Guangzhou International Finance Center vs Big Ben

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Guangzhou International Finance Center or Guangzhou West Tower, is a 103-story, 438.6 m (1,439 Feet ) skyscraper at Zhujiang Avenue West in the Tianhe District of Guangzhou, Guangdong.

One half of the Guangzhou Twin Towers, it's the 23rd tallest building in the world, completed in 2010. As of March 2018, it's the world's tallest building with a roof-top helipad, at 439 m (1,439 feet) high. The world's second-tallest building with a roof-top helipad was also completed in 2010: Beijing's China World Trade Center Tower III, whose roof-top helipad is 330 m (1,083 feet) high. Both buildings are taller than the U.S. Bank Tower, the previous record-holder from 1989 to 2010, whose roof-top helipad is simply 310.3 m (1,018 feet) high. Construction of the building, designed by WilkinsonEyre, broke ground in December 2005, and has been completed in 2010.



The building is used as a conference centre, hotel and office building. Floors 1 through 66 are used as offices, flooring 67 and 68 are for mechanical equipment, flooring 69 to 98 possess a Four Seasons Hotel with the reception being on the 70th floor, and flooring 99 and 100 are used as an observation deck. The building was previously called Guangzhou West Tower and had a related project, the projected Guangzhou East Tower, which, at 475 m (1,558 ft), could have been even taller, though that project has been awarded to another design by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the 530 m (1,740 ft) Guangzhou CTF Finance Center.The building was the winner of the RIBA 2012 Lubetkin Prize.

Source: Wikipedia

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Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock in the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London; the name is often extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower. The official name of this tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower; it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Queen of the uk. The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin at a neo-Gothic style. When completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock on the planet. The tower stands 315 ft (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its foundation is square, measuring 39 ft (12 m) on each side. Dials of the clock are 23 feet (7.0 m) in diameter. On 31 May 2009, celebrations were held to mark the tower's 150th anniversary.Big Ben is the biggest of the tower's five bells and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes; 15.1 short tons). It was the biggest bell in the United Kingdom for 23 years. The origin of this bell's nickname is open to question; it might be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its own installation, or heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt. Four quarter bells chime at 15, 30 and 45 minutes past the hour and just before Big Ben tolls on the hour. The clock uses its first Victorian mechanics, but an electric motor can be applied as a backup. The tower is a British cultural icon recognised all over the world. It is among the most prominent symbols of the uk and parliamentary democracy, and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London. The clock tower has been a part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. On 21 August 2017, a four-year schedule of renovation works began on the tower, which are to include the addition of a lift. In addition, there are plans to re-glaze and repaint the clock dials. With a few exceptions, such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday, the bells should be silent until the work is completed in 2021.

Source: Wikipedia