Phase Two of Rafael Sky City now in full swing

Ti Gong

Construction of G60 Rafael Sky City's second phase, a southern extension, is in full swing. When completed, the sky city with an overall length of 1.5 kilometers will take the shape of a huge battle cruiser.

The Rafael Sky City's first phase, completed and put into operation in 2021, has already become a landmark of the district's G60 High-tech Corridor vision, with its roof lit with LED lights and looking resplendent at night. The G60 High-tech Corridor vision is an urban-rural development axis to connect Songjiang with eight other cities in the Yangtze River Delta.

Its adjacent second phase will occupy an area of 285 mu (19 hectares) and comprise 12 high-rises, each at a height of around 80 meters and connected with aluminum-structured roofs.

It is estimated that the second phase will be completed in 2025.

"We've tried all means to make up for the delay caused by the pandemic," said Wu Suhong, project manager of the Sky City. "We've adjusted our priorities. Due to some shortages of raw materials and logistics postponement, we still can't start construction on the majority of the underground part. After negotiations, we decided to construct the cellar for the main building first."

So far 70 percent of the cellar of the main building and its six floors above the ground have been completed.

"One-third of the workers had planned to leave by the end of June. After persuasion, they agreed to carry on the work and take shifts to raise work efficiency," Wu added.

Currently, more than 900 workers are in the labor force of the project construction.