Architects worldwide continually compete to design infrastructure marvels that will create records and mark their space as the tallest building in the world. Some of the buildings are just breathtakingly beautiful! From China to the US and the Middle East, several stunning structures are listed in the Top 12 tallest buildings in the world, and each of them is indeed a phenomenal tall skyscraper.
Today, we will discuss such striking skyscrapers that have a contemporary design and represent the evolution of technology and modernity. In this list of the tallest buildings in the world, the ranking includes only fully completed buildings. If we had included the topped-out ones, then the second tallest building in the world would be Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur. However, this structure is still under construction and is expected to be completed soon; hence we haven’t included this in our list of the top 12 tallest buildings in the world.
Top 12 Tallest Buildings In The World
Here is our curated list of the top 12 tallest buildings in the world, where we will give you details about each of these masterpieces.
1. Burj Khalifa
City & Country: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Height: 2,717 ft
Floors: 163 (+1 below ground)
Completion Date: 2010
In January 2010, downtown Dubai opened the tallest building in the world – Burj Khalifa tower. Burj Khalifa is a truly striking mixed-use tall skyscraper with a massive 2,717 feet in height.
The tower comprises 163 floors, several luxury apartments, fine-dine restaurants, high-end hotels, and corporate suits. Boasting the highest observation deck and also the tallest service elevator in the world, this iconic building holds several world records that include:
· Tallest building in the world
· Tallest free-standing structure
· Tallest service elevator in the world
· Highest observation deck
· Highest number of stories
· Elevator with the longest distance
· Highest occupied floors
Interesting Fact: Did you know that this iconic building Burj Khalifa is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York? Oh yes, it is!
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An ariel view of the world-famous Burj Khalifa
2. Shanghai Tower
City & Country: Shanghai, China
Height: 2,073 ft.
Floors: 128 (+5 below ground)
Completion Date: 2015
Standing at 2,073 ft, the Shanghai Tower, located in China, is the second tallest building in the world. The construction of this phenomenal skyscraper started in 1997, but it was put on hold several times due to funding issues.
The tower had the world’s second-fastest elevator with a fantastic speed of 20.5 meters per second but it was soon surpassed by the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center in 2017 with its speed of about 21 meters per second.
The world’s second tallest building, Shanghai Tower, was designed by the international firm Gensler and is owned by the Shanghai Municipal Government and is one of the most magnificent buildings in the world.
The tower is located in the financial district of Pudong and has 128 floors and up to 270 wind turbines. Formed with nine cylindrical buildings, each of the nine buildings or zones features gorgeous gardens, cafes, and some retail spaces. All nine zones are encased in a glass façade and form one structure.
Interesting Fact: While Burj Khalifa has bagged the title of the Tallest Building in the World, Shanghai Tower is the tallest building considering the height of usable floors.
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The wonderful Shanghai Tower cityscape
3. Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower
City & Country: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Height: 1,972 ft
Floors: 120 (+3 below ground)
Completion Date: 2012
With 120 stories and 1,972 ft, the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower has earned the title of the third tallest building in the world after Shanghai Tower in China. The construction work of Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower began in 2004 and took nearly six years to complete.
Designed by the Lebanese architecture firm – Dar Al-Handasah, this third-tallest building in the world is also known for being the most expensive building in the world, considering its construction cost, which is a whopping $15 billion. Sprawling across a colossal area of 1,500,000 m2, the building is also the largest building on the planet in terms of its floor area.
Many people think of Big Ben as the largest clock; however, the clock on the London building is significantly smaller than the notable feature of the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower. It is the largest clock face in the world, with a dial on all four sides measuring 43 meters.
Interesting Fact: The world’s third tallest building, Abraj Al-Bait, sits on an old Ottoman fortress-destroyed land that overlooks some famous Islamic sites. The fortress destroyed to create new buildings was culturally significant to the Turkish people; thus, it created a minor diplomatic disturbance in 2002.
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Incredible skyline view of the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower
4. Ping An International Finance Centre
City & Country: Shenzhen, China
Height: 1,966 ft
Floors: 115 (+5 below ground)
Completion Date: 2017
Completed its construction in 2017, the Ping An International Finance Centre has been titled the tallest building in Shenzhen, the second tallest in China, and the fourth-tallest building in the world. The structure comprises about 100 office floors apart from a retail and a conference podium that can accommodate nearly 15,500 workers and around 9,000 passengers.
This gorgeous infrastructure is designed by a New York-based architectural firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, which has also been credited with several other popular infrastructures in China, such as Shanghai World Financial Center and Chow Tai Fook Center. However, the structural design of the building was done by another firm named Thornton Tomasetti, based in New York.
The estimated floor area of this massive tower is 378,600 sq. mts. If the space in the building’s 11-story podium is also considered, then the building has a total of 495,520 sq. mts of area.
The fourth-tallest building in the world has a façade composed of stainless steel and glass.
Exterior views of the fourth tallest building in the world
5. Lotte World Tower
City & Country: Seoul, South Korea
Height: 1,819 ft
Floors: 123 (+6 below ground)
Completion Date: 2017
Lotte World of Seoul is the fifth tallest building in the world, featuring the world’s largest indoor theme park, an outdoor park, luxury hotels, theatres, shopping malls, and a Korean folk museum.
Located in the densely populated city of Seoul – Songpa District, the fifth tallest building in the world is also the tallest building in South Korea. The Lotte World Tower consists of 123 floors and stands at a height of 1,819 ft.
The beautiful skyscraper was designed by one of the most well-known architectural firms in the world – Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, which is headquartered in New York City.
The Lotte World Tower is a mixed-use development and features Lotte Hotel on 76 to 101 floors and residences from 42 to 71 floors, and the rest of the floors are mainly used for office space.
Interesting Fact: One of the most interesting facts about the fifth tallest building in the world – Lotte World Tower, is that its construction was planned in the late 20th century; however, it took years to get the green light from the officials to build the building and eventually the construction work started in November 2010.
Korea’s Lotte World Tower under the cloudy blue sky in winter
6. One World Trade Center
City & Country: New York City, United States
Height: 1,776 ft
Floors: 94 (+ 5 below ground)
Completion Date: 2014
The One World Trade Center, also famous as the Freedom Tower, is the main building of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, standing at the height of 1,776 ft.
The architecture of the sixth tallest building in the world was done by David Childs and his firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The One World Trade Center consists of a total of 71 elevators which can travel 23 miles per hour, which means you can travel from the ground floor to the 102nd floor of the building in just 60 seconds. Crazy, right?
Interesting Fact: The massively tall tower has the same name as the North Tower of the actual World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.
The famous One World Trade Center in New York City
7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre
City & Country: Guangzhou, China
Height: 1,739 ft
Floors: 111 (+5 below ground)
Completion Date: 2016
Standing at 1,739 feet tall, the magnificent Guangzhou West Tower in Guangzhou, China, is a mixed-use tower consisting of 111 floors housing offices, residential space, hotels and a conference area.
Constructed in 2010, the building has earned the title of China’s third tallest building and the seventh tallest building in the world.
One of the tower’s highlights is its observation deck on the 111th floor which is slightly lower than the Burj Khalifa’s deck, which is the highest observation deck in the world.
Interesting Fact: To make Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre more sustainable and environment friendly the designers have made the façade with glass and glazed terra cotta to make the exterior lighter and more sustainable.
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A high resolution panorama of the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, China8. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre
City & Country: Tianjin, China
Height: 1,739 ft
Floors: 97 (+4 below ground)
Completion Date: 2019
Sharing the space with Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, the striking landmark Tianjin CTF Finance Centre also sits on the 7th tallest building in the world with a 1,739 ft. tall skyscraper. The 97 floors tower house several A-class offices, luxury serviced apartments, and a five-star Rosewood hotel. The skyscraper is the second tallest building in Tianjin after Goldin Finance 117.
The thoughtfully designed building is constructed with curving glass that integrates sloping mega-columns and effectively increases the building’s response to seismic problems. Not just that, the Tianjin CTF Tower is a phenomenal result of combining structural expression with an innovative structural system to deliver a cost-effective, high-performing and strong structure.
Interesting Fact: The seventh tallest building in the world has been designed to LEED Gold standards and includes optimized daylight, high-performance, and green landscaping.
A closeup view of the Guangzhou and Tianjin CTF Finance Centre sharing space
9. China Zun
City & Country: Beijing, China
Height: 1,731 ft
Floors: 109 (+8 below ground)
Completion Date: 2018
China Zun is the cute nickname of Beijing’s skyscraper CITIC Tower. The structural engineer of the construction of this iconic building is one of the world’s renowned multinational architectural firms – Arup. The firm credited for designing the tower is Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), which has several landmark projects in its kitty.
The 1,731 ft tall building is located in the Central Business District of Beijing that features 109 floors and eight additional floors below the ground.
The building is another mixed-use development masterpiece which is used for a variety of purposes. About 60 floors in the building consist of office spaces, 20 features luxury apartments, and 20 consists of a hotel with 300 rooms.
Interesting Fact: Although the groundbreaking ceremony of the building took place on September 19, 2011, the expansive building took years to complete, and the construction was finally done in 2018.
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A bottom-to-top view of the supertall skyscraper, China Zun
10. Taipei 101
City & Country: Taipei, Taiwan
Height: 1,667
Floors: 101 (+5 below ground)
Completion Date: 2004
Located in the Hsin Yi district of Taipei in Taiwan, the famous Taipei 101 was formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center. The country’s ultimate symbol got its name Taipei 101 because it consists of 101 floors, which is just one floor less than the very famous Empire State Building. With an enormous height of 1,667ft, the building features offices, retail shops, and the world’s two fastest elevators.
Taipei 101, despite being one of the tallest buildings in the world, is the first building that broke the record for the world’s tallest structure in 2003, which the Burj Khalifa in Dubai later surpassed. On the 91st floor of Taipei 101, there’s an outdoor observatory deck, the world’s third highest open-air observation deck at 392m above ground level. Designed by a Taiwanese architectural firm C.Y. Lee & Partners, the Taipei 101 total cost of construction was nearly US $1.934 billion.
Taipei 101 was not just the tallest building in the world it also held some of the most impressive records, such as – it had the world’s fastest elevators, it had the tallest sundial in the world, it had the tallest, and was honoured as the tallest green building in the world.
Interesting Fact: Did you know Taipei 101 also has a symbolic meaning? Yes, the name of the structure, which is also one of the world’s tallest buildings, not just represents the number of floors but also has a symbolic meaning. The name of the building was meant to honour the coming of the new century – 100+1.
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Taiwan’s Taipei 101 looks magical in twilight
11. Wuhan Greenland Center
City & Country: Wuhan, China
Height: 1,560 feet
Floors: 97
Completion Date: 2022
The construction of 476 metres tall Wuhan Greenland Center began in June 2012. The skyscraper was planned to be 636 metres; however, it was redesigned mid-construction because of airspace regulations. Therefore, its height could not exceed 500 metres above sea level.
The project was put on hold many times during the construction in mid-2017 because of several issues like financial problems and the COVID-19 pandemic. The building peaked at 1,560 feet in 2020 and was entirely completed in 2022. It is the tallest building in Central China and cost 4.5 billion dollars, mainly due to the above-mentioned setbacks. Currently, it is the 14th tallest building in the world and comprises hotel rooms and office space besides banquet halls, parking space and bike storage space.
Interesting Fact: The building’s three tapered sides were designed to represent three cities – Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang and two rivers – Hanjiang River and Yangtze River intersecting to form one unified city.
Wuhan Greenland Centre is a beautiful example of art meeting the scientific approach
12. Shanghai World Financial Center
City & Country: Shanghai, China
Height: 492 meters
Floors: 101 + 3 (below ground level)
Completion Date: 2008
The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) is one of the tallest buildings in the world. The building was completed in 2008 and was awarded as the best-completed skyscraper in the year 2008. SWFC is designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. A mixed-use building with an observation deck, offices, hotels, conference rooms, and a ground-floor shopping mall.
The construction of the building began in 1997. However, the Asian financial crisis, which hit the Asian continent during 1997 and 1998, halted the project’s construction. Later in 2003, the developer, i.e. Mori Building Company, halted the construction to incorporate certain design changes in the building. The delay led to the addition of floors, increasing the overall height of the building.
Interesting Fact: One of the most interesting things about the Shanghai World Financial Center is that it is nicknamed the ‘Bottle Opener.’
Interesting Fact: One of the most interesting things about the Shanghai World Financial Center is that it is nicknamed the ‘Bottle Opener.’
Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) also known as the ‘Bottle Opener’
