The Shanghai Tower is projected to be the one megatall tower to be completed this year, according to The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's 2014 Tall Building Data Research Report. Since construction began in 2008, the 632-meter structure recently began its final phase.

Designed by a large collaborative team at Gensler, the approximately US$4.2 billion Shanghai Tower will complete a majestic -- if not overwhelming -- trio of supertall buildings in the Lujiazui neighborhood of Shanghai's developing commercial district Pudong. The adjacent Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center represent "China's past" and "China's present", respectively, whereas the Shanghai Tower will symbolize "China's future."

The tower's final phase is focused on constructing the buildings interior, which includes the first several floors and the top floors. It will have 121 stories above ground and 5 stories beneath, and a total area of 538,000 m² once complete. The tower's shape is twisted at 137 degree in order to make it "un-aerodynamic" and withstand a wind load up to 118 mph.

Aiming for a LEED Gold certification and a Three Star rating from China's Green Building Committee, the Shanghai Tower will be equipped with sustainable features like a double wall (double skin), geothermal coupling, a rainwater collection device, and wind turbines below the building's parapet and high-speed elevators that will generate supplemental power.

If all continues to run on schedule, the tower will earn the title of the world's second tallest building right after Dubai's Burj Khalifa. The tower is set to open this April.