Considering place in an integrated approach to tall building design

The rapid development of modern Chinese cities has provided designers and developers with unique opportunities to create architecture that either responds to its existing context or, as in the case of emerging cities, creates entirely new urban identities. When coupled with advancements in technology, construction technique and analytical design tools, these opportunities have yielded some of the world's most sophisticated and progressive architecture. This paper will explore the design of supertall buildings throughout China and examine the context of these structures within each tier of Chinese city. It will also examine a holistic approach to achieving high performance design in 21 century architecture. The authors will explore the key design challenges associated with these unique structures and discuss their efforts to create architecture that is iconographic, contextually responsive, and energy efficient