32
Global
Height rank

CITIC Plaza

Guangzhou
Height 390.2 m / 1,280 ft
Floors 80
Official Name
The current legal building name.

CITIC Plaza

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

Sky Central Plaza, China International Trust & Investment Plaza

Name of Complex
A complex is a group of buildings which are designed and built as pieces of a greater development.

CITIC Plaza

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed, 1996

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

China

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Guangzhou

Postal Code

510613

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

office

Structural Material
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.

Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.

composite

Core
Reinforced Concrete
Columns
Concrete Encased Steel
Floor Spanning
Steel
Official Website

CITIC Plaza

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

390.2 m / 1,280 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
390.2 m / 1,280 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
296.9 m / 974 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

80

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

904

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

36

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

205,239 m² / 2,209,174 ft²

Rankings
#
32
Tallest in the World
#
22
Tallest in Asia
#
17
Tallest in China
#
3
Tallest in Guangzhou
#
11
Tallest Office Building in the World
#
8
Tallest Office Building in Asia
#
6
Tallest Office Building in China
#
1
Tallest Office Building in Guangzhou
#
21
Tallest Composite Building in the World
#
21
Tallest Composite Building in Asia
#
17
Tallest Composite Building in China
#
3
Tallest Composite Building in Guangzhou
Construction Schedule
1993

Construction Start

1996

Completed

Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Construction Hoists
Elevator
Developer
China International Trust and Investment
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers (HK) Ltd. (DLN)
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Maunsell AECOM Group
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Gammon Construction Limited; Tridant Engineering Company Limited
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Hong Kong Construction (Holdings) Limited; Kumagai Gammon Joint Venture
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Quantity Surveyor
Langdon & Seah
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Ceiling
Armstrong World Industries
Construction Hoists
Elevator

CTBUH Initiatives

Top Company Rankings: The World’s 100 Tallest Buildings

13 October 2016 - CTBUH Research

About CITIC Plaza

CITIC Plaza is the centerpiece of the Tien He development in Guangzhou and acts as a centralizing hub for the neighborhood. The tower complex is at the center of a four-kilometer-long axis of gardens and boulevards stretching between Guangzhou East Railway Station, Guangzhou’s main railway station in the north, and Haixinsha Island to the south. The symmetry of the CITIC Plaza development complements the formality of the surrounding urban axis, with the main tower being the first sight that visitors see as they emerge from the main railway station.

The tabula rasa planning of the Tien He district provided few cues, save for its symmetry, for the form of CITIC Plaza. The layout of the tower is therefore largely driven by pragmatic principles of office planning, unconstrained by the site characteristics that so often influence the forms of buildings elsewhere. In plan, the tower is incorporated in the larger development through a superimposed circle-on-square geometry that traditionally symbolizes the unity of sky, represented by the circle, and land, which is represented by the square.

The fitting out and detailing of the tower reflects the design elements present throughout the larger development. External and internal finishes of polished grey granites, glazed ceramic tiles, and turquoise and blue tinted reflecting glass offer a consistent and simple palette of colors and textures throughout the building. The Envelope is virtually free of indentations that would increase façade area and the associated construction, running, and maintenance costs. Instead, the great scale of the structures is visually attenuated, and its symmetry amplified, by the application of contrasting colors of glass and stone finishes. The tower’s reserved simplicity, yet notable presence in the Tien He district have earned it a reputation as a sturdy and robust example of the Guangzhou spirit.