Famous Skyscrapers of the World

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A skyscraper is a very tall, inhabited, multi-storied building usually distinguished by having an exterior of curtain walls instead of load-bearing walls. The curtain walls are the non-structural outer coverings of a building made of lightweight materials such as glass. And unlike the load-bearing walls, they are not connected to the foundation. After 1960, the skyscrapers were constructed with a tube system in which the building is designed to act like a hollow tube to resist external forces like winds and seismic loads. Some European and American conventions require the height of a skyscraper to be not less than 150 meters. The CTBUH, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat,  has coined a new term of ‘super tall building’ which is over 300 meters.

1. The Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa

The skyscraper, Burj Khalifa, literally meaning ‘Caliph’s Tower,’ was named after UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.  It is the tallest, manmade structure in the world at 829.8 meters or 2,722 ft. and contains 163 floors. It is located at the main business center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its construction started on September 21, 2004 and was completed on January 4, 2010. It was officially opened on January 4, 2010. The architecture and engineering of the tower was performed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago. Samsung C&T of South Korea was the primary contractor. Total cost of the building is estimated at U.S. $1.5 billion.

2.  Taipei 101

Taipei 101
Taipei 101

From 2004 to 2010, Taipei 101, formerly known as Taipei World Financial Center, had been the tallest skyscraper in the world until it was surpassed by the construction Burj Khalifa in 2010 in Dubai. Its construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2004. Its architectural height is 509 meters. It has 101 floors above the ground; therefore, the building is known as Taipei 101. It has also five floors underground. The tower was designed by C. Y. Lee and partners, and the construction was completed by Samsung C&T Corporation at an estimated cost of U.S. $1.8 billion. Taipei Tower was awarded the LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,  Platinum Certificate making it the tallest green building in the world. Taipei Tower is iconic to modern Taiwan and a multi-level shopping mall in the vicinity of the tower has numerous fashionable stores, clubs, and restaurants.

3. Commerzbank Tower, Frankfurt

Commerzbank Tower, Frankfurt
Commerzbank Tower

Commerzbank Tower is the tallest skyscraper in Germany located in Frankfurt surrounded by other skyscrapers including the Euro Tower, the Main Tower, the Silberturm, the Japan Center, and the Galileo. The Commerzbank Tower was designed by Foster & Partners. Its construction started in 1994 and was completed in 1997. The Commerzbank Tower is 259 meters tall and is a 56-story building. The building has 121,000 square meters of space for the offices of the Commerzbank headquarters.  It is the tallest skyscraper in Germany and the second tallest skyscraper in the European Union. It is only two meters taller than the Messeturm, which is another skyscraper located in Frankfurt. Out of the total 13 skyscrapers in Germany, 12 are located in Frankfurt which is a major European financial center.

4. The Canton Tower, China

The Canton Tower, China
The Canton Tower

The twisted shaped Canton Tower is the tallest building in China and the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world. The multi-purpose tower is located in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou in the People’s Republic of China. It has 37 floors with 2 basement floors. Its usable area is 114,054 square meters. The tower was designed by the Dutch architects Mark Hemel and Barbara Kuitof of Information Based Architecture along with Arup, an English international design and business consulting firm. Its construction started in 2005, and it was opened to the public on October 1, 2010 at the occasion of the 16th Asian Games held in November, 2010. The rooftop observatory, at an elevation of 488 meters, is considered the highest and largest outdoor observation deck in the world.

5. The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is an iconic skyscraper located in midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.A. It is a 102-story skyscraper with the structural height of 381 meters and a total height of 443.2 meters. The building got its name from the nickname of New York, Empire State. Construction of the Empire State Building started in 1929 and was completed in 1931. From the time of its completion until 1972, it remained the tallest building in the world. It was surpassed by building the World Trade Center’s North Tower in 1972. It is the third tallest building in the U.S.A. currently, and the 22nd tallest building in the world. It is an American cultural icon standing at the top of the list of America’s favorite architecture according to the AIA. It is also the tallest gold LEED-certified American building.

6. The Willis Tower

The Willis Tower
The Willis Tower

Willis Tower, originally known as the Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 442.1 meters tall skyscraper located in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Its construction started in 1970 and was completed in 1973. Since its completion, it had been the world’s tallest building for 25 years. It is the tallest building in America and the seventh tallest freestanding structure in the world. The project was initiated by Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1969 with an aim to provide offices for its employees in one facility. The company had about 350,000 employees. It was in this background that the company commissioned Skidmore, Owings and Merrill to construct the largest office building in the world. On May 25, 1981, Dan Goodwin made a successful outside ascent to the top of the Willis Tower in seven hours.

7. The Shard, London

The Shard, London
The Shard

The Shard, also variously known as the Shard London Bridge and London Bridge Tower, is a 309.6 meters tall, 95-story skyscraper in London, England. Its construction began in March, 2009 and was completed on March 30, 2012. The building was inaugurated on July 5, 2012. It was opened to the public on February 1, 2013. It is the tallest building in the European Union and the second tallest in Europe. There are 72 habitable floors in the pyramidal tower which is covered with glass appearing like shards of glass. English heritage criticized the architect, Renzo Piano, commenting that the building would be ‘a shard of glass through the heart of historic London.’ The floor area of the building is 110,000 square meters having premium office and retail space along with a hotel, restaurant, and an observation gallery.

8. The Lomonosov Moscow State University

The Lomonosov Moscow State University
The Lomonosov Moscow State University

The Lomonosov Moscow State University was founded in 1755 by Mikhail Lomonosov. Commonly known as Moscow State University, it is the oldest, largest, and tallest university in Russia. It is located on a hilltop on the bank of the Moscow River just outside Moscow. It is considered to be the tallest academic building in the world. The building comprises a central tower flanked by 2, 18-story-high lateral buildings tapering down to 8 stories on the ends on both sides. The building has a 57-meter spire with a big star decorated with wheat ears, and it weighs 12 tons.

9.  Chrysler Building, New York

Chrysler Building, New York
Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Building of New York is a famous skyscraper located to the east of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area. Standing 319 meters high, it had been the tallest building in the world until being surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. Its construction started in 1928 and was completed in 1930. It has an area of 111,000 square meters and contains 77 floors. It is an art deco building characterized by craft motifs and machine age imagery with bold geometric shapes, rich colors, and ornamentation. It had been the headquarters of the Chrysler Corporation from 1930 to the mid-1950s. All of its cost was born solely by Walter P. Chrysler so that it may be the inherited by his children.

10. Q1; Queensland Number One

Q1; Queensland Number One
Queensland Number One

‘Q1’ stands for ‘Queensland Number One,’ and it is the most famous Australian skyscraper located in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. It is 348 meters high and had been for some time the World’s tallest building. The tower was designed by Atelier, and its form was inspired by the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch. This building was constructed by Sunland Construction and opened in November, 2005. It had won the silver award of the 2005 Emporis Skyscraper Award. Q1 is iconic to Queensland. In 2012 it was evaluated as the tallest building of Australia and is 1 of the top 50 skyscrapers in the world.

Conclusion:

People had been thinking of tall buildings since long ago, and the construction of skyscrapers is likely to continue into the future as well. The word ‘skyscraper’ is associated with elegance, but not all the tall and elegant buildings are skyscrapers in the sense of the common usage. The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, the Washington Monument, and the Eiffel Tower are tall and elegant buildings, though they are not considered skyscrapers as they are not inhabitable.

 

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