Man has discovered wonderful things to enhance his living status. His innovation in the field of world class construction is exemplary. Amazing structures worldwide offer you excellent architectural beauty and facilitate you to do various activities inside them. This story tells you about 10 tallest buildings in the world.
Burj Dubai
Burj Dubai is the tallest (approx. 2,684 feet height) man made skyscraper in the world. It is located at First Interchange along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building comprises a 2 km² development named as 'Dubai Tower' which is designed by American architect Adrian Smith and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) of Chicago The total cost of the Burj Dubai project is about $ 4.1 billion US. The building will be ready for occupancy in September 2009.
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 located in Taiwan remained as the tallest building till the completion of Burj Dubai. The owners of the building tell that Taipei 101 has 1,667 ft total height, 1,470 ft roof height and 1,437 ft top floor height. However, CTBUH standards include the height of platform while calculating overall height. It has 101 floor counts, flour areas 4,440,100 sq ft, elevator count 61, including double deck shuttles and 2 high speed observatory elevators.
Shanghai World Financial Center
Shanghai World Financial Center is one of the tallest skyscrapers under construction in Shanghai, China. On September 14, 2007 the skyscraper with 492 meters (1,614 ft) became the tallest structure in China, including Hong Kong, as well as the world's third tallest building. It consists of office spaces, hotel rooms, conference rooms, observation decks and shops on the ground floors. The hotel has 175 rooms.
Petronas Towers
Petronas Twin Towers (also known as Twin Towers) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are the world's tallest twin buildings. These buildings were world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 if measured from the level of main entrance to the structural top, the original height referred by the US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Tower 1 was constructed by South Korean multinational Samsung Engineering & Construction whereas Tower 2 by Hazama Corporation of Japan. The Twin Towers provides office, hotel, museum, observation, parking garage and retail facilities.
Sears Tower
Sears Tower located in Chicago, Illinois is the tallest skyscraper in North America. It has been the tallest building in the US and surpasses the World Trade Center. The building is constructed of nine 75 feet square tubes of welded steel that enlarge up to 50 and 108 stories high. The floors are suspended within the tubes. The steel frame building is covered in black aluminum and bronze-toned glass. The tower has 108 stories though the building owners count the main roof as 109 and the mechanical penthouse roof as 110. The distance between roof and east entrance is 1,451 feet (442 m).
Jin Mao Tower
Jin Mao Tower is an 88 storey tall skyscraper in Pudong district of Shanghai, China. The Tower was the tallest building in the PRC, the fifth tallest in the world by roof height and the seventh tallest by pinnacle height. It is a centerpiece of Pudong skyline and was surpassed by Shanghai World Financial Center on September 14, 2007. The exterior curtain wall is made of glass, stainless steel, aluminium, and granite, and is criss-crossed by complex latticework cladding made of aluminum alloy pipes. The Tower provides office building, hotel, museum, parking garage, retail facilities.
Two International Finance Centre
International Finance Centre is an integrated commercial centre on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District. As a prominent landmark in Hong Kong it consists of two skyscrapers, the IFC mall, and the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel. Tower 2 is the tallest building in Hong Kong, usurping the place once occupied by Central Plaza. It is the third tallest building in Greater China and the seventh tallest office building in the world; only Taipei 101 and Sears Tower surpass it. It is used as office building, parking garage, retail facilities.
CITIC Plaza
CITIC Plaza is an 80 storey high skyscraper built in Tianhe District, China. It has 1,283 ft structural height including two tall antennas like spires on the top. It is the eight tallest building in the world and ranks as the fourth tallest building in China and seventh in Asia. The plaza is part of a complex of the same name which also consists of two 38 storey residential buildings. Its proximity includes a new train station, a new metro station, and the Tianhe Sports Center. The structural height of plaza is 1,283 ft including two tall antennas like spires on the top.
Shun Hing Square
Shun Hing Square is the tallest skyscraper in Shenzhen, China with structural height of 1,260 ft and 69 stories. It was also the tallest building in China till CITIC Plaza was completed. Now it ranks the fourth highest building in China and ninth in the world. The building was designed by K.Y. Cheung Design Associates. It is used as office, parking garage, retail facilities.
Empire State Building, New York
The Empire State Building is a 102 storey, 1252 feet high art deco skyscraper at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street in New York. It remained as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, till construction of World Trade Center's North Tower in 1972. The Empire State Building became the second tallest building in New York City after the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001. The building clad in Indiana limestone and granite, with mullions lined in shiny aluminum has 6,500 windows, with spandrels sandblasted to blend their tone of the windows which visually create vertical striping on the facade. It provides office facilities.
