Saturday, 22 October 2011

List of Tallest Buildings and Structures in the World



Burj Khalifa  (828 m)


Burj Khalifa (Arabic: برج خليفة‎ "Khalifa Tower"),known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is currently the tallest structure in the world, at 828 m (2,717 ft). Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010, and is part of the new 2 km2 (490-acre) flagship development called Downtown Dubai at the 'First Interchange' along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district. The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago, with Adrian Smith as chief architect, and Bill Baker as chief structural engineer. The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea.

The total cost for the project was about US$1.5 billion; and for the entire "Downtown Dubai" development, US$20 billion. In March 2009, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of the project's developer, Emaar Properties, said office space pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m²) and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500 per m²).

The project's completion coincided with the global financial crisis of 2007–2010, and with vast overbuilding in the country, led to high vacancies and foreclosures.With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions, the government was forced to seek multibillion dollar bailouts from its oil rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening ceremony, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa, said to honour the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support

Abraj Al Bait Towers (601m)

The Abraj Al-Bait Towers also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower is a complex topped out in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The building holds and will break several world records in the construction world, including: the tallest hotel in the world, constructed with the tallest clock tower in the world and displaying the world's largest clock face , the world's largest building floor area, and will become the second tallest building in the world upon completion, surpassed only byDubai's Burj Khalifa upon its opening in 2012. The building complex is meters away from the world's largest mosque andIslam's most sacred site, the Masjid al Haram. The developer and contractor of the complex is the Saudi Binladin Group, the Kingdom's largest construction company.


Taipei 101 (509.2 m)


Taipei 101 (Chinese: 台北101 / 臺北101), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a landmarkskyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. In July 2011, the building was awarded LEED Platinum certification, the highest award in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and became the tallest LEED building in the world. Taipei 101 was designed by C.Y. Lee & partners and constructed primarily by KTRT Joint Venture. The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since its opening, and received the 2004 Emporis Skyscraper Award. Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 feature prominently in international New Year's Eve broadcasts and the structure appears frequently in travel literature and international media.

Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition (see Symbolism). Its postmodernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to with stand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants and clubs.

Taipei 101 is owned by the Taipei Financial Center Corporation (TFCC) and managed by the International division of Urban Retail Properties Corporation based in Chicago. The name originally planned for the building, Taipei World Financial Center, until 2003, was derived from the name of the owner. The original name in Chinese was literally, Taipei International Financial Center (Chinese: 臺北國際金融中心).


Shanghai World Financial Center (494.4 m)




The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC; Chinese: 上海环球金融中心) is a supertall skyscraper in Pudong,Shanghai, China, developed by Mri Building. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. It is a mixed use skyscraper which consists of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the hotel component containing 174 rooms and suites. Occupying the 79th to the 93rd floors, it is the second highest hotel in the world, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 53rd to 87th floors of the neighboring Jin Mao Tower.

On 14 September 2007 the skyscraper was topped out at 492.0 meters (1,614.2 ft) and became the second-tallest building in the world; as well as the tallest structure in the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong. It also had the highest occupied floor and the highest height to roof, two categories used to determine the title of "The World’s Tallest Building".

On 28 August 2008, the SWFC officially opened for business and two days later, the world's tallest observation deck opened with a view from three levels. The highest view is at 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level. It continues to have the tallest observation deck in the world.

The SWFC has been lauded for its design and was named by architects as the best skyscraper completed in 2008.

International Commerce Centre (484 m)



The International Commerce Centre (Chinese: 環球貿易廣場) (abbr. ICC Tower) is a 108 floor, 484 m (1,588 ft)skyscraper completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is a part of the Union Square project built on top of Kowloon Station. The development is owned and jointly developed by MTR Corporation Limited and Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong's metro operator and largest property developer respectively. It is currently the world's fourth tallest building as well as the tallest building in Hong Kong.

Its formal development name is Union Square Phase 7 and the name International Commerce Centre was officially announced in 2005. International Commerce Centre was completed in phases from 2007 to 2010. The tower opened in 2011, with the Ritz-Carlton opening in late March and the observatory in early April.

Sun Hung Kai Properties also developed, along with another major Hong Kong developer, Henderson Land, the second-tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, the 2 International Finance Centre, which is located directly across Victoria Harbour in Central, Hong Kong Island.

Petronas Towers (452 m)


The Petronas Towers (Malay: Menara Petronas, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers or Menara Berkembar Petronas in Malay) are skyscrapers and twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the CTBUH's official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101, but remain the tallest twin buildings in the world. The building is the landmark of Kuala Lumpur with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.

Nanjing Greenland Financial Center (450 m)


The Nanjing Greenland Financial Center (Chinese: 南京紫峰大厦, also Greenland Square Zifeng Tower) is a 450-metre (1,480 ft) supertall skyscraper completed in April 2010 in Nanjing, China. The 89-story building comprises retail and office space in the lower section, and restaurants, a hotel, and a public observatory near the top. The tower’s stepping is functional, helping separate these sections.
The mixed-use tower, which overlooks Xuanwu Lake, became the second tallest building in China and the 5th tallest building in the world when topped out in 2008. An observation deck on the 72nd floor, 287 m (942 ft) above ground, provides an unobstructed, panoramic view of Nanjing and the nearby Yangtze River, two lakes and the Ningzheng Ridge mountains.
Architectual firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the building led by Adrian Smith

Willis Tower (442 m )


The Willis Tower (formerly named, and still commonly referred to as, the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. The Willis Tower is thetallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world, as well as the fifth tallest building in the world to the roof.
Although Sears's naming rights expired in 2003, the building continued to be called the Sears Tower for several years. In March 2009 London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, agreed to lease a portion of the building and obtained the building's naming rights. On July 16, 2009, the building was officially renamed the Willis Tower

Kingkey 100 (442 m)


The Kingkey 100 (Chinese: 京基100), whose former name is Kingkey Finance Center Plaza, is a topped out supertallskyscraper in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. It is located in Shenzhen's Luohu District in an area which can be described as the financial district.
The mixed-use building is set to rise 441.8 metres (1,449 ft) and contain 100 floors for office space and a hotel. Out of those 98 floors, 68 contain 173,000 square metres (1,862,157 sq ft) of Class A office space, 22 stories for a 35,000 square metres (376,737 sq ft) six-star business hotel and the top four floors of the skyscraper holds a garden and several restaurants.The building's lower levels feature the KK Mall, which opened its doors November 26, 2010, and contains luxury brand stores, restaurants and a Better Living Together (BLT) supermarket. The KK Mall also hosts Shenzhen's first IMAX cinema.
The St. Regis Hotel will occupy floors 75 to 98 of the main tower, which opens in late 2011.
Upon completion sometime in 2011, it will be the tallest building in Shenzhen as well as one of the tallest buildings in southern China.


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