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The world's tallest buildings and where to find them

March 17, 2016 03:50 by author

One record that seems to get broken regularly is that the tallest building in the world. Maybe it's just our desire to go higher and make things bigger, but today it seems that everywhere on the planet is building upwards to try and reach the sky.

The international non-profit organisation Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is responsible for announcing the title of "The World's Tallest Building" and sets the standards by which buildings are measured. So what are the world's tallest buildings right now and where can you find them?

1. Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest artificial structure in the world, with a height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft). The megatall skyscraper is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Construction began in 2004, the exterior was completed in 2009, and the building opened in 2010. The building is named in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

2. The Shanghai Tower

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The Shanghai Tower is 632 metres (2,073 ft) high and has a total floor area of 380,000 m2 (4,090,000 sq ft) spread out over 128 floors. You can find the world's second tallest building in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai.

3. The Abraj Al-Bait Towers

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The Abraj Al-Bait Towers, sometimes called the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel, is a government-owned building complex that boasts the third tallest building and fourth tallest free-standing structure in the world. Standing 601m (1,971 ft) tall with 120 floors it was built in 2012 and is in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

4. Ping An International Finance Centre

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Ping An International Finance Centre is still being built, but when it is completed the 115-story skyscraper in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, will be the fourth tallest building in the world.

5. Goldin Finance 117

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Also known as China 117 Tower, this project is another that is not quite completed, although it is expected to be finished by 2017. Projected to stand at 597m tall and with 117 storeys (hence the name), it will take its place among China’s tallest buildings.

6. One World Trade Centre

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One World Trade Center – a.k.a 1 World Trade Center, One WTC and 1 WTC – is also sometimes called the "Freedom Tower" after being given the nickname during the initial stages of construction. It is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City and is currently the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest building in the world.

Honourable mention: The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building, the 102-story skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, has a roof height of 1,250 feet (381 m) and when its antenna spire is included reaches an impressive 1,454 feet (443 m).

It gets on our list because it stood as the world's tallest building for nearly 40 years before losing out to the original World Trade Center's North Tower in late 1970. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001, the Empire State Building was once again the tallest building in New York until One World Trade Center was completed in 2012. The Empire State Building is currently the 29th tallest building in the world.