Rising majestically to 530 m (1,739 ft) above Zhujiang New Town in Guangzhou’s Tianhe District, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (周大福金融中心)—commonly known as East Tower—is more than just a supertall building. Much like a vertical city, it combines state-of-the-art engineering, luxurious hospitality, grand retail, and seamless transit connectivity into a unified architectural statement. Completed in October 2016, it’s still Guangzhou’s tallest building, the third‑tallest in China, and as of 2025, the eighth‑tallest in the world.
One of the Tallest on the Planet
- With 111 floors above ground and five below, the tower hits 530 m (1,739 ft) in architectural height .
- Since its debut in 2016, it has held the position of tallest building in Guangzhou, surpassed nationally only by Shanghai Tower and Ping An Finance Centre, and globally placed at #8 by mid‑2025.
A Vertical Mixed‑Use Powerhouse
- The tower combines office floors (below about floor 66), 355 serviced apartments, and a 251‑room luxury hotel, plus a retail podium that connects directly to the city via underground concourses.
- The podium houses the K11 Art Mall, linked to metro Lines 3, 5, and the APM Line, making it not just a destination but a top-performing transit hub.
Home of the World’s Fastest Elevators
- It contains 95 elevators in total. Two of them—double‑deck express lifts by Hitachi—attain a speed of 1,260 m/min (75.6 km/h or ~21 m/s), tying them for the fastest in the world, certified in 2019.
- These elevators can whisk passengers from ground to the hotel lobby on Level 95 in under a minute, engineered using high-capacity traction motors and fluid dynamic analysis for both speed and passenger comfort.
Built for Typhoons and Seismic Safety
- Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox with structural engineering by Arup, the tower uses a reinforced concrete core supplemented by eight mega‑columns, outriggers, and belt trusses to resist wind loads and earthquakes common in the region.
- Setbacks at key transitions (office‑to‑residential, residential‑to‑hotel, hotel‑to‑crown) also help reduce wind pressure and support lush sky terraces.
Part of a Twin-Tower Architectural Landmark
- The CTF Centre is one half of the Guangzhou Twin Towers, paired with the Guangzhou International Finance Center (West Tower), which stands at 438.6 m and was completed in 2010.
- Together with the nearby Canton Tower (600 m), the three structures create one of the most recognizable and modern skyline silhouettes in southern China.
World’s Highest Luxury Hotel
- Occupying the top 16 floors (Levels ~95–111), the Rosewood Guangzhou opened in September 2019 and remains the world’s highest five‑star hotel in a mixed‑use tower, with its highest occupied point at around 495.5 m.
- It features 251 rooms, including suites and duplexes up to 275 m², plus seven F&B concepts, including the highest bar/restaurant in mainland China on the 107th floor, and the exclusive Sky Mansion on Level 108.
Exceptional Hotel Experiences Above the Clouds
- Designed by Toronto’s Yabu Pushelberg, the interiors blend Cantonese heritage with modern luxury, featuring bronze screens, lacquered red doors, teak finishes, and curated Chinese artwork throughout.
- Facilities span the 93rd–94th floors, including a two‑floor spa, wellness center, indoor pool, yoga studio, and Zhang’s “Sense” spa—part of southern China’s largest fitness/wellness hotel facility.
- The Pavilion, Manor Club, and Sky Mansion offer high-altitude event venues, with the Grand Ballroom stretching nearly 958 m² and direct access to private rooftop terraces and sky lounges.
A Blueprint of Sustainable Innovation & Speed
- The terracotta façade—based on self-cleaning, corrosion-resistant ceramic mullions—provides solar shading, reduces glare, and supports natural ventilation in Guangzhou’s tropical climate.
- The tower is certified LEED Gold for both Office/Retail and Hotel/Residences, featuring energy-efficient chillers, heat recovery systems, and a highly glazed façade that maximizes daylight while reducing HVAC loads.
- Speed was paramount: from topping out in July 2014 to cladding completion by end‑2015 and full opening in October 2016, it was one of the fastest‑assembled supertalls ever.
Final Thoughts
After nearly a decade, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre remains an awe-inspiring symbol—not just of vertical height, but of engineering excellence, urban integration, and experiential luxury. It’s more than a skyscraper: it’s a multi‑layered vertical world, seamlessly blending office, residence, hospitality, retail, transit, and tourism—all wrapped in a clean, efficient, and elegant design that continues to dominate the Guangzhou skyline.