From the Burj Khalifa to Taipei 101, these colossal structures are testaments to human ingenuity. Dezeen readers voted SHoP Architects' Brooklyn Tower as their favourite skyscraper of the past year.
Asia—and particularly China—dominates the top 10, with buildings that many in the West may not have heard of. Read on to discover the 10 largest skyscrapers in the world.
1. Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa, or Khalifa Tower in Arabic, is a supertall skyscraper located in the Downtown Burj Dubai district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's tallest building, and was officially opened on 4 January 2010.
Designed by Adrian Smith FAIA, RIBA, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), who also designed the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago, the structure was built by Emaar Properties. The tower is a mixed-use skyscraper with offices, apartments, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and the highest outdoor observation deck in the world.
The tower is clad in stainless steel and features a series of curved balconies, which give it its distinctive profile. The Y-shaped design was inspired by the Hymenocallis flower, which is native to Dubai. The design helps reduce wind force by reducing the number of piers, allowing the tower to be thinner and more efficient.
2. Shanghai Tower
Despite its immense size, Shanghai Tower manages to be environmentally sustainable. It is encased in a double layer of glass that reduces energy use by allowing natural light to penetrate the inner building and cool it. This outer skin also reduces the building’s need for air conditioning by acting as an insulator.
Designed by American architectural firm Gensler, the Shanghai Tower’s unique twisting form was inspired by wind tunnel tests and expected to lower effective winds by 24 percent during typhoons. Its tapering profile also makes it lighter and cuts structural costs by 58 million dollars.
The architecture also helps to create a sense of vertically integrated space, with the double façade containing numerous sky gardens that offer opportunities for socializing. The curved, spiraling form of the tower also adds an aesthetic dimension to a city that lacks a central axis or street grid to stamp a defining image on its skyline.
3. One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center was built on the site of the two towers destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and features office space and public observation decks. The tower was designed by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and is a symbol of New York City’s resilience following the terrorist attacks.
The skyscraper consists of 94 floors, with the majority dedicated to offices. Tenants include the US General Service Administration and magazine publisher Conde Nast. The top of the tower is adorned with a spire that is symbolic of America’s independence from Britain.
The crystalline exterior of the building reflects light like a kaleidoscope, dazzling passersby. It also houses luxury hotels, offices and apartments. One World Trade Center is the only skyscraper in the top 10 from the United States.
4. Lotte World Tower
The Lotte World Tower is a 123-story, 555-meter skyscraper that is the tallest building in Korea and the 5th-tallest in the world. It was designed by one of the most renowned architectural firms in the world, Kohn Pedersen Fox, and is a stunning example of how architecture can combine technology with cultural traditions.
The tower is used for a variety of purposes, including retail spaces, offices, and a luxury hotel. It also has an observation deck, and ten floors are reserved for public use and entertainment.
The tower is a spectacular sight, and it looks like an ancient pyramid from a distance. However, it has had a few incidents in its short history, including two urban explorers who illegally scaled the building. They were caught and banned from climbing the tower ever again. The Lotte World Tower is a testament to the dreams of its founder, and it represents how modern architecture can blend with traditional culture.
5. Ping An Finance Center
Located blocks away from the border of Hong Kong in Shenzhen, the Ping An Finance Center is a supertall skyscraper with state-of-the-art office space. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, the building is a symbol of Shenzhen’s economic growth. It also serves as the physical and iconic centerpiece of the city’s burgeoning Central Business District in Futian.
KPF worked with the Ping An Insurance company to design a headquarters that would become both the financial and cultural center of Shenzhen’s booming Futian district. The tower anchors the new CBD with 100 floors of offices atop a public podium and provides connections to neighboring commercial and residential properties as well as Shenzhen’s Line 1 Gon Wu Gong Yuan metro station.
The tower’s stunning architecture pays homage to Chinese mythology with its curved stainless steel piers, which reflect the city’s iconic skyline in a mesmerizing tapestry of lights. The building’s impressive height and engineering achievements make it a testament to human ingenuity.
6. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is the seventh tallest building in the world and was completed in 2016. It houses offices, apartments and a hotel.
The building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and consists of 111 above ground floors as well as five below ground levels. The building's below ground floor is occupied by the K11 shopping mall, while the rest of the podium and skyscraper are occupied by offices and apartments.
The design for the tower utilizes a new innovation in high-rise construction. Instead of a typical steel skeleton, the building's core has a thick concrete core and eight concrete mega columns. The piers that hold the facade's glass preserve floor-to-ceiling views and are coated with a ceramic material that is self-cleaning, corrosion-resistant, and easily produced and shipped. It also employs additional sustainability measures like high-efficiency chillers and heat recovery systems.
7. One World Trade Center
The world's tallest skyscrapers are vertigo-inducing icons of human ambition and imagination. From Dubai's dazzling Burj Khalifa to Tokyo's elegant Skytree, these colossal structures are a testament that dreams, no matter how lofty, can become reality.
The soaring Shanghai Tower is one of the most visually arresting examples of vertical innovation in the 21st century. Its twisted appearance doesn't just look spectacular; it helps the structure better withstand winds than a conventional rectangular design.
Soaring to a symbolic 1,776 feet, the One World Trade Center is the highest building in the Western Hemisphere and an iconic symbol of New York City's resilience following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Its crystalline facade features eight isosceles triangles that form a perfect octagon at the top of the tower. This prismatic form reflects light and creates a dynamic, constantly changing kaleidoscope of color as the sun moves throughout the day.
8. Wuhan Greenland Center
With a height of 606 meters and 119 floors, the Wuhan Greenland Center is one of the most high-rise buildings in the world. Designed by the supertall specialist Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, it combines premium office space, luxury apartments and condominiums, a five-star hotel and a penthouse club.
The architects incorporated several innovative design techniques to make the tower more efficient. The structure uses a composite concrete core with steel framing and tapers extensively as it rises. The elongated form, soft rounded corners and domed top will reduce wind resistance and vortex action that is common around supertall structures.
However, construction was halted when the Greenland Center reached the 96th floor due to airspace regulations. This caused the building to be reduced in height to 476 m, still surpassing the Shanghai Tower but leaving behind Tokyo Skytree by only 14 ft.
9. Abraj al-Bait
One of the world’s most fascinating buildings, the Abraj al-Bait is a complicated tangle of towers and clocks. It is a hotel complex in the holy city of Mecca that serves pilgrims from around the world.
The main feature is the central clock tower, which features the largest clock face on earth. The tower is a popular gathering point for pilgrims and is often used to call for prayer. Its four clock faces are 43 meters in diameter and illuminated with 2 million LED lights.
The building’s architecture is a combination of modern and vernacular styles, reflecting the cultural context in which it was designed. It is also a symbol of Saudi Arabia’s desire to modernize and compete with the West. The towers are connected by an immense mall that offers a wide variety of services and products to pilgrims and locals.
10. International Commerce Centre
The International Commerce Centre, also known as the ICC Tower, is Hong Kong’s tallest building. It contains lots of office space as well as upscale retail stores and restaurants. The building is located on the west side of Hong Kong Island and is very easy to get to.
The building is 108 floors and was built in 2010. It was originally intended to be the world’s tallest building, but the final height was reduced due to regulations that prevent buildings from being higher than surrounding mountains.
The ICC’s unique architecture includes undulating curves on its facade, which help minimize the force of wind on the building. The curved facade also helps reflect sunlight and make the building look more attractive. The building is also home to a shopping mall and an observation deck. It was designed by KPF, a firm that specializes in skyscrapers.
