In the history of mankind, not a single more or less developed civilization existed, the achievements of which did not include any large-scale structure. Stonehenge, the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China - all this required enormous labor (read economic) costs, but the result is impressive to this day. In our time, the most interesting buildings are bridges and skyscrapers.
Massive construction of high-rise buildings began in the United States at the end of the 19th century, when the architect William Le Baron Jenny was the first to suggest lightening the structure of the building by using steel frames. Within a couple of decades, the height of American skyscrapers exceeded the 200-meter mark, and today it is approaching a kilometer. The list below contains the tallest buildings on the planet, already completed and still under construction.
1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai - 828 meters, 163 floors
World famous trade and office center in Dubai, named after the President of the UAE. The building is 828 meters high, with the upper spire making up almost 180 meters. And yet, even in terms of the height of the roof (636 meters) and the top floor (584.5 meters), it is the tallest building in the world. Completion date of construction - 2010.
2. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai - 632 meters, 130 floors
The second tallest building (operated by people) was completed in 2015 and is almost 200 meters behind the Dubai tower, but the last floor of the Chinese skyscraper is not much lower - 632 meters. Russian roofers Vitaly Raskalov and Vadim Makhorov were among the first to appreciate the scale of the building, who climbed to the top of the crane that was constructing the building without insurance in 2014.
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3. "Clock Tower" (Abraj al-Beit), Mecca - 601 meters, 120 floors
And again to the Middle East. Opened in 2012, the Abraj al-Beit complex is really impressive - its height is just over 600 meters, but in terms of its total mass it is much higher than the previous buildings. The main tower is a hotel for pilgrims who come to Mecca to visit the nearby main Muslim shrine - the Kaaba.
4. Pingan International Financial Center, Shenzhen - 599 meters, 115 floors
And again to Asia. This year, the Pingan financial center was supposed to surpass the Shanghai Tower, but at the last moment the developers abandoned the spire, as a result of which the main structure of the complex did not reach 600 meters.
5. Lotte World Tower, Seoul - 555 meters, 123 floors
Lotte has experienced many problems with the construction of the tallest skyscraper in Korea due to the location of the international airport nearby. As a result, the construction of the 555-meter building took 11 years and was completed only last year. The first floors are occupied by shops and offices, everything else is a hotel and luxury apartments.
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6. Liberty Tower (World Trade Center 1), New York - 541 meters, 104 floors
The first tallest building on the American continent does not even fall into the five largest in the world. It was built on the site of the skyscrapers of the World Trade Center destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attack in 2013, and its height is slightly more than 541 meters.
7. CTF Finance Center, Guangzhou - 530 meters, 111 floors
Despite the name, most of the building's usable area is occupied by apartments and hotel rooms. The skyscraper was completed in 2016, its final height was 530 meters.
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8. Taipei 101, Taipei - 509 meters, 101 floor
When it opened in 2004, the Taipei Finance Corporation building was the tallest in the world. An interesting structural element is a 660 ton ball pendulum, which is located in the area of 87-91 floors and should prevent the building from collapsing during a strong earthquake. The height of the building is 508 meters.
9. Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai - 492 meters, 101 floors
The building has a very original "cutout" at the top, designed to reduce air resistance, which is why the skyscraper was nicknamed the "opener". By the way, this window was supposed to be round, but the Chinese authorities suspected this design was a reference to the Japanese flag (the developer is Mori Building Corporation from Japan). The height of the building is 492 meters, the year of completion of construction is 2008.
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10. International Commerce Center, Hong Kong - 484 meters, 118 floors
The original project involved a 574-meter building, but the city authorities have banned the construction of structures that are higher in height than the mountains located on the outskirts of Hong Kong. As a result, in 2010, not the most beautiful, but rather large-scale building with a height of 484 meters appeared on the shore of Victoria Bay.
Russia
Lakhta Center, St. Petersburg - 462 meters, 87 floors
So, not a single representative of Europe made it to the top ten tallest skyscrapers in the world. Apart from Russian skyscrapers, the first "European" in the list - London's The Shard - takes only 80th position in the rating. But the 11th place already next year will be taken by the St. Petersburg project of the new headquarters of Gazprom. After completion of construction, the height of the tower in the Primorsky district of the northern capital will be 462 meters.
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Federation Tower, Moscow - 374 meters, 97 floors
This year, renovations were completed on the 374-meter east wing of the tallest (currently) skyscraper in Europe. The architectural project, developed by Sergei Choban, also includes the 242-meter western tower of the Moscow City complex.
OKO, Moscow - 354 meters, 85 floors
The skyscraper complex, also known as Moscow City, was commissioned in 2015. The main building is 354 meters high, and last year the world's tallest ice rink was organized on its roof.
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Mercury City Tower, Moscow - 339 meters, 75 floors
Perhaps the most original structure of the Moscow City complex, designed by the Russian-American tandem of architects Mikhail Posokhin and Frank Williams. The 339-meter skyscraper was completed in 2013.
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"City of Capitals", Moscow - 302 meters, 73 floors
A complex consisting of two towers bearing the names of the largest cities of Russia and the connecting parts. Towers "Moscow" and "St. Petersburg" have 73 and 65 floors, respectively, the highest point - 301.6 meters
Tallest buildings in the near future (under construction)
Jeddah Tower - 1000+ meters, 69 floors
In the same year in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the opening of the main skyscraper in a new residential area near the city of Jeddah on the shores of the Red Sea will take place. The design height of the building is 1007 meters.
Tower in Dubai Creek Harbor - 928 meters, ∼20 floors
If the project of the as yet unnamed skyscraper does not undergo changes, then in 2020 the Expo will be held in the first building, the height of which (together with the spire) will be 928 meters.
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