World's second tallest building getting ready in China

Racing ahead with theconstruction of the second tallest building in the world, China has completedthe foundation for the 632-metre high Shanghai Tower, second only to the 828-metre tallBurj Khalifa in Dubai.

Work crews havecompleted the foundation one month ahead of schedule and are now rushing toconstruct the ground structure of the building, situated in China's financialhub of Shanghai.

The building isexpected to grow by 400 metres next year, with an average of seven days spenton the construction of each floor, said Kong Qingwei, Board Chairman of the developmentfirm Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co Ltd, official news agencyXinhua reported.

Kong said on Wednesday that ittook three years to complete the foundation, and estimated that it will takeanother three to finish the ground structure.

Once completed, the ShanghaiTower will be the tallest structure in China, as well as a new Shanghailandmark, alongside the 420.5-metre Jin Mao Tower and the 492-metre ShanghaiWorld Financial Centre.

The three skyscrapers inShanghai's Lujiazui Financial Zone will be connected by subways.

Kong said the ShanghaiTower will be a "vertical city" as it will house hotels, offices,malls and other facilities and will be capable of holding more than 50,000people.