The Changsha Sky City project

The world of construction and architecture is abuzz now that China had begun building what could topple Dubai's Burj Khalifa and become the world's tallest structure.

Approved for construction in the city of Changsha, Hunan, in China's south-central district, "Sky City" aims to topple the Burj Khalifa by 10 metres more higher towards the clouds. Built in 2010, Burj Khalifa has an official record of 829.8 metres or 2,722 feet high. "Sky City" is targeting 838 metres.

The Changsha Sky City project

The Xiaoxiang Morning Herald newspaper reported on Sunday that developer Broad Group has held a ground-breaking ceremony on Saturday, signaling the start of the 208-storey tower's construction.

With a construction value placed at 5.25 billion yuan (AU$928 million), the Changsha Sky City project will contain a total area of 1.05 million square metres, and is expected to be completed in April 2014.

The mega building will house five schools, an elderly care centre, hospital and offices in the lower levels. The upper levels will house the apartments and hotel which can accommodate up to 1,000 guests.

Also part of the plans were 10 fire escape routes, 17 helipads as well as sport facilities, including six basketball courts and 10 tennis courts. The fire escape routes will evacuate everybody in a given floor within 15 minutes. The building reportedly can withstand potential fire-related damages for up to three hours.

But experts and skeptics are worried over the safety of the building, following the developer's remarks that it will be erected in only 10 months' time. The Burj Khalifa, the one it wants to topple, took five years to build, while construction on the 632-meter Shanghai Tower, China's current tallest skyscraper, still has yet to finish. Ongoing for three years now, construction is expected to be completed in 2014.

Broad Group is known in China as a builder specialising in building structures that are sustainable, cost less, use environment friendly materials and can be built in a short amount of time, using techniques like prefabrication.

China Architecture