The list of the world’s tallest buildings is constantly changing as some of the world’s richest countries attempt to outdo each other with innovative new projects.
Dubai is currently in top spot, but this could all change in
the next few years with big plans from China to move into pole position. By way
of comparison, the UK’s tallest building the Shard is in joint 73rd
place, a long way down from the lofty heights of the Globehunters top five.
1) Burj Khalifa (Dubai,
UAE) 828 m (2717 ft)
Dubai has never been a place of understatement and
it’s no surprise that the emirate’s $1.5 billion, 160 story Burj Khalifa literally towers over the opposition in the top five. As yet, nothing has been
able to shift the Burj Khalifa from top spot since it opened in 2010. It took
six years to build and currently features the world’s highest occupied floor
and the world’s highest nightclub.
The tower is the home of the The Armani hotel (designed by
Giorgio himself), as well as plenty of restaurants and bars to keep visitors
entertained. The view from the observation deck’s not bad either.
Dubai is now synonymous with outlandish architecture and
boasts three other entries in the (ref: wikpedia) top twenty: Marina 101,
Princess Tower and 23 Marina.
It may fall slightly short in terms of height but the
Shanghai Tower’s incredible structure certainly puts it in pole position in
terms of innovation. The tower’s twisted shape was conceived with typhoons in
mind; this specially designed shape reduces wind load by up to 24%.
The interior will be equally impressive with a hospital,
theatre, shopping centre and a ‘vertical farm’ providing food for residents just
a selection of its impressive features. Over 30,000 people will eventually call
the 121 story Shanghai Tower home.
Expect plenty of new skyscrapers from China in the new
future; nine of the top twenty tallest buildings currently being built are in
China. This includes Sky City which is set to be the new number one.
3) Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel (Mecca, Saudi Arabia) 601m (1972ft)
It features 120 floors above ground and was opened in 2012.
A set of 21,000 green and white lights which are visible at an impressive
distance of 18 miles flash five times a day to remind residents of prayer time.
4) One World Trade Centre, (New York, USA) 546.2 m (1776 ft)
Scheduled to open by early 2014, One World Trade Centre
stands in central Manhattan on the site of the former World Trade Tower
destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.
It will include offices, restaurants and an observation deck
and will be the tallest building in the Western world. Conde Nast and GSA have
already reserved several stories worth of office space, each offering
spectacular views across the city.
This adds to an already extensive list of tourist attractions New York has to offer.
This adds to an already extensive list of tourist attractions New York has to offer.
5) Taipei 101 (Taipei, Taiwan) 509m tall (1670ft)
When it opened at the end of 2004 it was in number one spot,
but has since been overtaken and will soon drop out of the top 5.
Also going by the fairly uninspiring moniker ‘The Taipei
World Financial Centre’, Taipei 101 is comprised of 106 floors in total. Whilst
occupancy of the tower itself focuses on the financial industry, there is a
multi-level shopping mall in an adjoining building.
Globehunters provide
flights to cities all over the world including cheap flights to Dubai and cheap flights to New York.
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