Skyscraper is not necessarily a gray rectangular box of glass and concrete. Modern architects demonstrate miracles of ingenuity, erecting multi-meter buildings of the most incredible forms.
From the outside it seems that such original structures simply cannot be stable, however, most of these skyscrapers are able to withstand an earthquake of about 9 points. Today's collection contains the most unusual skyscrapers in the world.
This building is distinguished by unusual lighting. 4,000 LEDs are built into the skin of the skyscraper, and the cladding itself consists of colored metal panels. By changing the lighting modes, you can completely transform appearance Torre Agbar.
9. Burj Al Arab, Dubai
8. CCTV Beijing
The Chinese call this building "pants" because of its very unusual shape. The height of the skyscraper is 234 meters. The office of the Central Chinese Television is located here. $700 million was spent on the construction of CCTV.
7. Revolution Tower, Panama
Most often, this building is compared with a corkscrew. The 242-meter glass and concrete tower rotates 360 degrees as it rises. The skyscraper consists of 52 floors, the building is crowned with a pointed spire.
6. Aqua, Chicago
Facade of this unusual building decorate undulating terraces. They literally "stream" on the surface of the 250-meter giant. In the evenings, the building is spectacularly illuminated with multi-colored illumination.
5. O-14, Dubai
The outer walls of the building are covered with round holes of different diameters, which gives the skyscraper a futuristic look. There are more than a thousand holes in total, and the thickness of the concrete shell in which the “holes” are made is about 40 cm.
4. Torres de Hercules, Andalusia
The height of the two towers, united by a glazed passage, is 126 meters. Attention to the skyscraper is attracted by the unusual concrete decor of the facade, which is a pattern with the phrase "Non Plus Ultra" (Nowhere else) encrypted in it.
3. Kingdom Center, Riyadh
This skyscraper of an unusual design was awarded the nickname "opener". The total height of the tower is 302 meters, and the observation platform at the top of the building is a 50-meter promenade called the Sky Bridge.
2. Turning Torso, Malmö
The tower with a twisted body reaches 190 meters in height. The skyscraper houses luxurious apartments, shops, cafes, conference rooms and offices.
ivansychev February 13, 2017 at 11:42 am
The tallest skyscrapers in the world
- Urbanism
In a previous article, we discussed . Unfortunately, now none of the skyscrapers erected in the country is among the ten tallest buildings in the world. Therefore, until the completion of the construction of the Lakhta Center (hello to the commentators of the previous article), we will talk about skyscrapers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, USA, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
willis tower
The oldest of the ten tallest skyscrapers in the world today was built in 1974 in Chicago. Its height is 442 meters without the spire, with the spire - 527 meters. In the Russian-language Wikipedia, the Willis Tower is ranked 11th, but this is somewhat incorrect: the Lakhta Center, which has already been ranked 8th in the ranking, will be completed in 2018.Just think: in forty years, only nine skyscrapers in the world have surpassed the 108-story Willis Tower in Chicago, and in the United States, only the Freedom Tower, opened in 2014, beat this result.
The skyscraper was designed by the architectural bureau Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which later erected both the Freedom Tower and the tallest building at the moment, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The building was originally called the Sears Tower, and the Willis name was given in 2009. The foundation of the Willis Tower rests on concrete piles driven into solid rock. The frame consists of nine square "tubes" forming one large square at the base. Each such "pipe" consists of 20 vertical beams and many horizontal ones. All nine "pipes" are welded up to the 50th floor, then seven pipes go up to 66, five remain to the 90th floor, and the remaining two "pipes" rise another 20 floors. What exactly it looks like is clear from a 1971 photograph.
The worker stands on the spire of the tower.
Willis Tower is on the right in this photo, with two spiers.
Zifeng Tower
In Chinese Nanjing, until the middle of the 19th century, there was a Porcelain Pagoda, a Buddhist temple 78 meters high. Travelers described it as one of the wonders of the world. It was replaced by the Zifeng skyscraper.The construction of the 450-meter Zifeng high-rise building was completed in 2009. It is the business center of the city. It houses offices, shops, shopping centers, restaurants and an observatory. In total - 89 floors.
Work on the construction of the tower lasted only four years. In the process, the project was changed: the tower could have a height of 300 meters. For China, where the population density is extremely high, the efficient use of land is essential. The triangular construction site was used to the maximum: the skyscraper has triangular base.
The idea of the architects was to intertwine the motifs of Chinese dragons, the Yangtze River and green gardens. The river is the vertical and horizontal seams separating the glass surfaces. These surfaces themselves, according to architectural thought, are a reference to dancing dragons. Vegetation and pools were placed inside the building.
View of the city from the spire on a skyscraper.
petronas towers
In the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, in 1998, skyscrapers were erected called the Petronas Towers. The height of the two 88-storey skyscrapers is 451 meters, including the spire.The skyscraper was built in the "Islamic" style, each building is an eight-pointed star with semicircular ledges for stability. The construction site was changed after geological surveys. Initially, one skyscraper was supposed to stand on limestone, the other on rock, so one of the buildings could sag. The site was moved 60 meters. The foundation of the towers is currently the deepest concrete one: the piles are driven 100 meters into the soft ground.
The construction was complicated by an important condition: only domestically produced materials could be used. Especially for the building, they developed durable elastic concrete, reinforced with quartz and comparable in strength to steel. The mass of the skyscraper turned out to be twice that of similar steel buildings.
The bridge between the twin towers is fixed with ball bearings. Rigid fastening is impossible, as the towers sway.
The elevators in the building are two-story models designed by Otis. One cabin stops only on odd floors, the second - on even ones. This allowed to save space inside the skyscrapers.
International Commerce Center
The 118 floors of the Hong Kong International Commerce Center house offices, a hotel and shopping malls. The height of the building is 484 meters. It was originally planned to build a skyscraper with a height of 574 meters, but the project was changed due to a ban on the construction of buildings higher than Mount Victoria.Construction was completed in 2010, but there was no official opening: tenants were already using the building with might and main. From floors 102 to 118 is the highest above ground hotel operated by the Ritz-Carlton. On the last, 118th floor, there is the highest swimming pool in the world.
The building can withstand earthquakes up to seven points, has fire-protected floors. After the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, the design of the building was finalized so that it could withstand a direct hit by an aircraft.
Due to its silhouette, the skyscraper got the name "opener". The trapezoidal opening at the top was supposed to be spherical, but the Chinese government forced the design to be changed so that the building did not resemble the rising sun on the Japanese flag. Such changes made it possible to reduce the cost and simplify the design. This was planned upper part building:
Here is the result:
Taipei 101
Taiwan's capital, Taipei, boasts a skyscraper over half a kilometer tall. Together with the spire, Taipei 101 is 509.2 meters tall and has 101 floors.Taipei 101 for some time was also distinguished by the fastest elevators in the world: they rise at a speed of more than 60 kilometers per hour, or 16.83 meters per second. From the fifth to the eighty-ninth floor, people rise in 39 seconds. Now the new record belongs to the Shanghai Tower.
On the 87th and 88th floors there is a 660-ton steel pendulum ball. This architectural solution was made not only to decorate the interior. The pendulum allows the building to compensate for gusts of wind. A strong, but not rigid steel frame can withstand the strongest earthquakes. These solutions, together with a foundation of piles one and a half meters in diameter, driven 80 meters into the ground, made the building one of the safest in the world. On March 31, 2002, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed two cranes on the building and killed five people. The tower itself was not damaged. But there is a theory that it was the skyscraper that activated the seismic activity.
Freedom Tower
World Trade Center 1 in Manhattan, New York, overtook its pursuer in the face of Taipei 101 by 32 meters on the spire, although if you count the distance from the ground to the roof, the American Freedom Tower, on the contrary, loses to the Taiwanese tower by 37 meters. The height of the World Trade Center 1 is 541.3 meters along the spire and 417 meters along the roof.The building stands on the site that was occupied by the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The design of WTC1 took into account the experience of the past, and the lower 57 meters are made using concrete instead of the steel structure that has become the standard.
The building officially opened on November 3, 2014. It is occupied by offices, marketplaces, restaurants and the City Television Alliance.
Royal clock tower
In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2012, a complex of high-rise buildings of the Tower of the House was built opposite the entrance to the al-Haram mosque, where the main shrine of Islam, the Kaaba, is located. The tallest building in the complex is the Royal Clock Tower Hotel with a height of 601 meters. It is designed to accommodate up to one hundred thousand pilgrims out of the five million people who visit Mecca every year. The Royal Clock Tower is the third tallest building in the world.On the tower at a height of 400 meters there are four dials with a diameter of 43 meters. They are visible from any part of the city. This is the highest altitude clock in the world at the moment.
The length of the spire at the top of the hotel is 45 meters. The spire has 160 loudspeakers for the call to prayer. The 107-ton crescent at the very top of the building has several rooms, one of which is a prayer room.
The tower has 21,000 flashing lights and 2.2 million LEDs.
shanghai tower
The second tallest skyscraper is located in China. This is the Shanghai Tower, a building with a height of 632 meters, adjacent to another skyscraper from the list - the Shanghai World Financial Center. Offices, shopping and entertainment centers, and a hotel were placed on 130 floors.The elevators in the building were developed by Mitsubishi Electric. Their speed is 18 meters per second, or 69 kilometers per hour. At the moment, these are the fastest elevators in the world. There are three such elevators in the building, four more two-story elevators develop a speed of 10 meters per second.
You should not expect a beautiful view from the windows of a skyscraper. The building has double walls and a second shell designed to keep the temperature in.
The tower has a twisted design, which adds stability to fight the wind.
From this angle, a spiral chute is visible to collect rainwater used for heating and air conditioning.
Burj Khalifa
Opened in 2010 in Dubai, UAE, the Burj Khalifa tower overtook all existing skyscrapers and is still the leader in height.The tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the architects behind the Willis Tower and 1 World Trade Center we talked about earlier. The construction of the Dubai Tower was carried out by Samsung, which also participated in the construction of the Petronas Towers. There are 57 elevators in the building, you need to use them with transfers - only one service elevator can go up to the last floor.
The tower houses the Armani Hotel, which was designed by Giorgio Armani himself, apartments, offices, shopping centers, fitness centers and observation decks with jacuzzis. Indian billionaire B.R. Shetty purchased two floors in their entirety, including the 100th floor, at a cost of over US$12 million each.
As with the Petronas Towers, the world's tallest skyscraper has its own special kind concrete. It can withstand temperatures up to 48 degrees Celsius. During construction, concrete was laid at night, adding ice to the solution. The builders did not have the opportunity to fix the foundation in the rocky soil, and they used two hundred piles 45 meters long and 1.5 meters in diameter.
If the Shanghai Tower has a gutter for collecting rainwater, then in the case of the Burj Khalifa tower, this approach is not needed: there is little rainfall in the desert. Instead, the building has a condensate collection system that collects up to 40 million liters of water per year to irrigate plants.
During the filming of Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise decided to climb the tower to write Katie Holmes's name on it and get a great shot.
Planned buildings
At the moment, there are only two building projects that can take the first line in the ranking of the tallest skyscrapers in the world.At 828 meters high, the Burj Khalifa doesn't seem as impressive compared to the Dubai Creek Harbor Tower project. Its height on the roof will be 928 meters - that is, it will already beat the current record by 100 meters. And the height along the spire will completely exceed one kilometer - it will reach 1014 meters. But this is not certain - the parameters of the building are kept secret. Like the Eiffel Tower, the Dubai Creek Harbor Tower will be open for World Expo 2020 if all goes according to plan. The foundation was laid on October 10, 2016.
8-03-2014, 23:13
In our time of high technology, architecture does not stand still. Designers take on board the most advanced achievements of science and technology and implement in their designs forms unusual to the human eye. The latest trend among architects is the unusual winding lines of skyscrapers. The first brainchild of this kind was Turning Torso, built in the Swedish city of Malmö.
The skyscraper is built in nine segments, consisting of five floors, which are displaced from the previously installed base. A documentary film was even made about the construction of this building by the Discovery Channel. The daring attempt of the Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the top of a skyscraper with a parachute, added to the tower's fame. It happened on August 18, 2006.
So, after the successful completion of the skyscraper in Malmo, the designers began a tacit competition to design and build buildings of unusual shapes in all corners of the globe. Some projects could not withstand technical expertise and were curtailed, others were approved and built, and some are just beginning to be built. Let's evaluate the work of designers and architects and look at extraordinary houses.
Since Turning Torso was the first, it is necessary to start with it. The project of this "winding" structure was designed by the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The building was officially opened in 2005. The height of the skyscraper is 190 meters. It includes 54 floors with 147 apartments, an entertainment complex, and a wine cellar. It is noteworthy that each floor of this amazing structure has a pentagonal shape, rotating around a vertical core. It is supported by an external steel structure.
To date, Turning Torso is considered the tallest building in Sweden and all Scandinavian countries, as well as the third tallest building in Europe.
Infinity Tower, Dubai.
This Tower of Infinity, located in Dabai, is 306 meters high and includes 76 floors. This facility is currently under construction. It has already been announced that once the skyscraper is put into operation, it will become the tallest functioning spiral building in the world. The twist of its spirals will be 90 degrees. Infinity Tower was designed by the same architectural studio that built the Burj Khalifa and Trump Tower in Chicago.
The meandering Avaz tower in Sarajevo.
This winding skyscraper has a height of 176 meters. The building is distinguished by a curved facade and a very interesting design. The building has no living space. There are offices here: the headquarters of Dnevni Avaz and the offices of the media company of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Absolute towers in Canada.
If only offices are deployed in a skyscraper in Sarajevo, then the Absolute Tower, built in Canada, is an exclusively residential complex, moreover, consisting of two skyscrapers. The facility is located in Mississauga, Ontario. The first skyscraper of the complex has a height of 179 meters, the second - 161 meters. Behind the scenes, this building was nicknamed "Marilyn Monroe" because of the rather unusual and beautiful forms.
Kuwait Trade Center.
The Kuwait Trade Center, also known as Al Tijaria Tower, is a 218 meters high skyscraper. It is the tallest building in Kuwait.
Revolution Tower, Panama City.
The Revolution Tower is a kind of giant corkscrew in Panama City. This complex, which has a height of 242 meters, fit 52 floors, which are offices. The design of the skyscraper is unique in that as it grows, the reinforced concrete giant turns 360 degrees.
Hadid tower in Milan.
This winding tower was designed by renowned studio Zaha Hadid Architects. Its construction is currently underway in Milan, in the historical part of the city and is part of the CityLife quarter under construction. The Hadid Tower, according to the project, will have a height of 170 meters and include 44 floors. The facility will be connected to a metro station. Next to the skyscraper by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Arata Isozaki & Associates skyscraper (220 meters high) and the 150-meter Daniel Libeskind Tower are being built.
Evolution Tower in Moscow.
The Evolution Tower is part of the Moscow International Business Center, which became famous for its fires, embezzlement and imperfections. Each floor of this skyscraper is curved by 3 degrees relative to the previous one, which together gives a 135-degree rounding at the top. Completion of this facility is scheduled for this year.
Gehry skyscraper in Hannover.
This building, built in Hannover, can hardly be called a skyscraper, since it has only 9 floors. But the uniqueness of the object is in its external facade, which is made of stainless steel. The building was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry.
Opus in Hong Kong.
Frank Gehry has also worked in Hong Kong. Here, his winding building bears the name "Opus".
The object is also relatively not high, but original in its design. The house consists of 12 residential premises, two semi-detached houses. Moreover, the latter has its own swimming pools, parking, Sport halls. In addition, the houses provide for the processing of rainwater for watering lawns and flowers, as well as charging systems for electric vehicles.
Spiral towers of Mode Gakuen in Nagoya.
A complex of spiral buildings 170 meters high are located in Nagoya City (Japan). This is by no means a residential complex, but a 36-story educational institution. The architectural design of Mode Gakuen is more than unique. The shape of the towers is in the form of wings - narrow at the top, they change the axis of rotation as they grow, and create an organic curve. The towers seem to change shape when viewed from different angles.
The Dancing House in Prague is far from the structures that we talked about above. But it is with this architectural object that I would like to end the selection, since, although it is mundane, it is still original and unusual.
According to the results of the recently held prestigious European architectural competition “The Emporis Awards - 2010”, 10 most beautiful and unusual skyscrapers were selected - I propose to evaluate and discuss the choice of experts. I note again that this is a subjective list, which may vary from source to source according to the ratings of different organizations. If you think that it is worth adding to it, or replacing something, please unsubscribe in the comments.
In total, European experts needed to carefully study 305 skyscrapers from around the world, the construction of which was completed last year. As a result, they placed 10th on the list - an unusual residential building in New York.
This 47-story residence is located in the Historic District, downtown New York, and includes 320 apartments of various layouts, including 2 penthouses with terraces that offer magnificent views of the city and the river.
William Beaver House features an innovative design, with contrasting bronze and gray brick accentuated by glazed yellow brick panels and large bays of windows. The interiors of the apartments at William Beaver House have been meticulously designed for the ultimate luxury experience. All flats and suites are connected to cable TV and the Internet.
9th place in the list is a residential complex in San Francisco.
The skyscraper was opened in April 2009. Now people who come to San Francisco from Canada along the Bay Bridge will be able to see from afar the top of a translucent blue-gray crystal that adorned the city's skyline. The 197-meter tower has become the fourth largest skyscraper in San Francisco.
In fact, the Millennium Tower consists of two towers. Between the main 60-story building and the small 12-story building next to it, there is a 2-story glass atrium
Residences and Grand Residences of the Millennium Tower complex became the most expensive on the entire West Coast
On the 8th place - erected in Dubai diamond tower(Almas Tower). The height of this giant is 363 meters. The Almas tower has 74 floors, of which 70 are used for commercial purposes, and 4 are technical
The building is located on an artificial island located in the center of the Jumeirah Lake Towers area and is the tallest in the area. It was built from 2005 to 2008
The 7th skyscraper on the Emporis list is in Bryant Park in New York. This 54-story office building with a spire reaches a height of 366 meters. After the installation of the spire, the tower became the second tallest building in New York after the Empire State Building.
Bank of America Tower is recognized as one of the most spectacular and environmentally friendly buildings in the world
The tower reached its maximum height on December 15, 2007, when the final part of the structure was assembled. But it took another 2 years to complete the construction.
6th place is occupied by the 128-meter Rotterdam (Red Apple). This 40-story residential building caused the most controversial assessments even during construction - as always in the case of something new that stands out from the overall picture, opinions were divided and two irreconcilable camps formed: “fans” and ardent opponents of the project. The Red Apple was built in the so-called "wine harbour", on an island located in the center of Rotterdam on the river Meuse
A residential complex is located in the high-rise part of the skyscraper, and the infrastructure serving it is located in a multi-level 21-meter podium, where there are shops, cafes and consumer services.
Compositionally, the complex is designed in such a way that if you look at it from different points, it looks different. So, from the embankment, it resembles a stylized sailing ship that has just arrived at the port and has not yet lowered its sails: the 128-meter high-rise part rises above the 53-meter superstructure in the stylobate, extending beyond the island and hanging over the canal, resembling the stern of a Spanish galleon
When viewed from afar, the complex looks like a bright red rectangle. But it is worth taking a closer look, and it becomes noticeable that the facades of vertical stripes bend smoothly at a height. Such a seemingly uncomplicated technique dramatically changes the impression of the project - the building turns from a standard rectangular “box” into a work of art
Building Number 5 - The Tower, also known as the Trump Tower, is an ultra-modern skyscraper in Chicago.
The notability of the Chicago Trump Tower lies, first of all, in height, since this skyscraper is one of the most magnificent buildings in the world. The Trump International Hotel and Tower has 96 floors (including underground), and the total height from the ground to the tip of the spire is 415 meters
Trump Tower is a mixed use building. On the first levels there are shopping areas, lobbies and parking for 1000 cars. The territory from the 14th to the 27th floor is occupied by a 5-star hotel with 339 rooms, and levels from 29 to 89 inclusive are reserved for residential apartments. The last, 89th floor of the Tower is occupied by the residence of Donald Trump himself. The tycoon paid $28 million for his 14,000-square-foot apartment!
Trump Tower has 27 high-grade passenger elevators. The building boasts huge 12-foot windows, literally from floor to ceiling. In addition, the Tower has its own park and waterfront adjacent to the Chicago River. Surprisingly, Trump Tower residents even have their own private dog walking area.
On the 4th place Emporis experts put Pillars of Hercules(Torres de Hercules) in Spanish Andalusia. Of course, this is not such a giant as the rest of the skyscrapers on the list, but thanks to its appearance, this office building could not be missing from this list
Two towers, united by a glazed passage, rush up to 126 meters. At the same time, at the base of each of them there is a pool filled with water.
On 20 floors of buildings there are many offices, branches of world banks, travel agencies, and the top floor is occupied by a restaurant with a breathtaking panoramic view of Gibraltar
It is also interesting that the intricacies of the facade patterns contain the words of the well-known proverb “Non Plus Ultra” (“Nowhere else” or “There is nothing else”), and the patterns themselves go several tens of meters above the last floor, protecting the roof terrace
The top three “leaders” are opened by a building in Bangkok, although, to be honest, I would not classify this skyscraper at all as one of the 10 most beautiful and unusual skyscrapers- compared to other buildings, the Metropolitan looks somehow poor and ordinary, but since the experts decided to put it on their list, let's try to figure out what “bribed” them so much =)
The Metropolitan is a 69-storey building with a height of 228 meters divided into three vertical sections. It belongs to a chain of design hotels. But it turned out that its interiors are of particular value.
The design of the interiors of the Metropolitan has been turned into a special art. The color, shape and location of every detail is precisely thought out. This is the realm of beautiful things and exquisite style. The design of the rooms is dominated by minimalism and delicate pastel colors. White pillows, beige walls, faded rose curtains and bedspreads…
The paintings decorating the rooms are made by talented Asian artists. Furniture design is created by leading masters in this field. Even gourmet Mediterranean cuisine in the elegant hotel restaurant is served with a special taste)
"Silver" went to the office skyscraper O-14 in the business district of Dubai. The building is a 22-story commercial skyscraper that cost $81.9 million to build.
A feature of O-14 is the outer walls with round holes (there are more than 1000 of them in the project), made of concrete 400 mm thick
Such an architectural solution also has a functional meaning, the openings serve as windows, letting in a limited amount of sunlight. There is an air gap between the walls and the glazing of the building, which creates the effect of a chimney, cooling the glass surface and thus creating a passive cooling system.
According to The Emporis Awards, Chicago skyscraper was recognized as the most beautiful skyscraper in the world. Aqua. This huge 250-meter giant from a distance does not stand out from the general Chicago “landscape”, but as soon as you get closer, it turns into a real waterfall, striking the imagination with the unreality of its design - it seems as if some kind of fabulous ice colossus has grown in the middle of the city
250 meters high-rise divided into 81 floors. In a buiding Aqua there is a hotel and ordinary living quarters. The facades of the skyscraper are decorated with real “lakes”, the role of water in which is played by windows, skillfully accentuated by hiding the rest of the windows with elongated uneven projections of the facade
The Aqua skyscraper impressed Emporis experts with its “original design decision combined with sustainable design.” And here I completely agree with them - Aqua stands out qualitatively from all the buildings on this list and definitely deserves to be called the best of the currently built =)
The height of skyscrapers and other structures is growing every year. More and more new projects are being developed, the number of floors in which is steadily increasing. Today we will look at the tallest and most interesting buildings in the world, as well as touch on future projects that will break the current "high-altitude" record.
Above the Eiffel Tower
Burj Khalifa is by far the largest skyscraper in the world. Its height is 838 m. The building is located in Dubai. The project was developed by the Americans, and its implementation was entrusted to a South Korean company.
The skyscraper is three times higher than the Eiffel Tower, shaped like a stalagmite. An elegant and neat building with a height of 838 m includes 164 floors. The first is underground. It has everything - hotels, restaurants, shops, viewing platforms and even apartments. The skyscraper also boasts the highest observation deck, located at an altitude of 452 m.
There are 58 elevators in operation. In the first months after opening, the building had problems with electricity and elevators. But they were soon resolved. "Tower Khalifa" is actively visited by curious tourists. Today it is one of the most famous skyscrapers.
shanghai tower
The Shanghai Tower is the second largest skyscraper in the world. Its height is 632 m. It is adjacent to another skyscraper, the Shanghai World Financial Center, which rises 492 m above the ground.
The tower has an interesting twisted design. This can be seen in the photo. This form adds to its stability. At the top is a gutter to collect rainwater and use it for heating and air conditioning. The tower is equipped with the world's fastest elevators - 69 km/h.
However, it is impossible to admire the beauty of the city from the height of the building - the walls of the building have a second layer that maintains the optimum temperature in it.
Royal clock tower
This building is located in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) and is part of the Abrazh Al-Bait complex, consisting of 7 towers. However, the clock tower is the tallest of them. Its height is 601 meters and contains 120 floors. The skyscraper is also unique with the largest clock face with a diameter of 43 m. At night, when the lights are turned on, they can be seen from a distance of 30 km.
The top of the spire is decorated with a crescent moon - one of the main symbols of Islam. Its weight is 35 tons. At night, the tower is an amazing sight that attracts the attention of a huge number of people.
It is noteworthy that the complex is residential. In addition to apartments, it also houses a five-star hotel. And, of course, there is everything you need for a comfortable life - shops, restaurants, conference rooms and even 2 helipads.
Taipei 101
This unique skyscraper is located in the capital of Taiwan - Tangbei. Its height along the spire is 509 m. The shape of the building is truly unique and even slightly resembles a palm tree trunk. On the 87-88 floors there is an unusual pendulum ball weighing 660 tons. It not only adds color to the interior. The fact is that the ball compensates for gusts of wind. The steel frame and foundation of piles, going 80 meters deep into the earth, can withstand the strongest earthquakes. This allows the building to be ranked among the safest in the world during natural disasters. In 2002 there was an earthquake, the magnitude of which was almost 7 points. The building survived. But at the same time, there is an opinion that it was the construction of the skyscraper that provoked the tremors.
Towers of New York
In 1931, New York's tallest skyscraper was built in just 13 months. This is the Empire State Building. Its height is 441 m (along the spire) and 381 m - along the roof. There are 102 floors here. The Empire State Building was the largest skyscraper in the world until 1972.
In 2012, in New York, in lower Manhattan, the World International Center 1 (or Freedom Tower) was built. Its height is 541 m. Today, the Freedom Tower is not only the tallest skyscraper in New York, but throughout America.
Skyscrapers of Moscow
Dozens of skyscrapers rise in the capital of Russia today. Every now and then there are rumors about new, even larger projects. In 2014, the Federation Tower complex was erected - the tallest skyscraper in Moscow. It consists of two towers with the names "East" and "West". The "East", whose height is 374 m, has 97 floors, and the "West" - 63 (242 m) floors. Both buildings are equipped with high-speed elevators.
It is the "Vostok" that still remains the "high-rise" leader among the skyscrapers of Moscow.
Ping'an Financial Center
Pingan International Financial Center is a complex of skyscrapers. It is located in China, in the city of Shenzhen. The height of one of the towers from the peak is 599 m. The center was opened in 2017. It took 8 years to build this skyscraper. Next to it is a tower, which is also part of the complex. Its dimensions are more modest - 307 meters in height.
Super tall skyscraper in Seoul
In April 2017, one of the largest skyscrapers in the world was opened. The building is located in the capital of South Korea, in the area of the entertainment complex Lotte World Tower. Its construction began in 2005. The height of the building is 555 m. 123 floors of this majestic building are divided into shops, offices and apartments, a hotel. The highest observation deck in Korea is located on the last three floors.
In May 2017 climber Jane Kim climbed to the top of this skyscraper. At the same time, the girl did not use a special facility. She managed to conquer the summit in 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The most expensive skyscraper in the world
It takes more than $1,000,000,000 to build one skyscraper. However, the government of the country spent $3,900,000,000 on the World International Center 1. The Freedom Tower (the center's second name) was built on the site of the twin towers that collapsed in 2001. This tragedy affected many American families whose members died during the attack.
The most expensive skyscraper sold for $5.15 billion was a building in Hong Kong. The deal took place as recently as November 2017. In the history of the sale of skyscrapers, this one has become the most expensive. Previously, the high-rise building belonged to CK Asset, a company whose owner is recognized as the richest man in China. Li Ka-shing sold the building to a large consortium.
Skyscrapers of the future
Despite the fact that Buj Khalifa still retains the status of the most tall skyscraper in the world (how many floors in the building are indicated above), the projects of the future promise to become even larger.
Already in 2020, several impressive skyscrapers, the height of which will exceed a kilometer, should be ready.
The Dubai Crete Harbor Tower project promises to create a structure that will significantly exceed the height of the famous Khalifa Tower. The name of this structure is still unknown, but journalists have already explored its approximate parameters.
The height of the spire will be 1014 m, and the height of the roof - 928 m. However, these figures are inaccurate, because the project is kept secret. Construction is estimated at $1 billion.
The foundation was laid in October 2016. The opening of the tower should take place before the Eksmo-2020 exhibition, which will be held in Dubai. Perhaps the skyscraper can become a symbol of the capital of the UAE, like eiffel tower in Paris. Whether this is so, we will find out in a few years.
The Jeddah Tower is another massive project. It is also planned to be completed by 2020. However, construction is proceeding quite slowly - the foundation was laid back in 2013, and by 2016 only 47 floors were ready. The height of the rebuilt skyscraper will be 1007 m.
The tower is being built in the desert of Saudi Arabia. Estimated cost - about 1 billion dollars. In the future, the desert area will be assigned to the Kingdom Center business district, which will include Jeddah.
sky tree tokyo
Tokyo Skytree is the tallest TV tower in the world. The building is located in the Sumida area. The height of the tower is 634 m. The structure was erected to transmit a digital television signal to the upper floors of the city's skyscrapers. The building also houses a restaurant and a viewing platform.
Tokyo Skytree is considered the second largest building in the world. It is built in a futuristic style. Particular attention during construction was paid to the reliability of the structure during natural Disasters. According to the architects, a special system compensates up to 50% of tremors.
Humanity is moving upward. The construction of skyscrapers every year is becoming larger, and their design is more attractive.
