Thursday, July 4, 2013

  Largest building: China breaks Guinness world record (VIDEO)

CHENGU, China -- The New Century Global Center building opened recently in Chengu, a city of more than 14 million people in southwest China's Sichuan province, it's described as "the world's largest standalone structure" by Chinese officials and is 328 feet high, 1,640 feet long, and 1,312 feet wide and sets the new world record for the Largest building / Largest standalone structure, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/ .

  Photo: Located in Chengdu (population 14 million), capital of Sichuan province in southwestern China, the New Century Global Center is the "largest freestanding building in the world." At 500 meters long, 400 meters wide and 100 meters high, the 1.7-million-square-meter mega-structure is capable of housing 20 Sydney Opera Houses and almost three times the size of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. ( enlarge photo )

 The Guinness world record for the tallest building is the Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower) which measures 828 m (2,716 ft 6 in) tall, was developed by Emaar Properties and officially opened in Dubai, UAE.

  Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the Largest solar powered building, set in China which unveiled an office building in Dezhou, Shangdong province, that meets almost all of its energy needs with its solar-panelled roof. The building covers 75,000 m2 (807,000 ft2) and contains research facilities, display areas and a hotel.

  While Boeing's plant in Everett, Wash., is the world's biggest building by volume, the Chinese mall seems to be tops in floor space. Almost the area of Monaco, its 420 acres of floor space could fit nearly three Pentagons, four Vatican Cities, or 20 Sydney Opera Houses.

  The cavernous structure will feature a mix of retail outlets, a 14-screen movie theater, a university complex, offices, hotels, a water park called Paradise Island, a skating rink that's big enough to host international competitions, a pirate ship, 15,000 parking spots, and even a fake Mediterranean village.

  Visitors will enjoy an artificial sun that gives off light and heat 24 hours a day and a 164-yard-long LED screen serving as a stand-in for the horizon.

  The New Century Global Center is located in an entirely new planned area of Chengdu called Tainfu New District.

  Chengdu is also currently expanding its subway line and plans to construct a new airport by 2020, further suggesting official ambitions to make the city an economic and cultural capital of western China.