Oriental Pearl Tower

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Oriental Pearl Tower 东方明珠塔
No. 2, Lane 504, Lujiazui Road, Pudong, Shanghai, China
Height
Spire/ antenna	468m/ 1,535.5ft
Height of Primary Observatory	90m/ 295ft
Height of Secondary Observatory	263m/ 863ft
Height of Highest Observatory	342m/ 1,122ft
Height of Restaurant	267m/ 876ft
Tower data
Total weight of Tower	120,000 tonnes (metric)
Gross ground floor area of building	54,000m²
Net usable area of building	20,000m²
Maximum design wind speed	600 km/h
Antenna data
Total length of antenna	118m/387ft
Weight of antenna	450 tonnes (metric)
Number of broadcasting facilities	19
Construction
Start	1991
End	1995
Cost	US$100 million^{[citation needed]}
Date of Inauguration	1 May 1995
Architecture
Style	Postmodern
Materials	Concrete, steel
Companies
Architect	Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd.
Developer	Shanghai Oriental Group Co. Ltd.

The Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠塔, pinyin: Dōngfāng Míngzhūtǎ) is a TV tower in Shanghai, China. The Oriental Pearl Tower is located at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong district, by the side of Huangpu River, opposite The Bund of Shanghai. The design of the building is based on a Tang Dynasty poem about the haunting sound made by a lute.

It was designed by Jia Huan Cheng of the Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd. Construction began in 1991 and the tower was completed in 1995. At 468 m (1,535 feet) high, it is the tallest tower in Asia, and the third tallest tower in the world. The Oriental Pearl Tower belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers.

The tower has approximate coordinates 31°14'30 N and 121°29'42 E.

1 Structural data
2 Tourist facts
3 In popular culture
4 See also

[edit] Structural data

The tower features 5 spheres. The two biggest spheres have diameters of 50 m for the lower and 45 m for the upper. They are linked by three columns, each 9 m in diameter. The smallest and highest sphere is 14 m in diameter.

The revolving restaurant inside the 2nd-highest sphere

The tower has three observatory levels. The highest (known as the Space Module) is at 350 m. The lower levels are at 263 m (Sightseeing Floor) and at 90 m (Space City). There is a revolving restaurant at the 267 m level. The project also contains exhibition facilities, restaurants and a shopping mall. There is also a 20 room hotel called the Space Hotel between the two large spheres.

The entire building is supported by three enormous and surprisingly strong columns that start underground.

An antenna broadcasting TV and radio programs extends the construction by another 118 m.