It is interesting to see how architecture has evolved through the years. Since the first one appeared in the 19th century, skyscrapers have become a ubiquitous symbol of luxury, affluence and entertainment. The Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat recently created an incredibly-detailed infographic, tracing the history of high-rise buildings over the last 120 years. Titled “Tall Buildings in Number: World’s Highest Observation Decks”, the study lists some of the tallest future skyscrapers, set for completion no later than 2021.
According to the study, the Washington Monument, a 555 feet obelisk situated at the National Mall in Washington DC, featured the world’s highest observation deck back in the 1880s. In four short years, after it was opened to the public, the monument was replaced by the 1,063 feet-high Eiffel Tower as the tallest structure ever built. The title later went to the Empire State Building, a 102-story art deco-style skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Soaring at around 1,454 ft in the sky, it remained the world’s tallest building for 40 years, before the World Trade Center’s North Tower took the spot in the later half of 1970.
As can be seen in the list prepared by CTBUH, the US currently has only one skyscraper – the Willis Tower at the 9th position – among the top ten highest observation decks. By 2020, it will slide down to the 17th position, with majority of the world’s tallest skyscrapers coming up in different parts of Asia, including China, Japan and the Middle East. At the top of the list is the Kingdom Tower, a 3,280 feet building proposed for construction in Jeddah. It will house the world’s highest sky deck, at nearly 2,091 feet above the ground.
Coming in second is the 2391 feet-tall Suzhou Zhongnan Center, followed by the China 117 Tower featuring a glittering diamond-shaped atrium, an infinity pool and a sky restaurant. The Shanghai Tower, which currently houses the highest observation deck at 1860 feet, will slip to the fifth place by 2020, according to the CTBUH study.