Measuring the performance of China’s Booming Skyscraper Industry
Whist the recent financial crisis has caused most of the cities around the globe such as Chicago, Moscow and Dubai to put their plans for new skyscrapers on hold, China seems to be doing the exact opposite with more construction work being carried out (McDonald, 2010).
Riding on its country’s continuous economic boom, China’s construction industry seems to be flourishing, with many towering skyscrapers being erected or currently under construction in different parts of China over the last few years. Some of the notable skyscrapers include Shanghai Tower (Shanghai, under-construction), Kingkey Finance Centre (under-construction), China 117 Tower (Tianjin, under-construction), Guangzhou TV Tower (Guangzhou, completed), or Nanjing Greenland Financial Centre (Nanjing, completed).
The truth is that, excluding China, the year-on-year rate of growth in global construction activity sinks to almost zero. Construction activities in China itself in 2010 have actually contributed to almost 20% of the growth in global construction activity.
The construction boom in China will have significant ripple effect across other industries, such as steel, building materials, power, metals, transport etc (Fernando, 2010). Therefore, with China currently leading the construction of skyscrapers around the globe, it is of interest to identify and monitor a few skyscraper construction related performance indicators in China. This will provide better means to assess the performance of the skyscraper industry.
China’s Booming Skyscraper Industry: Facts and Figures
- % Share of world 100 tallest buildings by country: 34% in China
- % Share of world 100 tallest buildings by region: 45% in Asia
- # Share of world 15 tallest buildings by country: 6 in China
- # Share of world 10 tallest buildings under construction: 4 in China
- # Number of stories/floors of building: Shanghai Tower 121 stories
- # Height of tower: Shanghai Tower 632 meter
- % Tenants signing in advance: 50 – 60% in China
- # Surface area under construction
- # Average number of staff per office building
- # Number of construction project (McDonald, 2010)
Reference
- McDonald (2010), China’s skyscraper boom buoys global industry
- CRU, WSD and Macquarie Rearch (2010), China Builds, World Watches
- Fernando (2010), China’s Construction Boom Pushes Power Consumption Up 25%
- Trendir (2008), Modern China Architecture – Shanghai Tower Twists its Way to the Top
Photo sources:
- Trendir (2008)
- CRU, WSD and Macquarie Research (2010)
Tags: KPI, Performance in China, Performance Management, Performance Measurement
