The Third US-China Tall Buildings Symposium

Since 2013 over 50% of the world’s tallest buildings have been built in China, while the U.S. cities are now looking up with new towers rising. Join tall building experts from the United States and China for a day-long exchange about the latest ideas, research, and case studies on innovative tall buildings and sustainable urban growth in China, the U.S., and beyond.

Organized by Stanford University with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) and the China International Exchange Committee for Tall Buildings (CITAB), the 3rd US-China Tall Buildings Symposium covered topics relevant to the current challenges and opportunities faced by tall building planning, design, and construction, including urban growth, structural resilience, and environmental sustainability.

The speakers included practicing urban planners, architects and engineers from the U.S. and China, as well as academics from Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Tongji University in Shanghai:

• Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Executive Vice President of Samsung C&T
• Renee Chow, Professor & Associate Dean of UC Berkeley
• Fred Clarke, Senior Principal of Pelli Clarke Pelli
• Gregory Deierlein, John A. Blume Professor of Stanford University
• Michael Duncan, Design Director of SOM
• Li Guoqiang, Professor of Tongji University
• Tom C. Hui, Director of the Department of Building Inspections for the City of San Francisco
• John King, Urban Design Critic of San Francisco Chronicle
• Li Linxue, Professor of Tongji University
• Stephen Mahin, Byron and Elvira Nishkian Professor of UC Berkeley
• John Rahaim, Planning Director of City of San Francisco
• Mark Sarkisian, Structural and Seismic EngineeringPartner of SOM
• Todd See, Senior Vice President of WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff
• Fu Xueyi, Chief Engineer of CCDI

The Blume Earthquake Engineering Center hosted the Symposium on April 22, 2016 on the Stanford University campus. A delegation from China traveled to the Bay Area for the event, including some of the nation’s leading professors, architects, engineers, and developers of tall buildings.

ORGANIZERS:

• The John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center at Stanford University
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)
• China International Exchange Committee for Tall Buildings (CITAB)

HISTORY:

In 2014, the China International Exchange Committee for Tall Buildings (CITAB), in collaboration with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) and Tongji University, established an annual US-China Tall Buildings Symposium to exchange the latest ideas, research, case studies in the planning, design and construction of tall buildings. Hosted by Tongji University in Shanghai, the first two symposia featured experts from both the United States and China presenting keynote lectures, joining panel discussions, and sharing a dialogue with participants. The focus of the events was on education for undergraduate and graduate students, their professors, and professionals who are interested in staying on top of the field’s newest developments.