Design and construction innovations on a skyscraper cluster in China

Due for completion in 2019, the £2·8 billion Raffles City development in Chongqing, China includes eight high-rise towers up to 348 m tall with a 280 m long sky conservatory spanning four of them. The 1·13 million m2 mega-scale project at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jailing Rivers combines office, retail, hotel, residential and transport spaces within the overall appearance of a ship under sail. This paper outlines some of the design, engineering and construction innovations adopted on the project, including novel approaches to seismic design and extensive use of digital technology.