The Tallest Buildings In The World

 

Over the last few decades, buildings have gotten taller, and taller as architects adapt their designs to accommodate our rapidly growing cities around the world. With more people than ever choosing to work and live in cities, building more skyscrapers has helped meet both of these needs.

Whilst skyscrapers aren’t a new concept within the world of development, they’re unique in their height and multi-purpose function. In 2010, the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, was finally finished, opening as a multi-functional skyscraper where people can live, work and stay. But, will it stay the tallest building in the world forever? And, what is the tallest building in the world under construction right now?

Here, we explore the tallest skyscrapers in the world and what the future holds for these hugely impressive properties and the people who design them.

Our Director, Harry Hodell, kicked things off with the following:

“Innovation of building design continues to advance through the evolution of tall buildings with new concepts, structures and materials enabling developers to build to heights and in spaces that previously they would be unable to”

Pure Structured Finance
Harry Hodell
Director

How Tall Is The Tallest Building In The World?

Standing at an impressive 828m or 2,717ft tall, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is officially the tallest building in the world. Owned and developed by property company Emaar Properties and designed by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, this huge building was originally built to help attract more tourists to Dubai.

Sharing its space with residential homes, a trendy hotel and functional office space, the Burj Khalifa has certainly fulfilled its purpose, drawing in a record 1.87million tourists each year, according to news site National News.

Sunrise shot of Downtown Dubai and Burj Khalifa.

 

How Many Floors High Is The Tallest Building In The World

The Burj Khalifa is 163 floors high and boasts a viewing platform on the 124th floor. The building is globally recognised for its huge spike on top of the building, making it the tallest building to date.

Whilst its height has broken records, the actual design of the Burj Khalifa had to be carefully considered as something that tall will be immediately impacted by high winds. To overcome this, the designers made the structural core of the tower in a spiraling “Y” shape. This helps reduce the wind forces on the tower, as well as to keep the structure simple. In property speech, this shape is described as a “buttressed core” and is made of high-performance concrete.

 

What Is The Second Tallest Building In The World?

Opened just five years after the Burj Khalifa, the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai became the second tallest building in the world at a height of 632m or 2,073ft.

This impressive building is the tallest in China and was developed by Shanghai Tower Construction and Development which still owns it today. The architect company was Gensler and the Shanghai Tower today is a hotel and office space, drawing in tourists who want to marvel at the sheer height of this impressive tower!

 

Which Country Has The Most Skyscrapers In The World?

Whilst the Shanghai Tower stands as the tallest building in China, China as a country also boasts more skyscrapers than any other country in the world, with 101 buildings over 300m tall.

The definition of a skyscraper historically was a tall building between 10-20 storeys but this has been tweaked over the years with some more updated sources defining skyscrapers as needing to reach a minimum of 100m tall.

The second country with the most skyscrapers is perhaps unsurprisingly the USA, with 853 buildings over 150m tall and 29 being over 300m tall, and the 3rd being the United Arab of Emirates with 310 over 150m and 32 buildings over 300m tall.

 

What Will The Future Tallest Building In The World Look Like?

Whilst architects have continued to develop taller buildings to help accommodate our ever-growing cities and the need for more homes, is the future of buildings set to get taller?

In short, yes – buildings are set to get even taller than the world’s current tallest building at 828m, with plans for the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia to be built to a whopping 3,307ft tall. This makes it over 1,000ft taller than the Burj Khalifa and makes it over 1km high.

Whilst this futuristic tower will be the tallest in the world, it’s already well over its completion date of 2020 and doesn’t look set to be finished yet. The Jeddah Tower will largely be a Four Seasons hotel and offer luxury apartments.

Speaking of futuristic buildings, the world’s tallest building ever envisioned, the X- Seed in Japan, is officially the tallest concept skyscraper that’s ever been designed.

This imaginary building was only ever designed as a concept because, as it was tall, designers didn’t think it could be physically built at its proposed 4,000m or 13,000ft height. If it is eventually built, it would make this futuristic building a staggering 800 floors tall. The X-Seed was designed to house nearly a million people in Japan but has yet to even make it off the drawing board.

 

The Future For The World’s Tallest Buildings?

As more developers and architects continue to design buildings to meet the high demand for residential and commercial needs in one cleverly engineered space, the future looks set to continue high into the sky for buildings like these.

The future for the world’s tallest buildings could be one that sees their title being topped by even taller buildings!

At Pure Structured Finance, we specialise in finance for high-value and high-rise development projects, priding ourselves on delivering a personal touch.

Our team of expert brokers will work closely with your teams, acting as a financial right arm, building and negotiating a bespoke finance deal that suits your specific project and borrowing needs. Get in touch today to learn more.