Being the third tallest building only to Shanghai Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, Jin Mao Tower is located in the center of Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone in Pudong New Area. It can be conveniently accessed from either Puxi (the area west of the Hungpu River) by taking the tunnel (travel time is about two minutes) or the Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports (travel time is about 30 minutes) by car.
The 88-story Jin Mao Tower was completed in 1999. It is 420.5 meters (almost 1,380 feet) tall and covers an area of 2.3 hectares (5.68 acres). The architect, Adrian D. Smith, of this skyscraper ingeniously combined the elements of traditional Chinese culture with the newest architectural styles of the time, which makes it one of the best-constructed buildings in China.
This building includes modern offices, a deluxe 5-star hotel - the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, exhibition halls, banquet halls, an observation deck, and entertainment facilities which are situated in the following levels: the 1st and 2nd floors form an imposing and bright lobby of the business area; the 3rd to the 50th floors are occupied by office spaces; the 51st and 52nd floors are the mechanical and electrical facilities center, which are restricted for the tower's working staff; the 53rd to 87th floors are reserved for the deluxe Grand Hyatt Hotel of which, the 86th floor houses a club exclusive for the hotel guests and the 87th floor lodges the hotel restaurant; and, the 88th floor-the highest floor, is reserved for the tower's observation deck, which can hold 1000 people at any one time.
The tower has the best elevators available. Two direct elevators operate at the speed of 9.1 meters (nearly 30 feet) per second that can send visitors from the ground floor to the 88th floor for only 45 seconds. There are also five to six elevators every 10 floors, which reduce waiting-time to 35 seconds even during rush hours.
The tower has an annex building 6-stories high which houses the exhibition halls, conference rooms, multi-function halls, grand banquet halls and a recreational center.
The basement of the tower is a parking area 3 stories deep, which can hold 800 cars and 2,000 bicycles. The parking area is equipped with 360-degree surveillance cameras as a security feature of the building.