20 Photos of the Tallest Buildings in the World
These are 20 photos of the tallest buildings in the world, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in September 2021.
Giant skyscrapers are classified officially in two distinct categories: "supertall" 300 meters (984 feet) or taller, and a "megatall," which stand at least 600-meters tall (1,968 feet). As of today, there are 173 supertalls and only three megatalls right now.
Take a look at those three and the 17 other tallest buildings in the world.
1. Burj Khalifa (Completed 2010)
Height: 828 m/ 2,717 ft
Floors: 163
The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building, stretching half a mile into the Dubai sky.
Construction began in September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed in October 2009. The building officially opened in January 2010 and is part of a development called "Downtown Dubai" near the city's main business district.
Chicago-based engineering company Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill played a major part in its design and construction.
2. Shanghai Tower (2015)
Height: 632 m / 2,073 ft
Floors: 128
The Shanghai tower looms over the Lujiazui finance area of Shanghai, China.
It boasts the world's joint highest observation deck and the second fastest elevators (top speed 46mph).
The 128-storey building is large enough to accommodate 16,000 people, meaning the entire population of the Micronesian nation of Nauru could fit one and a half times over.
It was designed by San Francisco-founded architecture firm Gensler and is owned by the Shanghai Municipal Government.
3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower (2012)
Height: 601 m / 1,972 ft
Floors: 120
The colossal Makkah Royal Clock Tower features the world's largest clock face, with a diameter measuring 43 meters—that's 35 times larger than London's Big Ben.
The tower, which has an observation deck 558 meters above ground, looms over Saudi Arabia's holy city.
No building on the planet rivals its 1.5 million square meters of floor space.
4. Ping An International Finance Center (2017)
Height: 599.1 m / 1,965 ft
Floors: 115
The Ping An International Finance Center, located in Shenzhen, China, is the world's tallest office building and the fourth tallest building in the world. It shares the current record for the highest observation deck in the world with the Shanghai Tower.
5. Lotte World Tower (2017)
Height: 554.5 m/1,819 ft
Floors: 123
Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea and the fifth-tallest in the world.
According to the company behind its construction, the Seoul tower "took its motifs from the elegantly curved forms of traditional Korean pottery and calligraphy brushes.
"The stunning curvature of the whole building was inspired by characteristics often found in traditional artisanal objects in Korea, such as their polished and aesthetic simplicity."
6. One World Trade Center (2014)
Height: 541.3 m m / 1,776 ft
Floors: 94
Its impressive 1,776ft height is a direct reference to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The building, formerly known as Freedom Tower, vies with Chicago's Willis Tower for the title of U.S.'s tallest building (it all depends how you measure).
Its observation deck was constructed with the memory of the fallen Twin Towers in mind. The deck begins at 1,362 feet, with a glass parapet extending to 1,368 feet—the exact height of the south and north towers.
7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (2016)
Height: 530 m/1,739 ft
Floors: 111
The Guangzhou Chow Tai Fook Finance Centre is a 530-meter tall, mixed-use skyscraper in the Chinese port city located northwest of Hong Kong.
It is the third-tallest building in China, and the seventh-tallest in the world.
8. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre (2019)
Height: 530 m / 1,739 ft
Floors: 97
The Tianjin CFT Finance Center is a landmark building covering office buildings, hotels, apartments and commercial retail.
The design uses undulating curves, hence its nickname: "The drill of the north'
9. CITIC Tower (2018)
Height: 5277 m / 1,731 ft
Floors: 109
The official name of China Zun Tower is "CITIC Tower," after the China International Trust Investment Corporation. The informal name of China Zun is given for the tower appearing like a "Zun," a ritual container used to hold wine in ancient China.
The highest occupied floor in the tower is at 515 meters off the ground.
10. TAIPEI 101 (2004)
Height: 508 m / 1,667 ft
Floors: 101
Located in the Xinyi District of Taipei, Taiwan, it was designed to resemble an huge bamboo stalk.
11. Shanghai World Financial Center (2008)
Height: 492 m / 1,614 ft
Floors: 101
Located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, it is the highest building in Shanghai and part of a new Shanghai landmark together with Oriental Pearl TV Towerand Jinmao Tower.
12. International Commerce Centre (2010)
Height: 484 m / 1,588 ft
Floors:108
The giant Hong Kong building was the fourth tallest building in the world when it was completed in 2010. Since then it has slid eight places, but is nonetheless incredible.
13. Central Park Tower (2020)
Height: 472.4 m/1,550 ft
Floors: 98
This residential skyscraper located on Manhattan's Billionaires' Row is one of New York City's many architectural landmarks.
The building has luxury apartments, offices, and public spaces for its users. Rising 1,550 feet into the sky, it is the tallest residential building in the world.
14. Lakhta Center (2019)
Height: 462 m/1,516 ft
Floors:87
A multifunctional complex in St. Petersburg, the Lakhta Centre is the tallest building in Russia after the Federation Towers in Moscow.
15. Vincom Landmark 81 (2018)
Height: 461.2 m/1,513 ft
Floors: 81
This mixed-use building has a multi-story observation deck at the uppermost floors, offering 360 degree aerial view of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Its design is inspired by bamboo, a Vietnamese symbol of solidarity and prosperity.
16.Changsha IFS Tower T1 (2018)
Height: 452.1 m/1,483 ft
Floors: 94
Changsha IFS Tower T1 is a skyscraper in Changsha, Hunan, China. It is the 9th tallest building in China and the 11th tallest in Asia.
17. Petronas Tower 1 and Tower 2 (1998)
Height: 451.9 m / 1,483 ft
Floors: 88
Kuala Lumpur's crown jewel. The double-deck Sky Bridge connects the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors.
18. Suzhou IFS (2019)
Height: 450 m / 1,476 ft
Floors: 95
Suzhou International Financial Square is the tallest building in Suzhou,and it is located to the east of Jinji Lake.
19. Zifeng Tower (2010)
Height: 450 m/1,476 ft
Floors: 66
Situated in Nanjing, China, the building is a mixed-use complex that comprises retail and office space up to floor 41, a hotel and restaurants between floors 49–71, and a public observatory on the 72-floor.
20. The Exchange 106 (2019)
Height: 445.5 m/1,462 ft
Floors: 95
The Exchange 106 is located in Kuala Lumpur's new financial district Tun Razak Exchange TRX. It has been described as a 'truly holistic urban landscape'.
