Alex Carson
Skyscrapers depict technological genius. They defy gravity and stand tall against wind and other scourges of nature. They are the future. It does not matter if skyscrapers make you feel dizzy or experience vertigo, they have become an integral part of who we are as a society. And skyscrapers make sense too. After all, with more and more people moving to big cities, residential and commercial spaces are becoming constricted. In such a scenario, skyscrapers have emerged as the ultimate answer to space woes. In this video, we tell you about some of the tallest buildings in the world.
Facts Verse presents The World’s Tallest Buildings that Broke the Sky. If you enjoy watching our videos, like and subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon to stay updated about all our latest updates.
CITCI Tower
The CITIC Tower is the 33-story corporate headquarters of CITIC Pacific Ltd, a business conglomerate involved in financial services, engineering contracting, real estate, resources and energy, and other businesses. The company lists on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Other than serving as the headquarters of the CITIC Group, the building also serves as the headquarters of the Kerry Group, a food company listed on the London Stock Exchange and Dublin ISEQ.
The building conceptualizes by the P&T Group and inaugurates in 1997. The tower is not only famous for its height but also its unique curved design, which makes the building’s top and bottom broader than the rest of the structure. The CITIC Tower features breathtakingly beautiful landscaped sky gardens at different levels of the building. Hong Kong is famous for A Symphony of Lights, the world’s largest daily light and sound show that features a total of 42 buildings and the CITIC tower is one of the participating structures in the show.
Taipei 101
Taipei 101, previously known as the Taipei World Financial Center, located in Taipei, Taiwan, opened to the public on December 31, 2004, and held the distinction of being the world’s tallest building from 2004 until 2010. Designed by C.Y. Lee and C.P. Wang, Taipei 101 seamlessly blends postmodernist architecture with traditional Asian aesthetics and is the tallest green building in the world. Its unique design makes it impregnable to the Pacific Ring of Fire’s earthquakes as well as the various topical storms that regularly hit the capital city of Taiwan.
Taipei 101 houses numerous offices, restaurants and indoor and outdoor observatories. The building’s elevators can take up a speed of 60.6 kilometers per hour and takes only 37 seconds to reach the 89th floor from the 5th floor. Back in 2004, this was a huge feat and a new world record. Taipei 101 is an iconic building famous for its New Year’s broadcast. Next to the building, is a massive shopping mall with the largest Ruyi symbol in the world.
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Tianjin CTF Finance Centre
The Tianjin CTF Finance Centre is a high-rise building situated in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area of Tianjin, China. It is the second tallest building in the metropolis of Tianjin and the eighth tallest building in the world. Work on Tianjin CTF Finance Centre began in 2013 and finished in 2019. Other than office spaces and luxury apartments, the Tianjin CTF Finance Centre also holds within itself a world-class hotel.
The top of the tower features a tapered design — the tapered top was an intentional design feature that was included to reduce the surface area exposed to wind and moisture during rough weather conditions. Further, CTF Finance Centre’s aerodynamic shape completely minimizes vortex shedding, which safeguards the building against the action of strong winds. Moreover, the curving glass exteriors hold within itself eight mega columns that provide protection against seismic activity. All in all, this beautiful architectural piece is a gem in the night skyline of the city of the Tianjin.
Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre
At 1739-foot-tall, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is the tallest building in Guangzhou, the third-tallest structure in China and the eighth tallest building in the world. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre opened to the public in October 2016. Other than 111 over-the-ground floors and 5 below-the-ground floors, the building also houses office space, residential space, and a shopping mall and hotel. The tower connects to public transport through an under-the-ground structure,
Spread across a 290,000-square foot area, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is a part of the Guangzhou Twin Towers. The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is located on the east side of the central axis and is, therefore, also known as the East Tower. The area on the west of the central axis is occupied by the Guangzhou International Finance Centre, which is, therefore, also referred to as the West Tower. The west tower is 1,439-foot tall. Other than being the third-largest building in China, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre also holds the distinction of housing the world’s fastest elevators, which can reach a speed of 21 miles per second.
One World Trade Center
After the September 11 attacks destroy the Twin Towers, authorities come up with the idea of creating a new World Trade Center on Ground Zero — David Childs, who works on the Burj Khalifa, ropes in to design the building. Work on the Freedom Tower began on April 27, 2006, and by April 30, 2012, the Freedom Tower had established itself as the tallest building in New York City. On August 30, 2012, the top steel structure was put in place. On May 10, 2013, the final component of the building was installed and with it, the Freedom Tower reached a height of 1,776 feet and became the tallest building in America as well as the Western Hemisphere and also became the seventh tallest building in the world.
One World Trade Center stands in Lower Manhattan and south of it, where the original Twin Towers once stood, is the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Surrounding areas include Fulton Street, Vesey Street, and West Street. The building houses two observatories, one on the 100th floor and the other on the 102nd floor. Today, the Freedom Tower serves as the headquarter of several big conglomerates, such as Conde Nast, WCBS, WNBC, and others.
Lotte World Tower
Lotte World Tower, also known as Lotte Jamsil Super Tower and Lotte World Premium Tower, is a skyscraper located in Seoul Korea. 1,824-foot-tall, the Lotte World Tower is owned by the Lotte Group, one of the largest chaebols in South Korea, and is the fifth tallest building in the world. The tower is named after the Lotte World Park, a recreational park, located by the Han River.
The Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in Korea, a distinction held by the Ryugyong Hotel of North Korea until 2017. The tower contains 123 above-the-ground floors and 6 under-the-ground floors and is a mix-use building that houses within itself, offices, stores, observation decks, officetels (i.e. hotel cum offices) and a hotel. Offices occupy 14th to 37th floor and officetels 42nd to 71st floor. The hotel, which is operated by the Signeil Seoul, occupies 76th to 101st floor. Today, the Lotte World Tower serves as a landmark building in Seoul, Korea, and is the only 100-story building in the country.
Ping An Finance Centre
The Ping An International Finance Centre, located in Shenzhen, Guangdong, is the tallest building in Shenzhen, the second tallest building in China and the fourth tallest building in the world. This 115-story building is 1,965-feet-tall and was conceptualized by the Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, the world-recognized American architectural firm. The Ping An International Finance Centre also holds the distinction of having the world’s highest observation deck.
The Ping An International Finance Centre serves as the headquarters of Ping An Insurance, a Chinese conglomerate that deals with banking, insurance, and financial services. That apart, the building also serves as an office to many other big companies. It also houses within itself a conference center and a high-end shopping mall.
Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower
The Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower is the world’s largest clock face and the third-tallest building in the world. It stands within Abraj Al-Bait, a government-owned complex developed by King Abdulaziz to modernize the city of Mecca and better prepare it to welcome the millions of pilgrims who visit the city each year. Abraj Al-Bait is a complex of seven skyscrapers and the central hotel tower which contains the Makkah Royal Clock stands at the center of this complex.
The Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower is 1972-feet tall and contains within itself the Clock Tower Museum, which occupies the top four floors of the tower. The Mecca Royal Hotel Clock and the complex were conceptualized and developed by the Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Arabia’s biggest construction company, and it’s located only a few meters away from the Great Mosque of Mecca. The complex is the world’s most expensive building.
Shanghai Tower
At 2,073 feet, Shanghai Towers is the tallest building in China and the second tallest building in the world. It shares the distinction of having the world’s highest observation deck with Ping An Finance Center, located in Shenzhen, Guangdong. The building also has the distinction of having the furthest-traveling single elevator, which reaches up to 1,898 feet. It also has the world’s second-fastest elevators. Further, floor 84th to 110th is occupied by the Shanghai Tower J-Hotel, the world’s second-highest hotel.
The construction of the building began in November 2008 and ended in September 2015. The building opened to the public in November 2015. The tower has 128 stores, is spread over a total floor area of 380,000 square meters and its construction incurred a total cost of $1.5 billion. In 2014, two Russian climbers illegally climbed to the tower and filmed a video, which has since then gained 92 million views.
Burj Khalifa
Standing tall at 2,716.5 feet, Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. That apart, it is also the tallest free-standing structure in the world and tallest service elevator in the world. It is also the building with the highest number of stories and occupied floors. It also has the highest observation deck in the world.
The building is often seen as an architectural and engineering marvel. The Y-shape of the building ensures maximum perimeter for windows in living areas. Further, the tapering design of the building decreases the mass of the tower with height, thereby providing maximum stability to the structure. The design of the building was put through several wind tunnel tests to ensure maximum safety.
The construction of the building began in 2004 and ended in 2010. Adrian Smith of the Skidmore, Owings & Merill, the Chicago-based urban planning and architectural firm, conceptualized the design. He drew inspiration from the Great Mosque of Samarra and combined the Islamic architecture of the mosque with Western architectural trends and elements in the final plan. Today, Burj Khalifa is Dubai’s most important landmark and has won many awards.
So, tell us, did you know these details about the world’s tallest buildings? More importantly, have you seen any of these global landmarks? How was the experience? Let us know in the comments section.
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