Highest Buildings of World

Tallest Buildings of World

The non-profit international organization Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) was formed in 1969 and announces the title of "The World's Tallest Building" and sets the standards by which buildings
The organization currently ranks Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the tallest at 828 m (2,717 ft). The CTBUH only recognizes buildings that are complete, however, and some buildings listed within these list articles are not considered complete by the CTBUH.

are measured. It maintains a list of the 100 tallest completed buildings in the world.


In 1996, as a response to the dispute as to whether the Petronas Towers or the Sears Tower was taller, the council listed and ranked buildings in four categories:

• height of structural or architectural top
• height of highest floor
• height to the top of roof
• Height to top of any part of the building

First Five Tallest skyscrapers in the world:

Rank	Building	City	Country	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Floors	Built
1	Burj Khalifa	Dubai	UAE	828 m	2,717 ft	163	2010
2	Shanghai Tower	Shanghai	China	632 m	2,073 ft	121	2014
3	Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel	Mecca	Saudi Arabia	601 m	1,971 ft	120	2012
4	One World Trade Center	New York City	USA	541.3 m	1,776 ft	104	2013
5	Taipei 101	Taipei	Taiwan	509 m	1,670 ft	101	2004

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure in the world, at 829.8 m (2,722 ft).The Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010, and is part of the new 2 km² (490-acre) development called Downtown Dubai. Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centrepiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels, 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) man-made Burj Khalifa Lake. The decision to build Burj Khalifa is reportedly based on the government's decision. . "The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum wanted to put Dubai on the map with something really sensational. World's second highest swimming pool is located on 76th floor of Burj Khalifa (world's highest swimming pool is located on 118th floor of Ritz-Carlton Hotel at International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong). The tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, who also designed the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago and the new One World Trade Center in New York City. The spire of Burj Khalifa is composed of more than 4,000 tonnes (4,400 short tons; 3,900 long tons) of structural steel. The central pinnacle pipe weighing 350 tonnes (390 short tons; 340 long tons) was constructed from inside the building and jacked to its full height of over 200 m (660 ft) using a strand jack system. The spire also houses communications equipment. A 304-room Armani Hotel, the first of four by Armani, occupies 15 of the lower 39 floors. The hotel was supposed to open on 18 March 2010, but after several delays, it finally opened to the public on 27 April 2010. An outdoor zero-entry swimming pool is located on the 76th floor of the tower. In January 2010, it was planned that Burj Khalifa would receive its first residents from February 2010. Burj Khalifa can accommodate up to 35,000 people at any one time. A total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators are installed. The elevators have a capacity of 12 to 14 people per cabin, the fastest rising and descending at up to 10 m/s (33 ft/s) for double-deck elevators. The building has 2,909 stairs from the ground floor to the 160th floor. The Burj Khalifa's water system supplies an average of 946,000 L (250,000 US gal) of water per day through 100 km (62 mi) of pipes. An additional 213 km (132 mi) of piping serves the fire emergency system, and 34 km (21 mi) supplies chilled water for the air conditioning system. The air conditioning system draws air from the upper floors where the air is cooler and cleaner than on the ground. To wash the 24,348 windows, totaling 120,000 m² (1,290,000 sq ft) of glass, a horizontal track has been installed on the exterior of Burj Khalifa at levels 40, 73, and 109. Each track holds a 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) bucket machine which moves horizontally and then vertically using heavy cables. An outdoor observation deck, named At the Top, opened on 5 January 2010 on the 124th floor. It is the third-highest observation deck in the world and the second-highest outdoor observation deck in the world, at 452 m (1,483 ft). Burj Khalifa's construction used 330,000 m³ (431,600 cu yd) of concrete and 55,000 tonnes (61,000 short tons; 54,000 long tons) of steel rebar, and construction took 22 million man-hours. In March 2009, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of the project's developer, Emaar Properties, said office space pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m²) and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500 per m²). He estimated the total cost for the project to be about US$1.5 billion. Within 17 months of the building's official opening. A man described as "an Asian in his mid-30s" who worked at one of the companies in the tower committed suicide on 10 May 2011 by jumping from the 147th floor. He fell 39 floors, landing on a deck on the 108th floor. Dubai police confirmed the act as a suicide, reporting that "We also came to know that the man decided to commit suicide as his company refused to grant leave.

Shanghai Tower

Upon its completion in 2014, the building will stand approximately 632 metres (2,073 ft) high and will have 121 stories, with a total floor area of 380,000 m² (4,090,000 sq ft). However, if Changsha's Sky City, which is planned to reach a height of 838 m (2,749 ft) but has not yet received final planning approval, is completed to plan and on schedule (last announced as 2014). Once opened, the tower is expected to accommodate as many as 16,000 people on a daily basis. In September 2011, the Japanese firm Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced that it had won a bid to construct the Shanghai Tower's elevator system. Mitsubishi Electric will supply all of the tower's 106 elevators, including three high-speed models capable of travelling at 1,080 metres (3,540 ft) per minute – the equivalent of 64.8 kilometres (40.3 mi) per hour, or 18 metres/second. At the time of their installation in 2014, they will be the world's fastest single-deck elevators (18 metres/second) and double-deck elevators (10 metres/second). The building will also hold the record for the world's furthest-travelling single elevator, at 578.5 metres (1,898 ft), surpassing the record held by the Burj Khalifa. Its Jin Jiang Hotel, located between the 84th and 110th floors, will be the tallest hotel in the world at the time of its completion. As a result, the building's constructors are expected to save an estimated US$58 million in material costs. The tower's interior construction is scheduled for completion in 2014, and it will open to the public in 2015.

Abraj Al Bait

               The Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, is a building complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. These towers are a part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project that strives to modernize the city in catering to its pilgrims. The complex holds several world records, the tallest clock tower in the world and the world's largest clock face. he tallest tower in the complex also contains a five-star hotel, operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, to help provide lodging for the millions of pilgrims that travel to Mecca annually to participate in the Hajj. In addition, the Abraj Al-Bait Towers has a 20-storey shopping mall (the Abraj Al Bait Mall) and a parking garage capable of holding over a thousand vehicles. Residential towers house permanent residents while two heliports and a conference center are to accommodate business travellers. In total, up to 100,000 people could be housed inside the towers. The tower also includes an Islamic Museum and a Lunar Observation Center which will also be used to sight the moon during the Holy Months. The building was planned to be 734 metres tall in 2006. In 2009, it was published that the final height will be 601 metres. The building is topped by a four-faced clock, visible from 25 kilometres (16 miles) away. The clock is the highest in the world at over 400 meters above the ground. The clock's face is also bigger than the previous record holder as the largest clock face in the world, the Cevahir Mall clock in Istanbul.
                 Another 21,000 white and green colored lights, the same as the Saudi Flag, fitted at the top of the clock, will flash to signal Islam's five-times daily prayers, and will be visible as far as 30 km (19 mi) away. The Saudi coat of arms is displayed at the center of each clock behind the dials. The minute hand is 22 m (72 ft) long, while the hour hand is 17 m (56 ft) long.

One World Trade Center

The 104-story super tall skyscraper stands on the northwest corner of the 16-acre (6.5 ha) World Trade Center site, on the site of the original 6 World Trade Center. Construction on below-ground utility relocations, footings, and foundations for the building began on April 27, 2006. On March 30, 2009, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the building would be known by its legal name. Following the destruction of the original World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, there was much debate regarding the future of the World Trade Center site. A final design for the "Freedom Tower" was formally unveiled on June 28, 2005. To satisfy security issues raised by the New York City Police Department, in 2009 the Port Authority changed the official title of the building from "Freedom Tower" to "One World Trade Center," stating that this name was the "easiest for people to identify with." The symbolic cornerstone of One World Trade Center was laid in a ceremony on July 4, 2004, but further construction work was stalled until 2006 due to disputes over money, security and design. On December 16, 2010, the Port Authority announced that the tower's construction had reached the 52nd floor, rising to over 600 feet (180 m) and marking the halfway point for the tower's steel frame. By September 11, 2011, ten years after the destruction of the original World Trade Center, the towers steel had reached the 82nd floor, while its concrete flooring had reached the 72nd floor, and glass cladding had reached the 56th floor. A February 2007 estimate put the initial construction cost of One World Trade Center at about US$3 billion, or $1,150 per square foot ($12,380 per square meter). However, by April 2012 the tower's total estimated cost had risen to $3.9 billion, making it the most expensive single building in the world at the time. The tower's construction was partly funded with approximately $1 billion of insurance money recouped by Silverstein in connection with the September 11 attacks. One World Trade Center's top floor will be designated as 104. The building will have 86 usable above-ground floors, of which 78 will be assigned as office space. The design also includes a three-story observation deck located on floors 100–102, as well as broadcast and antenna facilities, all supported by both above- and below-ground mechanical infrastructure for the building and its adjacent public spaces. The window-washing tracks are located on a 16-square-foot area which will be denoted as floor 110, in a symbolic reference to the 110 stories of the original Twin Towers.

Taipei 101

                Taipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world’s tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. The construction was finished in 2004. The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since it’s opening. Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. Taipei 101 is the first building in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height. Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors common in its area of the Asia-Pacific. Planners aimed for a structure that could withstand gale winds of 60 m/s (197 ft/s, 216 km/h or 134 mph) and the strongest earthquakes likely to occur in a 2,500 year cycle. These features combine with the solidity of its foundation to make Taipei 101 one of the most stable buildings ever constructed. The foundation is reinforced by 380 piles driven 80 m (262 ft) into the ground, extending as far as 30 m (98 ft) into the bedrock. Each pile is 1.5 m (5 ft) in diameter and can bear a load of 1,000–1,320 tonnes (1,100–1,460 short tons). The stability of the design became evident during construction when, on 31 March 2002, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Taipei. The tremor was strong enough to topple two construction cranes from the 56th floor, the highest floor at the time. Five people died in the accident, but an inspection showed no structural damage to the building, and construction soon resumed. Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers along with Evergreen Consulting Engineering designed a 660-tonne (728-short-ton) steel pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper, at a cost of NT$132 million (US$4 million). Suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floor, the pendulum sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong gusts. Its sphere, the largest damper sphere in the world, consists of 41 circular steel plates, each with a height of 125 mm (4.92 in) being welded together to form a 5.5 m (18 ft) diameter sphere. Two additional tuned mass dampers, each weighing 6 tonnes (7 short tons), are installed at the tip of the spire which help prevent damage to the structure due to strong wind loads. At night the bright yellow gleam from its pinnacle casts Taipei 101 in the role of a candle or torch upholding the ideals of liberty and welcome. From 6:00 to 10:00 each evening the tower's lights displays one of seven colours in the spectrum. The colors coincide with the days of the week. The double-deck elevators built by the Japanese Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corporation (TELC) set a new record in 2004 with top ascending speeds of 16.83 m (55.22 ft) per second (60.6 km/h, 37.7 mi/h). This speed is 34.7 percent faster than the previous record holders of the Yokohama Landmark Tower elevator, Yokohama, Japan, which reaches speeds of 12.5 m (41 ft) per second (45.0 km/h, 28.0 mi/h). Taipei 101's elevators sweep visitors from the fifth floor to the 89th-floor observatory in only 37 seconds. The cost for each elevator is NT$80 million (US$2.4 million). A 660-metric-ton (728 short ton) tuned mass damper stabilizes the tower against movements caused by high winds. The damper can reduce up to 40% of the tower's movements (see "Construction").
                   A major earthquake took place in Taiwan during 31 March 2002 destroying a construction crane at the roof top, which was at floor number 47. The crane fell down onto the Sinyi Road beneath the tower, crushing several vehicles and causing five deaths – two crane operators and three workers who were not properly harnessed. However, an inspection showed no structural damage to the building, and construction work was able to restart within a week.