Shanghai Tower (2015) by Gensler (Shanghai)

Designed by Gensler and completed in 2015, the 2,073 foot-tall Shanghai Tower (pictured in the center) has a seemingly endless list of records: tallest building in China, second tallest in the world and.... Yet, shockingly, that list almost pales in comparison with the fact that the firm's design of the building—an asymmetrical form with rounded corners—saved some $58 million in material cost versus a traditional angular build of the same size. "The tower’s asymmetrical form, its tapering profile, and its rounded corners allows the building to withstand the typhoon-force winds that are common in Shanghai," says Xiaomei Lee, Gensler's regional managing principal in China, and project director of the Shanghai Tower. "Using a wind tunnel test conducted in a Canadian lab, Gensler refined the tower’s form, which reduced building wind loads by 24 percent. The result came in the form of a lighter structure, saving $58 million in costs for required materials."

This building is currently the tallest building in China and the second tallest building in the world.