An Artificial Sun Lights up the Biggest Building in the World
By Lucas on Jul 16, 2013
On June 28, 2013, the doors opened to “New Century Global Center,” the largest building in the world, according to Chinese officials. New Century Global Center is located in Chengdu, China’s fourth largest city and the capital of the southwestern Sichuan Province.
The New Century Global Center
So, Chinese officials are calling New Century Global Center the largest building in the world. Normally, when we refer to size, we think vertically, but with this building, that’s not the case. New Century Global Center is actually only about 100 metres tall, but it’s 400 metres wide, half a kilometre long, and comprises over 1.76 million square metres of floor space! That’s right, that says square metres...which is about 19 million square feet.
What’s featured in this 19 million square foot space, you ask? Just a couple five-star hotels, a little shopping village, some office space, an ice rink, a 14-screen IMAX Theatre, and a waterpark/resort called Paradise Island - the usual.
Paradise Island is illuminated by an artificial sun that shines 24 hours a day. It beats down on an indoor, man-made beach resort that can accommodate roughly 6,000 people. An LED screen is installed above the water, creating the experience of an oceanside horizon.
The goal of the New Century Global Center
The purpose of the New Century Global Center is to create a new financial hub in Chengdu, more specifically, the Tianfu New District. This district occupies the southern end of the city and serves as a link to small bordering towns.
The opening of New Century Global Center is an early phase to transforming all of Tianfu New District into a financial/industrial/commercial sister city to Chengdu. You may be wondering why there’s no residential space in this expansive building. It’s because the residential transformation is planned for later, with a completion date aimed at 2030.
Would this work in Toronto?
Where would a development like this work in Toronto? Maybe at the Ontario Place lands? Would you want one massive building in that area where you could eat, sleep, and be entertained for days, without any need to surface for natural sunlight?
Even if there was sufficient space for a development like this, we don’t know if Torontonians are in search of this kind of lifestyle. We like being outside too much! Well, many of us already use the PATH system to get to work and home...so maybe a development like this might work in Toronto.
Let us know what you think in the comments.All images from Getty Images
