These are the latest tallest buildings in the world whose construction demands skill in both design and construction. Five of the ten tallest buildings are in China while only one is located outside Asia. They stand as records breakers in the construction history for their unique height and are great tourism attraction sites boasting high observation decks.
Also read: Africa’s tallest building
1. Burj Khalifa, in Dubai
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa which is Dubai’s new urban masterpiece. It was built in 2010, and it is a super attraction edifice having 162 floors, and reaching a height of 2,717 feet. It also stands as the building with the highest number of stories worldwide, highest occupied floors, highest observation deck and having the elevator with the longest travel distance in the world.
The design of the Burj Khalifa was inspired by the shape of a desert flower called Hymenocallis. The tower features a sleek, tapering form that gradually narrows as it ascends, with setbacks at various heights. The exterior is clad in reflective glass panels and aluminum and stainless steel fins.
2. Merdeka 118
Merdeka 118 is a 118-storey, 678.9-metre mega tall tower being constructed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It reached its total height in November 2021.
The building’s name, Merdeka was inspired by the tower’s proximity to two stadiums: Stadium Negara and Merdeka. The spire of the tower was completed in November 2021. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, making Merdeka 118 the tallest building in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
The design of Merdeka 118 is inspired by traditional Malaysian motifs and cultural elements. The tower’s facade will feature intricate patterns and geometric shapes, paying homage to the country’s rich heritage.
3. Shanghai Tower
Shanghai Tower is a 128-floor development rising 632-meters high in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China.
It shares the record of having the highest observation deck within a building or structure in the world, at 562 m with Ping An Finance Center. The tower construction started in November 2008 and topped out on 3 August 2013. The whole work was considered complete in September 2014.
Designed by the international architectural firm Gensler, the tower features a distinctive twisting design. Its outer layer consists of a double-skin facade, which provides thermal insulation and reduces wind pressure on the building. The tower’s spiral form symbolizes the dynamic growth and energy of Shanghai.
4. Abraj Al-Bait
The Abraj Al-Bait is a development owned by the government of Saudi Arabia with seven skyscraper hotels in Mecca.
The towers were developed a part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment scheme aiming at modernize the city to cater to its pilgrims. The central hotel tower, the Makkah Clock Royal Tower, contains the world’s largest clock face and is the world’s fifth-tallest freestanding structure and fourth-tallest building. It is also the second most expensive building in the world, having a total construction cost of US$15 billion. The tower is topped by a four-faced clock which can be seen 25 kilometres (16 miles) away. The clock is also the highest in the world, being more than 400 m (1,300 ft) above the ground and the size of the clock faces, surpass the Cevahir Mall clock in Istanbul. The tower has 120 floors and its construction completed in 2012.
5. Ping An Finance Center
This is a 115-floor, 599 m (1,965 ft) tall tower in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
The skyscraper was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, an American architectural firm and commissioned by Ping An Insurance. Construction was completed in 2017. The Ping An Finance Center is the 2nd tallest in China and the tallest in Shenzhen.
6. Goldin Finance 117
Goldin Finance 117, also referred to as China 117 Tower, is an uncompleted skyscraper in Tianjin, China.
The building was topped in 2015 rising to 596.5 m (1,957 ft) with 128 stories. Construction started in 2008 and was scheduled for completion in 2014 but was halted twice. Construction was first suspended in January 2010 due to the Great Recession fall out and later resumed in 2011 with the new completion estimated between 2018–2019. The building remained unfinished and unoccupied as of December 2021. The project’s contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, removed all on-site workers and left it unfinished.
7. Lotte World Tower
The Lotte World Tower is a 555.7-metre tall 123-floor skyscraper situated in Sincheon-dong, Songpa District, Seoul, in South Korea.
It was completed and opened to the public on April 3, 2017. The Lotte World Tower is the tallest tower in South Korea and the seventh tallest in the world.
8. One World Trade Center
One Trade Center, formerly Freedom Tower is the main tower of the redeveloped World Trade Center building in the Lower Manhattan of New York City.
Being eighth tallest buildings in the world, the One World Trade Center is also the tallest in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere. The 541.3m supertall tower was given the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center, which was brought down by terrorist attack in September 11, 2001. The 94 floor new skyscraper rises from the original 6 World Trade Center site on the northwest corner of the 16-acre site.
9. Guangzhou Chow TaiFook Finance Centre
The Guangzhou Chow TaiFook Finance Centre is a 530-metre (1,739 ft) tall mixed-use skyscraper in Guangzhou, Guangdong, also known as East Tower.
The tower was completed in October 2016. It is the tallest fully completed tower in Guangzhou, and China’s third tallest. The skyscraper has a total of 111 above floors and five below ground floors as well as offices, shopping mall, hotel and apartments.
10. Tianjin CTF Finance Center
Tianjin CTF Finance Center is also a 530m tall tower located in Tianjin, China.
Its construction began in 2013 and was completed in 2019. The tower is the second tallest tower in Tianjin after Goldin Finance 117 and tenth in the world. It is situated in the outer district of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. Tianjin CTF Finance Center was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in partnership with Ronald Lu & Partners.
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