Chongqing project reaches for the sky

Construction began on a cluster of four supertall skyscrapers, including one at 470 meters, on Monday as Chongqing recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Called the Chongqing Jiangbeizui International Financial Center, the 103-floor main tower will be 470 meters high and the other three buildings will be 350 meters, 300 meters and 250 meters.

The project, developed by Sunac China Holdings, is in the Jiangbeizui financial district, which is bounded by the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. It will be a mixed-use compound, with offices, residential areas, hotels and retail. The total investment is about 20 billion yuan ($286 million).

Almost as big as the country of Austria, Chongqing is a municipality under the direct leadership of the central government, as are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.

The traditional industrial hub, which is at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative's trade route and the Yangtze River Economic Zone, has had fast and steady economic growth in recent years.

Thanks to its political and geographic significance, the city is poised to become a financial center on the upper reaches of the Yangtze.

"Our design is inspired by the two rivers," the project's chief architect Ren Lizhi was quoted as saying in Chongqing Daily. "We hope this project will demonstrate the city's character and features."

Ren, who was born in Chongqing, is now vice-president and chief architect of Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co, formerly known as the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University in Shanghai.

As chief architect, he has designed other supertall buildings such as the Shanghai Tower (632 meters) and the African Union headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.