SHANGHAI--The Shanghai World Financial Centre will be the tallest land-mark in the world after its completion this century in Pudong, according to the project's Japanese investors. The building will be located in the prime Lujiazui Zone in Pudong , on a 30,000-square-metre site. The building was originally designed to be a 94-floor office tower with a height of 460 metres. The project broke ground in 1997 but was later halted as a result of the financial crisis in Southeast Asia. "As the economy warms up, we are more confident about Shanghai and the whole prefix = st1 /Chinaand we are working hard to get the Project restarted as soon as possible," said Katsuyuki Takeuchi, vice-president and general manager of the  Shanghai World Financial Centre Company. Its parent company, Japan-based Moil Building Co. Ltd, established the Shanghaisubsidiary as the operator responsible for this ambitious project. The design, which is undergoing revision in apian, will accommodate international  high-tech  businesses, department stores, art galleries, clubs and a five-star hotel. Unlike the gloomy economies of theUnited States, Europe andJapan,Chinaenjoys a strong growth with brighter prospects, Takeuchi said. More capital and businesses are expected to flow into Shanghai, which aims to become a world centre for trade and the financial industry--with Lujiazui as its showpiece. The layout of Luijiazui includes three tall buildings, one of which is the completed JinmaoTower, each rising above 400 metres, as designed by local government after holding an international design competition early last decade. Other buildings nearby fall in height gradually, creating a special shape against the skyline. The Shanghai World Financial Centre will be built as the peak of the mountain. "The peak will be safe thanks to the perfect design, advanced technology and the stable social and political environment in Shanghai," Takeuchi said, reassuring those who might be anxious about the safety of the soon-to-be world's tallest building. Seen from a long distance, the Lujiazui Zone looks like a(an)
apple mountain box basin