Jin Mao Tower

Jin Mao Tower
Industry	Real estate, Hospitality
Founded	1994; 32 years ago in Shanghai, China
Headquarters	Shanghai, China
Area served	Shanghai
Products	Office space, Retail, Hotel (Grand Hyatt Shanghai)
Owner	China Jin Mao Group Co. Ltd (previously China Shanghai Foreign Trade Center Co. Ltd)
Website	www.jinmao88.com

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Jin Mao Tower, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

The Jin Mao Tower (; Shanghainese: Cinmeu Dagho; meaning ‘Golden Prosperity Building’), also referred to as the Jinmao Building or simply Jinmao Tower, stands as a prominent skyscraper reaching tall with 88 stories (93 floors including the spire) in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China. This mixed-use building accommodates retail outlets, office spaces, and the Grand Hyatt Shanghai hotel beginning on the 53rd floor; at its completion, it held the title of the world’s tallest hotel. Together with the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Shanghai Tower, it contributes significantly to the iconic Lujiazui skyline visible from the Bund.

Within Shanghai’s building ranking, Jin Mao Tower is the fourth tallest structure, measuring 420.5 meters, trailing behind Shanghai Tower (632 m), Shanghai World Financial Center (492 m), and Oriental Pearl Tower (468 m). Nevertheless, since the Oriental Pearl is categorized primarily as a television and observation tower rather than a conventional skyscraper, Jin Mao is frequently recognized as the city’s third tallest high-rise.

Structure

Situated on a site near the Lujiazui metro station, the tower was erected at an estimated expense of US$530 million.

The design was created by Chicago-based firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and reflects postmodern architectural style inspired by traditional Chinese elements, particularly the tiered pagoda. Its ascending setbacks form a rhythmic pattern reminiscent of this heritage. Similar to Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers, its dimensions emphasize the number 8, a symbol of fortune in Chinese culture. The building’s 88 levels (93 including spire floors) are divided into 16 sections, each segment reduced by one-eighth compared to the 16-story base. The core features an octagonal concrete shear wall encircled by eight composite supercolumns and eight steel perimeter columns, which are interconnected by three sets of two-story outrigger trusses positioned every six floors to enhance structural stability.

The foundation comprises 1,062 high-capacity steel piles driven deep into the ground to counteract suboptimal soil conditions—these were the longest steel piles ever installed for a land-based building at that time. These piles support a 4-meter-thick concrete raft located underground. The basement’s slurry wall measures 1 meter in thickness, extends 36 meters in height, and spans 568 meters in length, constructed from reinforced concrete.

Advanced engineering solutions have been integrated to resist typhoon winds reaching speeds up to 200 km/h (with a maximum sway of at the top) and earthquakes up to magnitude 7. Steel shafts contain shear joints functioning as shock absorbers against lateral forces. Moreover, a swimming pool on the 57th floor acts as a passive damping system. The external curtain wall incorporates materials such as glass, stainless steel, aluminum, and granite combined with intricate aluminum alloy lattice panels.

Operations

The tower was officially inaugurated on August 28, 1998—a date selected for its auspicious association with the number 8—and became fully functional in 1999. Ownership rests with China Jin Mao Group Co. Ltd (previously known as China Shanghai Foreign Trade Center Co. Ltd). The daily upkeep expenses are estimated at around RMB 1 million (approximately US$121,000).

There are three principal lobby entrances: two designated for office access and one dedicated to hotel guests. The basement houses express elevators serving the observation deck along with parking facilities accommodating 600 cars and 7,500 bicycles. A total of 61 Mitsubishi elevators and 19 escalators operate within the building. Mechanical equipment floors are situated on levels 51, 52, and from 89 through 93; these areas are reachable solely via service elevators.

Occupants

The three basement levels accommodate a food court, while the Hyatt's conference and banquet venues are situated across the first two floors. The initial six stories house a retail mall, various dining establishments, and nightlife venues, including Pu-J's nightclub.

The lower 50 floors, comprising the first four segments of the tower, provide open-plan office spaces totaling , organized into five elevator zones: 3–6, 7–17, 18–29, 30–40, and 41–50. Each floor has a floor-to-floor height of , with a net ceiling height of .

Grand Hyatt Shanghai

The primary occupant is the luxurious five-star Grand Hyatt Shanghai hotel, which spans floors 53 through 87 and offers 555 rooms. It ranks among the highest hotels worldwide and is second in Shanghai only to its sister property, the Shanghai Park Hyatt, located on floors 79 to 93 of the neighboring Shanghai World Financial Center. Globally, the highest hotel floors belong to The Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong (floors 102 to 118), while the tallest building dedicated solely to hotel use is the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai. Notably, this hotel features the longest laundry chute worldwide, extending from the top floor down to the basement and equipped with speed buffers.

The Hyatt’s barrel-vaulted atrium begins on the 56th floor and rises to the 87th floor. With a diameter of and an approximate clear height of , it is among the tallest atria internationally, surpassed only by that of the Burj Al Arab.

Key highlights within the hotel include:

Floor 53: The Piano Bar jazz lounge
Floor 54: Lobby area and Grand Café, accessible via an express elevator from ground level
Floor 55: Cantonese restaurant Canton occupying the entire level
Floor 56: Multiple dining options including The Grill, Italian Cucina, Japanese Kobachi, and Patio Lounge located at the atrium’s base
Floor 57: Club Oasis fitness center featuring what was once considered the world’s highest swimming pool
Floor 85: Uppermost guest rooms and elevators serving higher floors
Floor 86: Club Jin Mao Shanghainese dining venue
Floor 87: Cloud 9 sky bar offering expansive panoramic views

Skywalk

Located on the 88th floor, the Skywalk is an indoor observation area covering 1,520 sqm that can host more than 1,000 visitors simultaneously. It provides sweeping views over Shanghai as well as a vantage point looking down into the hotel’s atrium below. Additionally, there is a small post office on site. Visitors reach this deck via two express elevators traveling at speeds of 9.1 m/s from the basement level, arriving in about 45 seconds. As of 2009, admission fees were set at 88 RMB for adults and 45 RMB for children.

Events

On February 18, 2001, Han Qizhi—a 31-year-old shoe salesman from Anhui—scaled the building barefoot and dressed in casual clothes. He was apprehended with bleeding hands and detained for nearly two weeks.
During Shanghai’s National Day celebrations on October 5, 2004, a multinational group of BASE jumpers invited by the Shanghai Sports Bureau leapt from the tower. Australian jumper Roland Simpson experienced a parachute failure and collided with a nearby building; he subsequently fell into a coma and later passed away in Australia.
In early 2007, as part of Microsoft's promotional campaign for its operating system, Windows Vista's name was illuminated across the building’s facade.
Also in 2007, after multiple denied requests for permission, French urban climber Alain Robert was arrested following an unauthorized ascent dressed as Spider-Man; he was jailed for five days before being expelled from China.
On April 3, 2009, Shanda launched a laser-light show on the tower to promote the open beta phase of Aion: The Tower of Eternity. This nightly display continued until April 12 and was visible each evening between 7:30 pm and 10:00 pm.

External links

Official site of Jinmao88.com
Grand Hyatt Shanghai (archived version)
Elevator configuration details
Paper scale model
Informative pages available at China Guides, CTBUH, Skycraper Center, Architravel (archived), Emporis, and SkyscraperPage
Jin Mao Building photographs at China Pictures