List of tallest buildings and structures in the world

While determining the world's tallest structure has generally been straightforward, the definition of the world's tallest building or the world's tallest tower is less clear. The disputes generally center on what should be counted as a building or a tower, and what is being measured.

In terms of absolute height, the tallest structures are currently the dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers which measure over 600 meters (about 2,000 feet) in height. There is, however, some debate about:

• whether structures under construction should be included in the list
• whether structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included.

For towers, there is debate over:

• whether guy-wire-supported structures should be counted

For buildings, there is debate over:

• whether communication towers with observation galleries should be considered habitable buildings.
• whether only habitable height is considered.
• whether roof-top antennas should be considered towards height of buildings; with particular interest in whether components that look like spires can be either classified as antennas or architectural detail.

These debates will likely lose some relevance in 2009, as the Burj Dubai, a building currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is planned to exceed all other existing above-ground structures in height, including guyed TV towers.

Tallest structures

Main article: List of tallest structures in the world

KVLY-TV mast

The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario was the world's tallest freestanding structure on land from 1975 until the Burj Dubai surpassed it in 2007, rising 553.33 m (1,815 ft). It is currently the world's tallest completed freestanding structure on land.

The tallest standing structure is the KVLY-TV mast 30 miles (48 km) north of Fargo, North Dakota United States, at 628.8 m (2,063 ft). It is a transmission antenna, consisting of a bare metal structure supported by guy-wires.

Transmission antennas of this type are not usually included with the world's tallest buildings because they are not self-supporting. The issue is further complicated if all manmade habitable structures are considered. Under that criterion it is possible to claim 'tallest structure' records for deep mine-shafts, or the Mohole drilling rig, which can be several miles (8-10 km) in vertical length.

The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, standing at 553.3 m (1,815 ft), was the world's tallest freestanding structure on land from 1976 until September 12, 2007, when it was overtaken in height by the rising Burj Dubai.^[1] The tower has the world's highest public observation deck at 446.5 m (1,465 ft). It remains the world's tallest completed freestanding structure.

The Petronius Platform stands 610 m (2,001 ft), leading some to claim it as the tallest freestanding structure in the world. However, as this oil and natural gas platform is partially supported by wires, critics argue that it is not freestanding, and the below-water height should not be counted, in the same manner as underground 'height' is not taken into account in buildings.

The Troll A platform is 472 m (1,549 ft), without any part of that height being supported by wires.

Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan is currently the world's tallest inhabited building in three of the four main categories that are commonly measured: at 509.2 m (1,671 ft) as measured to its architectural height (spire) as well as roof height 449.2 m (1,474 ft) and highest occupied floor 439.2 m (1,441 ft). The Sears Tower is highest in the last category: the greatest height to top of antenna of any building in the world at 527.3 m (1,730 ft).

The Burj Dubai, currently under construction, is already the tallest freestanding structure on land. As of 5 February 2008, the tower's developers reported its height to be 604.9 m (1,985 ft) with 159 completed floors,^[2] surpassing Taipei 101 as the tallest skyscraper.^[3] On its completion, projected for mid 2009, it will break the height record in all four categories for completed buildings by a wide margin. While the final height has not been released to the public, Greg Sang, the construction manager, says that the building will rise to a minimum of 700 m (2,297 ft).^[4] The developer, Emaar, is keeping structural details secret due to competition for the "world's tallest" with other proposed structures, including the nearby Al Burj.^[5] The CN Tower will retain its record of the world's highest observation deck as Burj Dubai's deck will be at 442 m (1,450 ft).^[6] The 'Symbol of Dubai' will have more than 160 floors, 56 elevators, apartments, shops, swimming pools, spas and corporate suites.

Tallest structure by category

Due to the disagreements over how to measure and classify structures, engineers have created various definitions for categories of buildings and other structures. One measure includes the absolute height of a building, another includes only spires and other permanent architectural features, but not antennas. The tradition of including the spire on top of a building and not including the antenna dates back to the rivalry between the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street. A modern-day example is that the antenna on top of the Sears tower are not considered part of its architectural height, while the spires on top of the Petronas towers are counted.

Category	Structure	Country	City	Height (m)	Height (ft)
TV Mast	KVLY-TV mast	United States	Blanchard, N.D.	628.8	2,063
Skyscraper (under construction) - all categories	Burj Dubai	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	604.9	1,985[2]
Concrete Tower	CN Tower	Canada	Toronto, Ontario	553.3	1,815
Skyscraper (completed only) - to top of antenna	Sears Tower	United States	Chicago	527.3	1,730
Skyscraper (completed only) - to top of spire	Taipei 101	Taiwan	Taipei	509.2	1,671
Twin Towers	Petronas Twin Towers	Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	452	1,482
Skyscraper (completed only) - to building roof	Taipei 101	Taiwan	Taipei	449.2	1,474
Skyscraper (completed only) - to highest occupied floor	Taipei 101	Taiwan	Taipei	439.2	1,441
Chimney	GRES-2 Power Station	Kazakhstan	Ekibastusz	419.7	1,377
Lattice tower	Kiev TV Tower	Ukraine	Kiev	385	1,263
TV Mast	Fernsehturm Berlin	Germany	Berlin	368	1,207
Partially guyed tower	Gerbrandy Tower	Netherlands	IJsselstein	366.8	1,203
Electricity pylon	Yangtze River Crossing, Jiangyin	People's Republic of China	Jiangyin	346.5	1,137
Bridge pillar	Millau Viaduct	France	Millau	342	1,122
Iron Tower	Eiffel Tower	France	Paris	324	1,063
Five-sided building	JPMorgan Chase Tower	United States	Houston	305	1,002
Dam	Nurek Dam	Tajikistan	Nurek	300	984[7]
Concrete dam	Grande Dixence Dam	Switzerland	Val d'Hérens	285	935
Electricity pylon (concrete)	Yangtze River Crossing, Nanjing	People's Republic of China	Nanjing	257	843
Minaret	Hassan II Mosque	Morocco	Casablanca	210	689
Wind turbine	Fuhrländer Wind Turbine Laasow	Germany	Laasow, Brandenburg	205	673
Cooling Tower	Niederaussem Power Station	Germany	Niederaussem	200	656
Monument	Gateway Arch	United States	St. Louis, Missouri	192	630
90° twisted building	Turning Torso	Sweden	Malmö	190	623
Inclined structure, Stadium	Le Stade Olympique	Canada	Montreal, Quebec	175	574
Masonry tower	San Jacinto Monument	United States	La Porte, Texas	174	570
Church Building	Chicago Temple Building	United States	Chicago	173	568
Obelisk	Washington Monument	United States	Washington, D.C.	169.3	555.5
Masonry building	Mole Antonelliana	Italy	Torino	167	548
	Philadelphia City Hall	United States	Philadelphia	167	548
Observation wheel	Singapore Flyer	Singapore	Singapore	165	541.3
Church tower	Ulm Cathedral	Germany	Ulm	161	528
Industrial hall	Vehicle Assembly Building	United States	Kennedy Space Center	160	525
Memorial cross	Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos	Spain	El Escorial	152.4	500
Tomb	Great Pyramid of Giza	Egypt	Giza, Cairo	138.8 originally 146.6	455.2 480.9
Air traffic control tower	Suvarnabhumi Airport control tower	Thailand	Bangkok, Thailand	132.2	433.7
Roller coaster	Kingda Ka	United States	Jackson, New Jersey	138.98	456
Flagpole, free-standing	Aqaba Flagpole	Jordan	Aqaba	132	430
Equilateral Pentagon	Baltimore World Trade Center	United States	Baltimore	123.5	405
Statue (including pedestal)	Ushiku Daibutsu Bronze Buddha Statue	Japan	Ushiku	120	416
Storage silo	Henninger Turm	Germany	Frankfurt	120	394
Sculpture	Spire of Dublin	Ireland	Dublin	120	393
Light advertisement	Bayer Cross Leverkusen	Germany	Leverkusen	118	387
Wooden structure	Gliwice Radio Tower	Poland	Gliwice	118	387
Aerial tramway support tower	Pillar of third section of Gletscherbahn Kaprun	Austria	Kaprun	113.6	373
Clock Tower	Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower	United Kingdom	Birmingham	100	328
Pre-modern Chinese pagoda	Liaodi Pagoda	People's Republic of China	Ding County, Hebei	84	275
Lantern Tower	Boston Stump	United Kingdom	Boston, Lincolnshire	83.05	272
Statue (not including pedestal)	Mamayev Kurgan	Russia	Volgograd	82	269
Brick minaret	Qutub Minar	India	Delhi	72.5	237.8
Electricity Pylon (concrete, prefabricated)	Pylon 310 of powerline Innertkirchen-Littau-Mettlen	Switzerland	Littau	59.5	195
Monolithic obelisk	Tuthmosis II Obelisk	Italy	San Giovanni in Laterano	36	118.1

Tallest destroyed structures by category, not surpassed by existing structures

There are some destroyed architectural structures which were taller than the tallest existing structure of their type.

Category	Structure	Country	City	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Remarks
Supported structure	Warsaw Radio Mast	Poland	Gąbin	646.38	2,121	completed in 1974, collapsed on August 8, 1991
Wooden structure	Mühlacker Wood Radio Tower	Germany	Mühlacker	190	623	completed in 1934, destroyed on April 6, 1945 by Germans to prevent usage by the Allies of World War II.
Masonry building	Mole Antonelliana	Italy	Torino	167.5	549.5	spire destroyed by a tornado in 1953.
Pre-Industrial Era building	Lincoln Cathedral	United Kingdom	Lincoln	160	524	completed in 1311, spire blown off in 1549

Tallest building by function

Category	Structure	Country	City	Architectural top
				m	ft
Mixed Use*	Burj Dubai**	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	604.9 (of est. 818)	1,985 (of est. 2,684)
Office	Taipei 101	Taiwan	Taipei	509	1,671
Recreational	Stratosphere Tower	United States	Las Vegas, Nevada	350	1,149
Mixed Use* (completed only)	John Hancock Center	United States	Chicago	344	1,127
Residential	Q1	Australia	Gold Coast, Queensland	322.5	1,059
Hotel	Rose Tower***	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	333	1,093
Hotel (completed only)	Burj Al Arab	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	321	1,053
Educational	Moscow State University	Russia	Moscow	240	787
Hospital	Guy's Hospital	United Kingdom	London, England	143	468
Library	W. E. B. DuBois Library	United States	Amherst, Massachusetts	116	381
Cinema	Cineworld, Renfrew Street	United Kingdom	Glasgow, Scotland	61.8	203

* Mixed Use is defined as having both residential and office space.

** As Burj Dubai is still under construction and not yet inhabitable, it currently does not serve a specific function. Upon completion, it will serve as a mixed use building.

*** Although the Rose Tower is complete, it is not currently inhabited. Once the building's hotel opens in April 2008, the tower will become the world's tallest building used exclusively as a hotel.

Tallest buildings

Main article: List of tallest buildings in the world

Up until 1998 the tallest building status was essentially uncontested. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, and with antenna masts excluded, the Sears Tower in Chicago was considered the tallest. When the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were built, controversy arose because the spire extended nine meters higher than the roof of the Sears Tower. Excluding the spire, the Petronas Towers are not taller than the Sears Tower. At their convention in Chicago, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reduced the Sears Tower from world's tallest and pronounced it not second tallest, but third, and pronounced Petronas as world's tallest. This action caused a considerable amount of controversy, so CTBUH defined four categories in which the world's tallest building can be measured:

1. Height to the structural or architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles)
2. Height to the highest occupied floor
3. Height to the top of the roof
4. Height to the top of antenna

The height is measured from the pavement level of the main entrance. At the time, the Sears Tower held first place in the second and third categories. Petronas held the first category, and the original World Trade Towers held the fourth. Within months, however, a new antenna mast was placed on the Sears Tower, giving it hold of the fourth category. On April 20, 2004, the Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, was completed. Its completion gave it the world record for the first three categories. On July 212007 it was announced that the Burj Dubai had surpassed Taipei 101 in height, reaching 512 m (1,680 feet) tall. However Burj Dubai is still under construction.

Today, Taipei 101 leads in the first category with 509 m (1,671 feet); in the second category with an occupied floor at 439 m (1,441 feet); and in the third category with 449 m (1,474 feet). The first category was formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers with 452 m (1,483 feet), and before that by Sears Tower with 442 m (1,451 feet). The second and third categories were held by the Sears Tower, with 412 m (1,351 feet) and 442 m (1,451 feet) respectively.

The Sears Tower still leads in the fourth category with 527 m (1,729 feet), previously held by the World Trade Center until the extension of the Chicago tower's western broadcast antenna in 2000, over a year prior to the Trade Center's destruction in 2001. Its antenna mast included, 1 World Trade Center measured 526 m (1,727 feet). The World Trade Center became the world's tallest buildings to be destroyed or demolished; indeed, its site entered the record books twice on September 11, 2001, in that category, replacing the Singer Building, which once stood a block from the WTC site.^{[citation needed]}

The Ostankino Tower and the CN Tower are excluded from these categories because they are not "habitable buildings", which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout.

History of record holders in each CTBUH category

World's tallest freestanding structure on land

Freestanding structures include observation towers, monuments and other structures not generally considered to be "buildings", but excludes supported structures such as guyed masts and ocean drilling platforms. (See also history of tallest skyscrapers.)

The world's tallest freestanding structure on land is defined as the tallest self-supporting man-made structure that stands above ground. This definition is different from that of world's tallest building or world's tallest structure based on the percent of the structure that is occupied and whether or not it is self-supporting or supported by exterior cables. Likewise, this definition does not count structures that are built underground or on the seabed, such as the Petronius Platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Visit world's tallest structure by category for a list of various other definitions.

As of 5 February 2008, the tallest freestanding structure on land is the still under construction Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building, which now stands at 604.9 meters (1,984.6 ft), surpassed the height of the previous record holder, the 553.33 meter (1,815 ft) CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, on September 12, 2007. It is scheduled to be completed in 2009, and is planned to rise to a height of over 800 meters (2,625 ft).

History

The following is a list of structures that have held the title as the tallest freestanding structure on land. (See also Timeline of three tallest structures in the world until Empire State Building).

Notable mentions include the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, built in the third century BC, and estimated between 115 to 135 meters (383–440 ft). It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal building for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at 122 meters (400 ft). These were both the world's tallest or second tallest non-pyramidal buildings for over a thousand years.

The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre del Mangia in Siena, which is 102 m tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century, and the 97 m tall Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, also Italy, built between 1109 and 1119.

* This is the current height of Burj Dubai, as of 5 February 2008. When completed, it is expected to rise over 800 m (2,625 ft)

World's highest observation deck

Main article: Observation deck

Timeline of development of world's highest observation deck since inauguration of Eiffel Tower.

Higher observation decks have existed on mountain peaks or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. For example, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City, Colorado, USA, was constructed in 1929 spanning the Royal Gorge at a height of 321 m (1095 ft.) above the Arkansas River.

Timeline of guyed structures on land

As most of the tallest structures are guyed masts and the absolute height record of architectural structures on land is since 1954 kept by them, here is a timeline of world's tallest guyed masts, since the beginning of radio technology.

As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If the 365.25 meter (1,200 ft) tall central tower of NSS Annapolis was already built before 1945, it was the tallest guyed structure between 1945 and 1950.

Tallest structures, freestanding structures, and buildings

See also: List of tallest buildings in the world, List of tallest structures in the world, Timeline of three tallest structures in the world

• The structures list uses pinnacle height and includes architectural structures of any type. Only the four tallest are listed, as more than fifty US TV masts have stated heights of 600-610m (1969-2000 ft).
• The freestanding structures list uses pinnacle height and includes structures over 400 m (1,312 ft) that do not use guy-wires or other external supports.
• The building list uses architectural height (excluding antennas) and includes only buildings, defined as consisting of habitable floors. Both of these follow CTBUH guidelines. All supertall buildings (300 m and higher) are listed.
• Seven buildings appear on the freestanding structures list with higher heights, given the different measurement specifications of the two lists.
• Collapsed historical structures are not included.

Rank	Name and location	Year completed	Architectural top[10]	Floors
Structures
1	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963	629 m (2,064 ft)	–
2	KXJB-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States	1998	628 m (2,060 ft)	–
3	KXTV/KOVR Tower, Walnut Grove, California, United States	2000	625 m (2,051 ft)	–
4	Petronius Platform, Gulf of Mexico	2000	610 m (2,001 ft)	–
Freestanding structures
1	Burj Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (under construction)	2009	604.9 m (1,985 ft) 818 m (2,684 ft) (predicted)	162 (predicted)
2	CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	1976	553 m (1,814 ft)	–
3	Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia	1967	540 m (1,772 ft)	–
4	Sears Tower, Chicago, United States	1974	527 m (1,729 ft)	110
5	Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan	2003	509 m (1,670 ft)	101
6	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (under construction)	2008	492 m (1,614 ft)	101
7	Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1996	468 m (1,535 ft)	–
8	John Hancock Center, Chicago, United States	1969	457 m (1,500 ft)	100
9	Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998	452 m (1,483 ft)	88
9	Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998	452 m (1,483 ft)	88
11	Empire State Building, New York City, United States	1936	449 (1,472 ft)	102
12	Milad Tower, Tehran, Iran	2007	435 m (1,427 ft)	–
13	Kuala Lumpur Tower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1995	421 m (1,381 ft)	–
14	Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1998	421 m (1,381 ft)	88
15	Chimney of GRES-2 Power Station, Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan	1987	420 m (1,378 ft)	–
16	Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	2003	415 m (1,362 ft)	88
17	Tianjin Radio and Television Tower, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China	1991	415 m (1,362 ft)	–
18	Central TV Tower, Bejing, People’s Republic of China	1992	405 m (1,329 ft)	–
Buildings
1	Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan	2003	509 m (1,670 ft)	101
2	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (topped out)	2008	492 m (1,614 ft)	101
3	Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998	452 m (1,483 ft)	88
3	Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998	452 m (1,483 ft)	88
5	Sears Tower, Chicago, United States	1974	442 m (1,450 ft)	110
6	Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1998	421 m (1,381 ft)	88
7	Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	2003	415 m (1,362 ft)	88
8	CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China	1997	391 m (1,283 ft)	80
9	Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China	1996	384 m (1,260 ft)	69
10	Empire State Building, New York, United States	1931	381 m (1,250 ft)	102
11	Central Plaza, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	1992	374 m (1,227 ft)	78
12	Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	1990	367 m (1,204 ft)	70
13	Emirates Office Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2000	355 m (1,165 ft)	54
14	Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung, Taiwan	1997	348 m (1,142 ft)	85
15	Aon Center, Chicago, United States	1973	346 m (1,135 ft)	83
16	The Center, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	1998	346 m (1,135 ft)	73
17	John Hancock Center, Chicago, United States	1969	344 m (1,129 ft)	100
18	Rose Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (topped out)	2007	333 m (1,093 ft)	72
18	Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	2006	333 m (1,093 ft)	60
20	Minsheng Bank Building, Wuhan, People's Republic of China	2007	331 m (1,086 ft)	68
21	Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea (topped out)	1992	330 m (1,083 ft)	105
22	Q1 Tower, Gold Coast City, Australia	2005	323 m (1,060 ft)	78
23	Burj al Arab Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	1999	321 m (1,053 ft)	60
24	Chrysler Building, New York, United States	1930	319 m (1,047 ft)	77
24	Nina Tower I, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	2007	319 m (1,047 ft)	80
24	New York Times Building, New York, United States	2007	319 m (1,047 ft)	52
27	Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta, United States	1992	312 m (1,024 ft)	55
28	U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles, United States	1989	310 m (1,017 ft)	73
29	Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	2001	310 m (1,017 ft)	55
30	Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2000	309 m (1,014 ft)	56
31	AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago, United States	1989	307 m (1,007 ft)	60
32	JPMorgan Chase Tower, Houston, United States	1982	305 m (1,001 ft)	75
33	Baiyoke Tower II, Bangkok, Thailand	1997	304 m (997 ft)	85
34	Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago, United States	1990	303 m (994 ft)	64
35	Wells Fargo Plaza, Houston, United States	1983	302 m (991 ft)	71
35	Kingdom Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	2002	302 m (991 ft)	41
37	Aspire Tower, Doha, Qatar	2007	300 m (984 ft)	36
38	Eureka Tower, Melbourne, Australia	2005	300 m (984 ft)	92

Source: Emporis

Future record-breaking structures

Numerous supertall skyscrapers are in various stages of proposal, planning, or construction. Each of these, depending on the order of completion, could become the world's tallest building or structure in at least one category:

Under construction

• Burj Dubai in Dubai, UAE is expected to be an 818 m (2,684 ft) tall skyscraper. It is currently under construction, and as of 5 February 2008, it is 604.9 m (1,984.6 ft) tall, with 159 completed floors. Upon completion (projected for 2009) this will be the tallest manmade structure of any kind in history. However, it might not hold that record for long; see the proposals section below.

• The Russia Tower, under construction in Moscow, Russia, is expected to be 612 m (2,008 ft) with 118 floors.

• The Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower, being built in Guangzhou, China, is expected to be 610 m (2,001 ft) tall.

• The 610 m (2,001 ft), 150 floor Chicago Spire (formerly Fordham Spire) is currently under construction in Chicago. If completed, it would surpass the nearby Sears Tower as the tallest tower in North America, and would be the tallest all-residential building in the world.^[11] Construction began in June 2007, and is expected to be completed in late 2010.
  • The 541.3 m (1,776 ft) 108 floor (82 for office and occupied space) Freedom Tower of the new World Trade Center began construction in August 2006.^[12] It is expected to completed in 2010, with an opening in early 2011. If completed, it would stand as the tallest building in New York City. It would also stand as the tallest building in the United States if completed before the Chicago Spire.
    • The 492 m (1,614 ft) tall, 101 floor Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, People's Republic of China has a proposed completion date of 2008. The SWFC had reached its final height in September 2007.
    • The 484 m (1,588 ft) International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong, is scheduled for completion in 2009. As of August, 2007, the construction had reached 77 floors and 296 m (971 ft).
    • The 484 m (1,588 ft) (roof will be at 455 m (1,493 ft)) Burj Al Alam in Dubai, is scheduled for completion in 2010. When completed, it will have 108 stories and have the 5th highest roof in the world.
    • The APIIC Tower, currently under construction in Hyderabad, India, will have a height of 450 m (1,476 ft) and 100 floors. Upon completion in 2010, it is expected to be the tallest skyscraper in South Asia.

    Proposed

    • The proposed Space Elevator for launching cargo would be more than 38000 km tall; while the CNT cable is beyond the current state of the art, the gap has been narrowing in recent years.^[13]
      • The Launch loop concept has been proposed for the purposes of orbital launch which would be 80 km high, and would have a cost of around $10 billion.^[14]
        • Al Burj is a proposed skyscraper, also planned for Dubai, UAE, expected to be approximately 1,050 m (3,445 ft) tall.^[15]
          • Murjan Tower is a Swedish company's proposal for a supertall skyscraper in Bahrain. Designed by the Danish architect Henning Larsens Tegnestue A/S, it is expected to be 1,022 m (3,353 ft) in height and comprise 200 floors.^[16]
            • The proposed Mubarak al-Kabir Tower in Madinat al-Hareer (City Of Silk), (Kuwait) is projected to be 1,001 m (3,284 ft) in height.
            • Solar updraft tower, Buronga, Australia, planned height between 400 m (1,312 ft) and 1,000 m (3,281 ft), state uncertain.
            • Solar updraft tower, Ciudad Real, Spain, 750 m (2,461 ft).
            • Noida Tower 750 m (2,461 ft) is proposed for a small metro city in Delhi's NCR region with a target date for completion of 2013.
            • Incheon Tower is a proposal in South Korea for a 640 m (2,100 ft) tall building.
            • Sumida Tower 613.5 m (2,013 ft) has been proposed in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It is planned to be finished by 2011.^[17]
              • The Port Tower Complex is a proposed 593 m (1,946 ft), Rs. 20 billion ($330 million (USD)) project being financed by the Karachi Port Trust.^[18] It is projected for completion by 2013.
                • The Jakarta Tower (Menara Jakarta) in Jakarta, Indonesia is projected to be a 554 m (1,818 ft) skyscraper in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta Jakarta, Indonesia. Site preparation began in the 1990s, but construction never began and the project has been on hold since 2003.

                Never-built record-breaking structures

                • Watkin's Tower in Wembley, London was planned in 1891 to surpass the Eiffel Tower by 50 m (164 ft), but construction stopped before that height was reached due to unstable land. The tower remnants were dismantled in the 1900s, and the site was redeveloped as Wembley Stadium.
                • During the Russian October Revolution of 1917, Vladimir Tatlin designed a structure named The Monument to the Third International, which was to serve as the international headquarters of the Komintern. Better known as the Tatlin Tower, the structure was to rise to a height of 400 m (1,312 ft), which would have made it by far the tallest building in the world at that time, but the time and resource shortages that resulted from the Russian Civil War halted the project.
                • The Palace of Soviets in Moscow, planned in 1932, was to be 415 m (including a 100 m Lenin statue), and would have been the tallest building in the world at the time if completed. Construction was halted during World War II, during which the uncompleted structure was partially dismantled; its foundations were later to serve as the world's largest open-air swimming pool before being razed in 1995.
                • The Illinois, envisioned by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, was to be a mile high (1609 m / 5280 ft) skyscraper in Chicago.
                • Eaton's / John Maryon Tower was a planned 503 m (1,650 ft) (686m to spire) tall building in Toronto in 1971.
                • The Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle in Chicago was to be 610 m (2,001 ft)^[19] tall in 1988.
                  • Until late 1995, there were plans to rebuild the collapsed 646 m (2,119 ft) Warsaw Radio Mast to its previous height on the same site, using the basements of the old mast. Although some refurbishment of the basements started, work was canceled after violent protests by local residents, who feared harmful radiation effects from the high-power transmitter served by the antenna. A new transmission facility with two smaller masts measuring 330 and 289 m was built as a replacement in 1998-99 at Solec Kujawski.
                  • 7 South Dearborn in Chicago was planned in 1999 to be 610 m (2,001 ft).
                  • Construction was scheduled to begin in 2006 on the now-canceled Strait of Messina Bridge. It would have been the world's largest suspension bridge as well as the tallest, as the proposed height of the two towers, 382.6 metres (1,255 ft), exceeded the 343 m (1,125 ft) of current record-holder Millau Viaduct in France.
                  • Construction was cancelled on the Grollo Tower (named after the architect) in Melbourne's developing Dockland precinct in April 2001 after Melbourne's Docklands Authority ruled it out of the tender for development of the Batman Hill's precinct. The area is now occupied by a mixture of smaller commercial and residential buildings. The Grollo Tower would have been the world's tallest building at the time at 560m (1837ft) tall.
                  • A series of super-tall sky-scrapers were planned for the major Australian cities of Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth from 1985-95 but were all cancelled. The plans included (in order of height) the Grollo Tower (mentioned above), Bribane Central Tower (450m/1476ft, Brisbane), Minuzzo Tower (450m/1476ft, Brisbane), CBD-1 (445m/1459ft, Sydney), Melbourne Plaza (338m/1109ft, Melbourne), City Tower (305m1000ft, Sydney) and the Westralia Tower (287m/941ft, Perth). The buildings would have been some of the tallest buildings in the world at the time, but were cancelled mainly due to their unnecessary heights which would have dwarfed all surrounding buildings
                  • The Ultima Tower is a hypothetical two-mile high skyscraper by architect Eugene Tsui that would be 3,217 m (10,560 ft) tall and comprise 500 stories if built.^[20]
                    • The Millennium Freedom Tower was a project to be located in Newport, Kentucky, United States was originally proposed in 1998 to be dedicated on Dec 31, 1999. The original height was a proposed 1,234 feet (376 m) and was later lowered to 1,103 ft (306 m). Pilings were driven in 1998, but construction never continued above ground.^[21]

                      References

                      1. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/09/12/cntower-surpassed.html?ref=rss
                      2. ^ ^{a b} Current height as reported at www.burjdubai.com
                      3. ^ Burj Dubai Skyscraper (2008-02-20).
                      4. ^ "On Top of the World", Time, 2007-07-18. Retrieved on 2008-02-24. 
                      5. ^ BBC News, Dubai skyscraper world's tallest
                      6. ^ CTV.ca Dubai building surpasses CN Tower in height, September 13, 2007
                      7. ^ Highest Dams (World and U.S.) (chart). 1998 ICOLD World Register of Dams. Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
                      8. ^ http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/PG/BellsLincoln/BellsLincoln.htm
                      9. ^ The Empire State Building. Wired New York. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
                      10. ^ Height for inhabited buildings with floors; does not include TV towers and antennas.
                      11. ^ http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=23109
                      12. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/weekinreview/04ouroussoff.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
                      13. ^ Space Elevator conference
                      14. ^ PDF version of Lofstrom's 1985 launch loop publication (AIAA 1985)
                      15. ^ Nakheel designs 1km-high tower. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
                      16. ^ http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=murjantower1-manama-bahrain
                      17. ^ http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=602
                      18. ^ http://www.kpt.gov.pk/Projects/Proj.html
                      19. ^ http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=103012
                      20. ^ http://www.tdrinc.com/ultima.html
                      21. ^ http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=103174 Emporis Buildings accessed February 21, 2008

                      
                      

                      External links

                      • Collection of many record holders on Skyscraperpage

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