The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which will consist of office spaces, hotel rooms, conference rooms, observation decks and shops on the ground floors. The hotel component will open with 175 rooms and suites in mid-2008 as the Park Hyatt Shanghai. On September 14, 2007 the skyscraper was topped out at 492 metres (1,614 ft) and became the tallest structure on the Chinese mainland, as well as the world's second tallest skyscraper (not counting buildings that have not topped out).
The most distinctive feature in the design of the building is an aperture at the peak. The aperture originally was meant to be a circular moon gate, but the intended design began facing protests from Chinese, including the mayor of Shanghai, who considered it too similar to the rising sun design of the Japanese flag. Pedersen then suggested that a bridge be placed at the bottom of the aperture to make it less circular. On 18 October 2005, KPF submitted an alternative design to Mori Building and a trapezoidal hole replaced the circle at the top of the tower, which in addition to changing the controversial design, will also be cheaper and easier to implement according to the architects.[3] An observation deck on the 100th floor is also now part of the final design.
The skyscraper's roof height has been set at 492 m (1,614 feet), and when completed in early 2008 is expected to temporarily have the highest roof in the world. Before construction resumed on the roof, tower height was scheduled to be 510m so the building would hold the title of the worlds tallest building (structural top) over the Taipei 101, but a height limit was imposed, allowing the roof to reach a maximum height of 492m. Architect William Pedersen and developer Minoru Mori have resisted suggestions to add a spire that would surpass that of Taipei 101 and perhaps the Freedom Tower, calling the Shanghai WFC a "broad-shouldered building". Even so, its roof height will be the third highest in the world after the Burj Dubai complex and Chicago Spire. Upon completion the SWFC will boast a gross floor area of more than 377,300m² and feature 31 elevators and 33 escalators.