Shenzhen, China
Representing a new generation of skyscrapers in China, the 599 m. Ping An Finance Center is a super tall, dense and hyper-connected skyscraper in Shenzhen, a city just across the border from Hong Kong that has grown to nearly 13 million people since being designated a Special Economic Zone in 1979. Originally the building was designed with a spire reaching up to 660 m. However, due to restrictions of the nearby Shenzhen airport, the original height of the spire was canceled.
As a center for public transportation, the building features a three-story subway system connected with the surrounding buildings, accommodating two major subway lines and Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, a high-speed rail that links Hong Kong to mainland China. Featuring a glass and stainless steel façade with stone elements at the base, the tower contains more than 100 stories of office space occupied principally by the Ping An Insurance Company of China and its many financial services subsidiaries. It features a conference center and a high-end shopping mall in the podium. The uppermost floors in the pyramidal top contain a public observation deck and a private Ping An Club.