What are the tallest buildings in the world?
There was a time when the Eiffel Tower or the World Trade Center twin towers were the tallest buildings in the world, but those records are being smashed as new buildings are being built taller than ever before. It is not uncommon to see a news story on a building being planned that is two thousand feet or more in the air. After all, architects and builders are always looking for new ways to stretch their limits with what has been done and what could potentially be accomplished.
Here are the tallest buildings in the world:
Burj Khalifa in Dubai
This massive building tops out at two thousand seven hundred and seventeen feet, which currently makes it the tallest building in the world. This building was completed in 2010, and the same architects that created the Willis Tower in Chicago and New York City’s One World Trade Center helped design it. Inside the Burj Khalifa, there are thirty thousand residential spaces, nine hotels, a shopping mall, and even an artificial lake.
Ping An International Finance Center in China
Ping An International Finance Center is one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five feet in the air and the construction process was finally completed in 2017. There are one hundred and fifteen floors that can be accessed by the thirty-three large elevators. In addition to Ping An Insurance calling this building home, there is a conference center, high-end retail stores, and a hotel inside. The one thing that is missing from the original design is the antenna at the top, but it was omitted due to concerns that it would interfere with airplanes going through the area.
One World Trade Center in New York City
It was a devastating day when the twin towers came crashing down back in 2001, but the city chose to remember those whose lives were lost that day by creating a beautiful place to remember them by. One World Trade Center is the tallest building within the United States and it has one hundred and four floors that rise up to a height of one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six feet. The construction on this building was completed in 2014 and its design includes ways to use renewable energy including finding a way to use the rainwater that it collects.
Shanghai World Financial Center in China
This tall building stands one thousand six hundred and fourteen feet high and has one hundred and one floors. Construction was completed in 2008 and it can be found within the Pudong district, although it can be seen from further away. Inside this large structure, people will find observation decks, a shopping mall, conference centers, office space, and a hotel.
Tapei 101 in Taiwan
The design of this building is quite unique, which is why it is often on the list of must-see buildings in the world. The construction was completed on the one hundred and one floors back in 2004, and at a height of one thousand six hundred and sixty-seven feet, it held the record of tallest building in the world for a few years. Most people that visit Taiwan will ride up to the top of this building for the breathtaking panoramic views that can be seen from the observatory.
Lotte World Tower in South Korea
It took thirteen years of planning before construction began on this building back in 2011 and then it took five years before everything was finished. Lotte World Tower stands one thousand eight hundred and nineteen feet high, and while it has one hundred and twenty-three floors, six of them are underground. One of the amazing features of this building is the quality of the roof, which was built to withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of up to nine on the Richter scale.
Shanghai Tower in China
It took eight years to construct all two thousand seventy-three feet of the Shanghai Tower and it serves as an office building as well as a hotel. There are three hundred and twenty hotel rooms within the tower and room for more than one thousand cars in the parking areas. There are one hundred and twenty-one floors in the Shanghai Tower, yet it is the top of the building that people love the most with the amazing views.
There will soon be a new tallest building in the world, as the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is currently under construction and due to open some time between 2019 and 2021. This tower is going to be three thousand two hundred and eighty-one feet tall with a triangular shape. A helipad is planned for the one hundred and fifty-seventh floor, which is also where people can go for phenomenal views of the surrounding area and the city below. One of the best features will be the double decker elevators that will quickly whisk people between floors, so that no one is waiting forever to reach the floor of their choice.
Of course, there are many other tall buildings being constructed at the moment, and many of them will shatter the record heights of the current buildings above.