Skyscraper of the Day: Meet Changsha IFS Tower T1

Changsha IFS (International Finance Square) Tower T1 is a 452 metres (1,482.9 ft) tall, supertall skyscraper located in Changsha, Hunan, China. Construction of the tower lasted from 2013 to 2017 and the tower is currently the 16^th tallest building in the world.

The tower is part of the Changsha International Finance Square development, a mixed use urban project based on Harbour City in Hong Kong, an incredibly successful hyper connected retail development on the island. Changsha International Finance Square (IFS) comprises two super high-rise towers, T1 and T2 housing offices and hotels. The 95-storey Tower 1 (T1) and the 64-storey Tower 2 (T2) along with a 7-storey retail podium and 6-level basement, yield a total building GFA of 1,040,000m². The mega shopping mall and the 452m high-rise tower are marked as the largest mall and the highest tower respectively in Central China. Ensuring ultimate connectivity and high footfalls, the scheme will be connected to the future underground interchange hub for metro lines 1 and 2. The mall will also act as an extension to one of the busiest pedestrian streets in China – Huang Xing Pedestrian Shopping Street — sitting opposite to the entrance of the well-known area.

The rectangular form of the glass-clad towers is interrupted by a series of metal fins that add a hint of complexity to their appearance and reduce glare for the interior office spaces. Tower 1 features a crown that incrementally sets back by several meters at three points resulting in a stepped back geometry. The reduced floor plate sizes at the top, like many towers that break the 400-meter barrier, are used efficiently for the hotel’s spaces creating high altitude premium accommodations for guests.

At the base is the 7 storey podium that connects the two towers and contains the massive shopping mall 230,000 square meters. The podium also has 700 meters of street front retail space that includes amenities spanning entertainment, lifestyle, culture, and dining.