not a joke, this is totally paranoid. :???: Scientific and cultural representations of the world are two different things and as time goes by, even scientific concepts can turn out to be wrong. Can you imagine one reason why KPF would specifically despise chinese culture ?

Toying with these symbols (as geometric patterns) to elaborate a building was just one of the possible creative process, there is no real "message" behind it.


I thought that concept"¤Ñ¶ê¦a¤è" "earth as a square and the sky as a circle" was a "scientific' concept in ancient China ,just like ancient westerners thought that the earth is flat,people thought that these concept is a fact in the past .Joking people with a 492 supertall successfully would have thought as a big achievement by a creative artist. :)

[Starscraper]

Are those piles we can see at the bottom of the hole?:???: :cool:

[avcellvs]

^ ya ! they would form the building footprint.

I can't wait for the next pic to see if it confirms the begining of underground floors construction. Six days since the previous one was posted, the next one should be delivered soon :crazy:

[Matace]

That was a quick excavation, this project is moving along really fast. Can't wait for that next pic.

[avcellvs]

Unfortunately the next pic is a night view, not a close up and not the right angle to figure out what's happening at the bottom of the excavation :hell:

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/545/54574/54574_1096027019.jpg

[dchen]

A bad news, guys!

A local Shanghai newspaper reports on Friday that the 'hole' contractor Longyuan told reporters the 'hole' was already down to -18m earlier September and there was no activity since then. But they denied construction has been stopped.

There is a clear photo taken from Jinmao with the article. I have posted the article to cameraunion forum. Anyone interested can find the photo at this URL:

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/1126/112652/112652_1096128231.jpg

[avcellvs]

Thanks for the hot news dchen.

http://forum.cameraunion.net/upload/1126/112652/112652_1096128231.jpg

This pic shows clearly that the cylindrical elements are just approximatively arranged according a square.
No straight lines. Construction has not begun. :no:

But they must have been brought there for some reason... Let's wait and see A crane might appear soon.

[Dark357g]

Any news?

[Aboveday]

At least the cofferdam has been done ,and I heard Longyuan lost the contract of the construction of the tower.



I found this news on internet:
25-9-04
Chinese GB
上海最高樓環球金融中心工程停擺 （15:56:12 中央社)
寄給朋友 友善列印

（中央社台北2004年 9月25日電）
號稱世界第一高樓的上海環球金融中心大廈工程，
於去年復工後今年九月初再度停工。


負責施工的浙江龍元建設集團項目負責人錢水江表示，
停工原因是雙方對施工步驟意見不一致。

香港文匯報引述上海環球金融中心有限公司總經理助理徐劍指出，
環球金融中心工程在地下連續牆施工進展順利，
接下來會做地下主體工程，
整體工程仍將按照原計劃在2007年完工。

錢水江說，上海環球金融中心已於九月初再度停工，
原因是雙方對施工步驟的意見不一致。

龍元嚴格按照上海市建委技術委員會的意見，
須在深18公尺基坑大底板完成後，再開挖25公尺基坑。

但投資方以合同未列入此條件為由，
又不願承擔未放置18公尺基坑大底板情況下開挖深基坑的風險責任，
導致工程處於停工狀態。

不過，消息人士透露，
龍元與環球金融中心之間關於工程款及下一步工程承包等問題發生矛盾，
導致龍元停工。

但徐劍駁斥拖欠龍元工程款的說法。

上海環球金融中心由日本森大廈株式會社的全額子公司森海外株式會社及日本具有代表性的銀行、保險公司、商社等36家企業，偕同政府系統機構日本海外經濟協力基金 (OECF)聯合投資，總投資逾 750億日圓。

上海環球金融中心位於上海市浦東新區陸家嘴金融貿易區Z4-1號地塊，
建築總面積逾33萬5000平方公尺，地下三層，地上94層，高度達 460公尺。

1997年 8月正式奠基，至今工地已存在近 7年。

去年二月，上海環球金融中心復工，根據新設計方案，大廈高492公尺、101層。

外傳上海環球金融中心投資株式會社存在融資困難，
導致環球金融中心無法正常開工。

徐劍說，目前環球金融中心正與相關金融機構談判。

有消息稱，環球金融中心一直都與四大國有銀行接觸談判。

根據中國房地產開發規定，兩年未開發項目一般要收回項目用地，
外資也必須遵守規定。

上海環球金融中心項目1995年拿到地塊使用權，
至今仍未開發完成，可算少見的特例。

[Aboveday]

The news said that the excavation has been stoped at -18m ,but the lowest point of the cofferdam should be -43m.



More news about SWFC. (9/04)

http://house.tom.com/1056/2004924-15897.html

http://www.renminbao.com/rmb/articles/2004/9/28/32684.html

http://www.whb.com.cn/xwzx/shxw/t20040925_230558.htm

[coth]

so.... again holded?

[Aboveday]

so.... again holded?

The contractor said it is but the developer said it is not.:laugh:

[avcellvs]

Once again bad news ! I don't get it. The excavation is 18 m deep, it's supposed to be 25 m more and yet it is finished :???:

[Inspire]

LOL, I guess Freedom tower will be done before SWFC.

[Aboveday]

Once again bad news ! I don't get it. The excavation is 18 m deep, it's supposed to be 25 m more and yet it is finished :???:


25m more is the "request" of the government,it is not included in the contract.

[ENDOPHINS]

i thoght that SWFC has the same progress as US7....
But ... definitely not :no:

[avcellvs]

October 10th 2004. A CRANE ON THE PLOT !

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1097370599.jpg

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1097370520.jpg

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1097370378.jpg

[Fabb]

Good news !

[Razqal]

jesus, i still can't get over how utterly polluted shanghai is. those pics are taken at near ground level and it's even very grey and smoggy down there. it's kewl they might built this building finally, but i dont think it will have much of a view in all that haze.

[dchen]

Razqal, the haze is mainly due to weather reason, not pollution. Shanghai has many foggy days in a year. But that does not mean Shanghai has no pollution. Chinese cities are quite polluted as compared with Western cities. Shanghai has relatively 'good' or 'better than average' air quality by Chinese standards :-(

By the way, the same cameraunion thread also says the next phase construction, I guess the main underground structure, will start on Nov 2 this year.

[JACKinBeantown]

Plus, those photos are taken with a digital camera, which for some reason always seem to add that hazy quality to their photos. But if you open the photo in Photoshop and run Auto Levels over it you'll see a dramatic reduction in the perceived amount of haze.

[STERNyc]

This building will never finish, or start for that matter.

[Matace]

^Why the lack of faith man? This building has been u/c for some time now.

[Razqal]

Well I've seen a zillion pics of different cities around the world in this forum and I have YET to see a pic of Shanghai on a clear sunny day with blue skies. I don't think using a digital camera has anything to do with it nor weather factors. London and other European cities have alot of cloudy, foggy weather but i've seen pics of them on sunny clear days. Even Beijing is also pretty polluted but I've seen pics of Beijing with clear blue skies. People I know who've been or lived in Shanghai all tell me the air quality there is awful due to the traffic and industrial plants.

[dchen]

These photos were taken on Oct 5 at Jinmao... it was a sunny day with blue clear sky.

http://image2.sina.com.cn/dy/c/2004-10-05/U661P1T1D4497656F21DT20041005193349.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/dy/c/2004-10-05/U661P1T1D4497406F21DT20041005171435.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/dy/c/2004-10-05/U661P1T1D4497501F21DT20041005174507.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/dy/c/2004-10-05/U661P1T1D4497499F21DT20041005174335.jpg

http://img.tom.com/news/2004100611440820844_0.jpg

http://sh.eastday.com/eastday/shnews/fenleixinwen/qita/images/00153496

[Inspire]

SWFC is becoming a joke, what a shame.

[Razqal]

wooooow...blue skies!! thanks, dchen! i'm a believer.

[dchen]

Good news!

It is confirmed that main construction will start on Nov 2. The main contractor is CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corp.). The total value of the contract is about REM 3.9B (about US$470M). Complete date is Nov 2007.

See this link (in Chinese):
http://www.sasac.gov.cn/196ggqy/196ggqy_1844.htm

[Aboveday]

So ,will they continue the process of the "hole"(25m more) or stop it at -18m?If the foundation is not completed ,the main contractor cannot start their job.

[ztopp]

Good news!

It is confirmed that main construction will start on Nov 2. The main contractor is CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corp.). The total value of the contract is about REM 3.9B (about US$470M). Complete date is Nov 2007.

See this link (in Chinese):
http://www.sasac.gov.cn/196ggqy/196ggqy_1844.htm

At last....a confirmed date of construction and completion date for SWFC.

[Chad]

It's in the news here as well :)

[avcellvs]

October 20th 2004.

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1098254506.jpg

[Fabb]

Still only one crane...

[teddybear]

Right, but that shows there are construction activities...

[Razqal]

Maybe they're building a port-o-potty.

[JACKinBeantown]

Plus, those photos are taken with a digital camera, which for some reason always seem to add that hazy quality to their photos. But if you open the photo in Photoshop and run Auto Levels over it you'll see a dramatic reduction in the perceived amount of haze.
I can't post the photo, but I took one of them and ran "auto levels" and it did reduce the amount of gray haze drastically. If anyone can do the same and post it you'll see what I mean.

avcellvs
http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1097370599.jpg

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1097370520.jpg

http://image.cameraunion.net/forum/upload/545/54574/54574_1097370378.jpg

[avcellvs]

Well since the crane has been installed, there has not been any evidence of activity. The october 20th camerunion pic shows the same scene as one week ago. Tuesday I'll go there and tell you if the effective construction phase has begun.

Those willing to join me while I stay in Shanghai (october 26th to november 15th) can write to :

a v c e l l v s @ y a h o o . f r (remove all spaces).

I'll be happy to meet all the shanghaiese forumers willing to.

Though I don't intend to spend much time on the net during my stay, I'll try to make some updates with hot news.

I'll be back with tons of photos :D

[mewonlottery]

SWFC is becoming a joke, what a shame.

someone just can't stop shitting...hahah~