TOP TEN TALLEST BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD
1. Burj Khalifa
One of the most famous buildings along the Persian Gulf, Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world today, standing a mighty 828 metres (2,716 feet).
The mega skyscraper, complete in 2010, boasts 163 floors, which include a hotel, a restaurant, an observation deck and luxury apartments.
According to its developer, the total amount of concrete used to build the tower weighed as much as some 100,000 elephants combined.
2. Shangai Tower
The pride of Chinese construction, the 632-metre-tall (2,073 feet) skyscraper dominates the skyline of Shanghai’s financial district.
It is nicknamed ‘thermos flask’ due to its unique appearance to help it save energy.
The 128-storey structure has the world’s fastest lifts, which ascend at the speed of 18 metres (59 feet) per second. It also has the world’s highest observation deck at 561 metres (1,840 feet).
3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower
Located in the holy city of Mecca, the 76-storey building is the centre piece of a £10 billion ($15 billion) government-backed complex, called Abraj Al Bait.
Standing 601 metres (1,971 feet), the six-year-old building has the world’s largest clock face, which has a diametre of 46 metres (151 feet). The clock is so big that it could be seen from 25 kilometres (15 miles) away.
The building contains a 1,618-room luxury hotel.
4. Ping An Finance Center
At 599 metres tall (1,965 feet), the impressive building is covered by 1,700 tonnes of stainless steel and sports a futurist look.
Complete in 2017, it is the world’s tallest office building with more than 100 floors devoted to Ping’an, a major insurance company in China.
As well as offices, the tower also contains a high-end shopping mall, retail spaces, a hotel and a conference centre.
5. Lotte World Tower
The impressive 123-storey skyscraper measures at 555 metres tall and is located in Seoul, South Korea.
It only opened to the public four years ago, on April 3, 2017, and is currently the tallest building in the entire of South Korea.
It boasts a vast 123 floors and took a total of 13 years of planning and site preparation, while the towering building is home to Korea’s tallest observation deck Seoul Sky, which stands at 500m.
6. One World Trade Center
The One World Trade Center in New York, which mainly houses work offices, soars at a staggering 546 metres in height.
It was completed in 2014 and is the main tower of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex and is the tallest structure in the United States and the entire western hemisphere.
The building also boasts the One World Observatory, which opened in 2015, rises 381 metres above street level and is an enclosed observation desk.
7. Guangzhou Chow Tai Fook Financial Centre
The mixed-use skyscraper was built in 2016 at a staggering 530 metres and is currently the seventh-tallest building in the world.
It boasts a shopping mall, apartments, offices and a hotel within its 111 above-ground floors and its five floors below ground. It also houses the world’s fastest lifts, which can reach speeds of up to 21 metres-per-second.
The tower is located in the Guangdong Province and was constructed by American architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox.
8. Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Financial Center
The towering finance centre, located in Tianjin, China, measures at 530 metres and boasts 97 floors.
The building boasts softly curving glass which includes eight sloping mega-columns, while the tower tapers help to minimize the surface area which are exposed to wind, sun and moisture.
Construction of the skyscraper began in 2013 and ended in 2019. It houses a hotel, serviced apartments and offices.
9. CITIC Tower
The tower, which is located in Beijing, stands 528 metres above the ground and ranks as the ninth-tallest building in the world.
The building, which is also known as China Zun, is made up of 109 storeys and is the tallest skyscraper in the Chinese city.
The tower is reportedly likely to keep its crown as the tallest building in Beijing after authorities capped new projects in the business district to a height of no more than 180 metres.
10. Taipei Tower
Taipei 101, previously known as the Taipei World Financial Center, was considered the world’s tallest building until 2009, when Burj Khalifa overtook it in height.
It has a height of 508 metres, while its outdoor observatory was the tallest in the world at the time of its completion.
The 101-storey tower, which is in Taiwan, also boasts another indoor observatory, which is not open to the public, on the top floor.
EUROPE’S TALLEST BUILDING
Lakhta Center
The Lakhta Center, which is the headquarters for energy giant Gazprom, is currently the tallest building in Russia and the whole of Europe, measuring at 462 metres and 87 storeys tall.
The original Lakhta Center was St Petersburg’s first ‘supertall’ tower, which is defined as a building measuring more than 300 metres, and is reportedly the most northernmost skyscraper in the world.
The impressive building is also one of the world’s tallest examples of a ‘twisted’ skyscraper designs as it twists 90 degrees from bottom to top, resembling a winding needle.
Source: New York Post and Emporis