Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai (China) - 468 meter television tower

The Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai is the highest tower in Asia and the third highest in this type of building in the world. Only the CN Tower in Toronto and Ostankino Tower in Moscow are higher.

Shanghai is the fastest-growing metropolis in China. The Oriental Tower was to be its symbol and attraction. The project was made by Chinese architect Jia Huan Cheng. He designed an extremely peculiar and beautiful building.

The whole structure is based on three vertical, reinforced concrete pillars with a circular cross-section. In order to reinforce the whole, many crossbars were used between them, and at the bottom of the tower the pillars were supported by slanted beams.

Three pillars with a diameter of 9 meters each support the building structure.

On this core, three ball-shaped decks rest. The higher the balls are smaller. There are 11 balls in total. The diameter of the spheres, respectively: 50 meters lowest, 45 meters bullet at a height of 263 meters, and 14 meters high at the top.

They contain viewing decks and restaurants. The largest restaurant in the tower is located at an altitude of 267 m, houses 400 guests and modeled its relative from the CN Tower turns. It takes an hour to complete it.

In addition, tourists are attracted by three viewing terraces at heights of 263 m, 339 m and 342 m.

In good weather from the highest platform there is a 100 km view.

Structurally Oriental Tower measures 350 m. A 450 - tonne spire with antennas 118 m high is mounted on its top.

You can get to the top, that is 342 m, by using one of the six elevators. They were built by the Otis company and transport 700 people per hour.

The total weight of this 19-story building is 120,000 tons.

The foundations of the tower reach 18 m deep into the earth, and therefore 18 m below sea level. It's not a mistake, the Oriental Tower stands exactly at sea level and practically on its edge.