Canton Tower

There had been a long discussion about the naming of the Canton Tower since the commencement of its construction in 2005 after the groundbreaking ceremony. In September 2020, at the request of the tower's investor, Guangzhou Daily launched a contest for naming proposals. The contest attracted over valid entries, among which "Haixin Tower" () was awarded the first prize. The name alluded to the city's historical setting as the start of the Maritime Silk Road and the tower's geographical proximity to Haixinsha Island. However, this name was considered obscure to people unfamiliar with the history of the city. Local residents continued to refer to the tower by various nicknames including "Slim Waist" (), "Twisted Firewood" (; a metaphor for "stubborn" in Cantonese) and "Yangdianfeng" (; homophone of "epilepsy" in colloquial Chinese). == History ==

Canton Tower was constructed by Guangzhou New Television Tower Group. It was designed by the Dutch architects Mark Hemel and Barbara Kuit of Information Based Architecture, together with Arup, the international design, engineering and business consulting firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. In 2004, Information Based Architecture and Arup won the international competition, in which many internationally large architectural offices participated. In the same year, the IBA – Arup team in Amsterdam developed the tower's concept design. In later stages, IBA cooperated mainly with the local Chinese office of Arup and a Local Design Institute. Subsequently, in 2005, the groundbreaking of the Canton Tower took place. The rooftop observatory finally received its official opening in December 2011. == Structure and construction ==

The Canton Tower's twisted shape or hyperboloid structure corresponds to the Russian Empire patent No. 1896, dated 12 March 1899 received by Vladimir Shukhov, the Russian engineer and architect. The structure is similar to the Adziogol Lighthouse (designed by Vladimir Shukhov in 1910) in Ukraine's Dnepr delta. Structural concept The tower was designed by Information Based Architecture and Arup. The Arup team led by structural engineer Prof. Dr. Joop Paul introduced near mass customization to the joint design, in combination with parametric design methods, and applied a simple structural concept of three elements: columns, rings and braces, to this more complex geometry. The top zone of the tower begins above the stairway, housing various technical functions as well as a two-story rotating restaurant, a tuned mass damper and the upper observation levels. From the upper observation levels it is possible to ascend even higher, via a further set of the stairs, to a terraced observation square rising above the tower's top ring. This remained the case until 14 October 2014, when the record of highest outdoor observatory was retaken by Burj Khalifa when it opened its new observatory called at the Top – Sky, at a height of 555 meters. Sixteen transparent "crystal" passenger cars, each with a diameter of and able to carry four to six people, travel on a track round the edge of the tower's roof, taking between 20 and 40 minutes to circumnavigate the rooftop. The installation is described by the media as a Ferris wheel; however, its passenger cars are not suspended from the rim of a wheel and remain horizontal without being fully rotated, and the track, which follows the incline of the roof, is closer to the horizontal than the vertical. Architectural lighting design At night, the tower glows and emits light, rather than being uplit. Lighting designer Rogier van der Heide is known for this concept, which he also applied at the Marunouchi Building in Tokyo. Each node in the lighting design is individually controllable to allow for animations and color changes across the entire height of the tower. As all lighting is based on LED technology, and all fixtures are located on the structure itself, the lighting scheme consumes only 15% of the allowed maximum for façade lighting. At the time of the design of Canton Tower, lighting designer Rogier van der Heide was Global Leader of Arup Lighting. == Measurements ==

The Canton Tower's main body stands at . Combined with the tower's antenna, the Canton Tower has a total height of , making it the second-tallest tower in the world, second tallest in Asia, and the tallest in the People's Republic of China. The tower has a total of 112 floors. The Canton Tower weighs a total of , including the tower's antenna which weighs and the main body, which includes all the features of the tower, which weighs a total of . The Canton Tower occupies a total floor area of . In addition, the tower's net usable area measures . == Events ==

. • The tower served as a focal point for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, which were held on Haixinsha Island. == Geography ==

The Canton Tower is situated alongside the Yiyuan Road (Yuejiang Road West), in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou, and is situated south of the Zhujiang New Town. Additionally, several famous landmarks surround the tower, including pagodas, a park towards the south, and several high-rise apartments, buildings, and skyscrapers, both commercial and residential. == Gallery ==

Construction history Diagrams == See also ==