CapitaLand sets world record for Raffles City Chongqing

Singapore-based real estate company CapitaLand has written a new world record as it embarks on the complex crowning process for Raffles City Chongqing, the 1.12 million-sqm urban district located on Chongqing’s famed Chaotianmen riverfront.

Raffles City Chongqing is a landmark urban renewal project that expresses and shapes Chongqing’s global city aspirations, said Lim Ming Yan, president and group CEO of CapitaLand.

The crowning process features the extraordinary engineering feat of erecting a curved accordion-shaped “horizontal skyscraper” – measuring 300m in length, 30m in width and 22.5m in height – above four 250m-tall towers at a total height of more than 400m above sea level. Raffles City Chongqing now holds the world’s record as the development with the highest sky bridge linking the most number of towers, according to CapitaLand.

Occupying 9.2 hectares of site area, Raffles City Chongqing brings together a 230,000-sqm shopping mall, 160,000-sqm of Grade A office space, 1,400 residential apartments, Ascott Raffles City Chongqing serviced residence and a luxury hotel. The development is located on Chaotianmen at the confluence of Yangtze and Jialing rivers in Yuzhong District.

The Conservatory’s steel structure is targeted to be fully erected by mid-2018, which will be followed by the hoisting of the façade enclosure together with gigantic trees and plants for the sky gardens.

Lim Ming Yan, president and group CEO of CapitaLand Limited, said: “Raffles City Chongqing is by far the largest and most complex integrated development that CapitaLand has undertaken.  Erecting The Conservatory marks the culmination of five years of construction progress and a grand milestone in outlining Raffles City Chongqing’s image of a powerful sail surging forward, as it prepares to welcome the world in 2019. The hoisting of The Conservatory is not only a significant moment for Raffles City Chongqing, it marks a global milestone in the field of architecture and engineering.  Some of the world’s most advanced construction and engineering techniques have been deployed to install this megastructure on Chaotianmen, known as the crown jewel of Chongqing. CapitaLand is proud to have achieved this phenomenal structural engineering breakthrough of connecting skyscrapers, and we will continue to stay ahead of the curve by breaking new grounds in real estate development.”

Raffles City Chongqing broke ground in September 2012 and five towers have successfully topped out since. One of these is a 350-m supertall skyscraper, which currently holds two records – China’s tallest residential tower and Chongqing’s tallest building.

Designed by world-renown architect Moshe Safdie, Raffles City Chongqing is fully integrated with a transport hub comprising a metro station, bus interchange, ferry terminal and cruise centre.

Raffles City Chongqing is CapitaLand’s eighth Raffles City development in China. The seven others in Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai (with two Raffles City developments) and Shenzhen are operational. Collectively, the eight Raffles City developments in China span about 3 million square metres and are worth about S$13 billion (US$9.9 billion) when fully completed.

By Muneerah Bee