As of yesterday, the Jinmao Tower is no longer Shanghai’s tallest building. When construction came to a close Sunday on the Shanghai World Financial Center, the unfinished building stood 423.8 meters high, 3 meters taller than the 420.5-meter Jinmao. What does this mean? Well a few things. First, the World Financial Center is now the tallest structure in mainland China. Second, if you count the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur as two separate buildings, the World Financial Center is now the fourth tallest building in the world. Though I suppose it is not quite a building yet. And third, it’s time for the construction to begin of the World Financial Center’s crown jewel, the gaping vagina-like hole at the top of the building. The trapezoid-shaped aperture is said to protect the building from earthquakes. I believe that the hole was designed to keep the Jinmao’s large pointy spire company at the top of the Shanghai skyline. When construction of the new building’s exterior is completed in September 2007, the World Financial Center will stand 492 meters tall, second only to the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan. The Shanghai World Financial Center is scheduled to open in 2009.

•Shanghai Daily: Shanghai’s New Height: 423.8 Meters

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