Hype, hype and, for good measure, perhaps just a little more hype. Over the past month the construction of the World Financial Centre has been the talk of the town. Not surprising considering the bravado that Minoru Mori, the man behind the plan, has been displaying. Biggest is best, he says. Anything less is no good.

　　Actually, Mori Building Company Limited’s initiative to build the tallest building on earth is unsound. Not, as some have suggested, because it will be a sitting duck for al-Qaeda terrorists.

　　Remember, Osama Bin Laden’s gripe is with the West, and mainly America. True, the World Financial Centre will house a number of multinational companies, and its six-star hotel will doubtless attract wealthy Western tourists.

　　There are legitimate objections to Mori’s project though. Who could honestly stand on the Bund, gaze across the Huangpu River and conclude that what Lujiazui really needs is one more skyscraper?

　　One of the benefits of Pudong’s high-rises is that, on a clear day, the panoramic spectacle from the top is breathtaking. If colossal constructs keep popping up in Lujiazui, you may be able to wave to your neighbour in the next-door skyscraper, but the stunning sights of Shanghai will be sacrificed.

　　Without these views, is there anything to be said for working nearly 500 metres above ground level? There are certainly drawbacks. Breathing becomes more difficult, as does escaping in an emergency.

　　In any case, by the time the World Financial Centre is built, in 2007, there is a good chance it will not be the planet’s loftiest building.

　　Whether the Taipei 101 Tower will be classed as higher when built is debatable due to its proposed 60-metre antenna, but edifices of over 500 metres could well be on view in both New York and Dubai in the next few years.

　　It only goes to show that no matter how tall your building is, sooner or later someone else will come along with one that is bigger.

　　Mori, and whoever else is involved, should have a re-think. It seems the present objective is shameless self-publicity. What other reason is there to issue plans for a building whose massive frame is matched only by the controversy that it is already causing? A World Financial Centre of some description could definitely prove beneficial to Shanghai, but why does it have to be another high-rise?