World's tallest skyscrapers

World's Tallest Skyscrapers

I have always been fascinated by skyscrapers as they represent some the best and most challenging architectural achievements by man. They take years of planning, years of constructing, and thousands of workers. I wanted to share a few of the them with you.

Here are the top 10 - Link






1) Burj Khalifa - 2,719 ft, 163 floors

Most of us are familiar with the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is a little more than a half a mile tall and requires some of the fastest elevators in the world. It took 6 years to build at a cost around $1.5 billion USD.




Looking down from the top:




2) Makkah Clock Royal Tower [Abraj Al Bait] - 1,972 ft, 120 floors

This also has the world's largest clock, which is visible from 16 miles away.




3) One World Trade Center [New World Trade Center]/Freedom Tower - 1,776 ft, 104 floors

On May 10, 2013, the final component of the spire was installed atop the skyscraper, making One World Trade Center tentatively the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third-tallest building in the world by pinnacle height, with its spire reaching a symbolic 1,776 feet (541 m) in reference to the year of American independence.[11] [12][13] It has been the tallest building in New York City since April 30, 2012, when its height surpassed the Empire State Building

Link

The new world trade center is set to open some time this year with a stylish design that will look nice in the NY skyline.







4) Taipei 101 - 1,671 ft, 101 floors

This is a unique look that is very symbolic to Taiwan.

Taipei 101 participates in the symbolism of a world center where earth and sky meet and the four compass directions join.[citation needed] The height of 101 floors commemorates the renewal of time: the new century that arrived as the tower was built (100+1) and all the new years that follow (January 1 = 1-01). It symbolizes high ideals by going one better on 100, a traditional number of perfection. The number also evokes the binary numeral system used in digital technology.[12] The main tower features a series of eight segments of eight floors each. In Chinese-speaking cultures the number eight is associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune. In cultures that observe a seven-day week the number eight symbolizes a renewal of time (7+1). In digital technology the number eight is associated with the byte, being 8 bits. A bit is the basic (minimal) unit of information.

Link



5) Shanghai World Financial Center - 1,614 ft, 101 floors

Link

The Shanghai World Financial Center was planned to be the tallest building in the world when it was designed in 1997. The 97 Story building would surpass the spires of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. When Construction was restarted in 2003, the 508 Meter Taipei 101 in Taiwan was already underway to becoming the World's Tallest Building. Plans where changed but the Tower couldn’t be built any higher than its present height at 492 meters since the already done foundation was meant to support a 460 meter tall building.

6) International Commerce Centre [Union Square] - 1,588 ft, 118 floors




7) Petronas Towers - 1,483 ft, 88 floors

The towers feature a double decker skybridge connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.[25] It is not attached to the main structure, but is instead designed to slide in and out of the towers to prevent it from breaking,[26] as the towers sway several feet[specify] in towards and away from each other during high winds. It also provides some structural support to the towers in these occasions

Link






The future of skyscrapers

There are many buildings that are either planned or already under way that will surpass the Burj including Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia.

Link

The building has been scaled down from its initial 1.6 km (about one mile) proposal, which was never fully designed, to a height of at least 1,000 metres (3,280.84 ft) (the exact height is being kept private while in development, similar to the Burj Khalifa),[A][11] which, at about one kilometre,[12] would still make it by far the tallest building or structure in the world to date,[13] standing at least 173 m (568 ft) taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.[14]

.



We are slowly getting closer to the futuristic cities we've seen in sci fi films.

I saw that one show, I think it was on the History Channel, where they said that skyscrapers are going to be 3 and 4 times as tall as the Sears Tower within a few years. It was a very interesting show and the technology that will allow the buildings to be this tall is fascinating! I believe it was the same show that described how they can put a whole city in a "bubble." Oh I wish I can remember the name of that show! I'll have to Google it now!

reply to post by cleverhans


I got woozy when i first saw that pic from the top looking down. Wow, I'd hate to be building one of those so high up in the air haha.

In the next few years that list is going to change dramatically. There is an insane amount of 1000+ foot skyscrapers currently under construction worldwide. China has a majority of them, but the U.S. is starting to get back to building them.