10 Tallest Towers in The World

For the past fifty years, the advances people have made in design and engineering have been nothing short of incredible. While the people of years past deserve all the credit for setting the framework and giving us the blueprint for creating some of the most impressive buildings ever made, today's people are taking it to a stage that is still difficult to conceive.

Posted On December 29th, 2020

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Dubai's Burj Khalifa, completed in 2010, has been the world's tallest structure for nearly a decade. It exceeded Taipei 101 as the tallest by over 1,000 feet when it went up, enough to accommodate any of the tallest buildings ever constructed between them! It is almost 650 feet taller today than the building listed at number two, proving just how gigantic the Burj Khalifa really is at 2,717 feet. There are simply no photos that can really give it the justice it deserves when in its setting, it dwarfs everything. The structure's appearance is also distinctive, with a large foundation required to sustain the thousands of feet of steel thinning out the higher it rises, eventually creating a spire that reaches into the clouds.

Shanghai Tower, Shanghai

Shanghai Tower was completed in 2015 and retains the record at a whopping 2,073 feet for being the tallest tower built without ever owning the title of world's tallest. You could almost stack two Eiffel Towers on top of each other to fit the largest behemoth in China, to put this in context. The building is a giant and a spectacular one with a distinctive architecture that gives the impression of a spinning tower with a breathtaking curvature. At 46 miles per hour, it still has the fastest elevators in the world and the tallest observation deck. For now, Shanghai Tower is king in a nation that has been the city of towers, home to eight of the world's fifteen tallest.

Abraj Al-bait, Mecca

Saudi Arabia's Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower is perhaps the most special of all the buildings listed and is undoubtedly distinctive from anything the world has ever seen. It is the third-highest tower in the world at nearly 2,000 meters, but what makes this building so convincing is its versatility. It is currently a complex made up of many linked buildings, most of which are five-star hotels, the highest of which, overlooking the city, hits its enormous height. The building is named for the clock face that sits atop its tallest tower at a whopping 141 feet long and is also the world's largest clock.

Ping An Finance Centers, Shenzhen

China's Ping An Finance Center, built just last year, came a mere six feet short of passing Saudi Arabia's Clock Tower as the third highest in the country. What makes this building so remarkable is that, without leaning on any spire to add to its length, its entire height is centred on habitable space. There were proposals to install a spiral to the top of the building to get it behind just the Burj Khalifa to the country's second-highest. Still, the proposal was finally abandoned because of the risk it posed to flying planes over Shenzhen's busy city.

Lotte World Tower, Seoul

At a whopping 1,819 meters, South Korea's Lotte World is sixth on the world's tallest list. It's pretty mind-boggling to consider that a tower at that height isn't the tallest ever. Still, with its multi-purpose architecture, the city of Seoul would have to be happy. The tower is split into numerous uses, including commercial rooms, residential apartments, hotels, and private offices. The elegant and slim architecture of the tower helps contribute to the already colossal appearance on the area's skyline.

One World Trade Center, New York City

The Western Hemisphere, a section of the World Trade Center complex being constructed to replace the real twin towers that blasted down on September 11, 2001, makes its first appearance on the list with New York City's Freedom Tower. This is a testimony to Asia's supremacy, which retains the top five slots and the other fourteen in the top fifteen, making the Freedom Tower on this side of the world the lone entry of any country. The Freedom Tower is an awe-inspiring, majestic blue tower in Lower Manhattan, at 1,776 meters, a landmark number representing the United States' unification year, towering over the bay with its impressive spire added to its vast girth.

Guangzhou CTF Finance Center, Guangzhou

In 2016, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center was globally matched for the seventh tallest tower but third tallest in China. While this building sits behind the World Trade Center Freedom Tower in New York City, it is obviously much taller when considered only habitable space as it does not have a spire of any kind. In contrast, the Freedom Tower has a spire of 408 feet that adds to its height, but the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center will be 371 feet higher without it. The building houses a ground-level shopping centre, as well as offices, apartments, and a hotel.

Tianjin CTF Finance Center, Tianjin

Although this tower is not yet fully completed, it was on the brink of ending any day now in 2018, so it gets a pass and joins our list. It is almost a fact and already looming over the city of Tianjin, China. This tower will connect the previous entry and sister tower to 1,739 feet in neighbouring Guangzhou by completion. The façade of the building is blue glass. It is nearing completion, with just the building's tip already appearing like a building area when the rest of it already exists with all its expected glory.

China Zun, Beijing

The China Zun, built as recently as a month ago in August 2018, stood at 1,732 meters, making it Beijing's tallest building, China's fifth tallest, and the world's ninth tallest. About half of the tower is occupied by office accommodation, with residential homes and hotel rooms reserved for the remaining area. A stunning rooftop garden consisting of the first deck peered over the tower's rare yet striking form. The foundation starts massively and begins to slim out as the building goes higher and then begins to grow up to the base's height towards the roof to create a captivating architectural feat.

Taipei 101, Taipei

The Taipei 101, the oldest building on our list at only 14 years of age, shows how dramatically the architectural landscape has been evolving in recent years. Taipei 101, previously the world's tallest since surpassing Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers, held the record for just six years before being passed by the new record holder and has since passed eight other buildings in only a brief period. The tower is renowned for its distinct style regarding Asian architecture, reminiscent of Taiwanese culture's historical and traditional techniques with a contemporary twist.