What's the point of building skyscrapers? Would that be to show power? Or is it just the necessity of making more money from just one building? It definitely costs more to be build. Perhaps it's that they want to be closer to god and heaven but in reality this type of construction, the skyscrapers, has become a trend. With powerful structures in forms that resemble rockets ready to take off, this buildings scrap the sky and simply define some of the skylines of the most important cities of the world.

In this post I will show you 10 of the tallest buildings in the world. I will list just the ones that already exist and are already build, not those in construction. There are so many still being constructed and also those in the project stage, but that is for another post.

Taipei 101 Tower, Taiwan - 509m

2004 - C.Y. Lee & Partner

Taipei 101, also known as the Taipei Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building, designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and constructed primarily by KTRT Joint Venture and Samsung Engineering & Construction is the world's tallest completed skyscraper according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat[3], the arbiter of tall building height. Taipei 101 received the Emporis Skyscraper Award in 2004.

Shanghai World Financial Center, China - 492m

2008 - Kohn Pedersen Fox

The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which consists of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the hotel component containing 174 rooms and suites. It is the highest hotel in the world, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 53rd to 87th floors of the neighboring Jin Mao Tower.

Petronas Towers 1 & 2, Malaysia - 452m

1998 - Cesar Pelli

The Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas) (also known as the Petronas Towers or just Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are twin towers and were the world's tallest buildings before being surpassed by Taipei 101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world.

Sears Tower, Chicago - 442m

1974 - SOM Architects

Willis Tower, formerly named Sears Tower, is a 108-story 1,450 feet (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973 it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York. Currently, Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.

Jin Mao Building, Shanghai - 421m

1999 - Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

The Jin Mao Tower is an 88-story landmark supertall skyscraper in the Lujiazui area of the Pudong district of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It contains offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel. Until 2007 it was the tallest building in the PRC, the fifth tallest in the world by roof height and the seventh tallest by pinnacle height. Along with the Oriental Pearl Tower, it is a centerpiece of the Pudong skyline.

Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong - 414m

2003 - Cesar Pelli

A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, IFC consists of two skyscrapers, the IFC Mall, and the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the tallest building in Hong Kong, a title formerly held by Central Plaza. It is the third-tallest building in the Greater China region and the seventh-tallest office building in the world, based on structural heights; by roof height, only the Taipei 101, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Willis Tower exceed it. It is of similar height to the former World Trade Center.

CITIC Plaza, China - 391m

1997 - DLN Architects

CITIC Plaza is a skyscraper built in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Its structural height is 391 m (1,283 ft) 80 stories including two tall antenna-like spires on the top. Completed in 1997, it is the tallest concrete building in the world. Currently, it ranks as the fourth tallest building in China, seventh in Asia, and eighth worldwide.

Shun Hing Square, China - 384m

1996 - K.Y. Cheung Design Assc.

It is the 5th tallest building in China, and the 9th tallest in the world. It was the tallest building in China from its completion in 1996 until CITIC Plaza in Guangzhou was completed the next year. The building was built at the fast pace of four floors in nine days. The main tower has offices, while an accomping 35 floor annex contains apartments, car park and shopping arcade complex which has 5 floors, four sets of escalators, five passenger lifts and two service lifts, and a floor area ranging from 3450sq m to 4900sq m. On the top floor is the Meridian View Centre, an observation deck.

Empire State Building, New York - 381m

1931 - Shreve, Lamb and Harmon

The Empire State Building is a 102-story american landmark Art Deco skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State Building once again became the tallest building in New York City and and New York State.

Central Plaza, Hong Kong - 374m

1992 - Ng Chun Man

Central Plaza is the second tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. With a height of 374 m (1,227 ft), Central Plaza is only surpassed by 2 IFC (415 m / 1,362 ft) in Central. The building is located at 18 Harbour Road, in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island. It was the tallest building in Asia from 1992 to 1996, until the Shun Hing Square in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China, was built.

About the author

I'm from Brazil, co-founder of Zee with Fabio. Nowadays I like to play with Fireworks, Photoshop and improve my skills in CSS. If you wanna request some posts, please feel free to contact me or follow on Twitter.

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