Skyscrapers are tall buildings in large cities which have steel infrastructure. They are designed with many habitable storeys and are built keeping in view the economic need of land. There is no height defined for the skyscrapers. In the present time, many such tall buildings are constructed across the globe for which only sky is the limit. Such buildings are a wonder of engineering and mathematics. The skyscrapers are built in a city to reflect the economic and financial power of a nation. Sometimes such buildings are built even if they are not required, just to magnify the splendor and beauty of the city. Such buildings show the power and growth of many big metropolitan cities of the world. They also become a tourist attraction and are renowned all over the world.
10. Willis Tower
It was formerly known as Sears Tower and still many refer it with its previous name. When it was completed in 1973, it was named the tallest building in the world and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. The building is a very famous tourist place in Chicago, and nearly one million people visit its observation deck every year. The 442 m tall building is primarily used as office of large well-known companies, comprises a total of 110 floors.
9. Zifeng Tower
Located in Nanjing, China, this building scores a whopping height of 450 m. Of all the 89 floors, the building’s lower floors comprise retail and office space; and upper floors comprise a hotel, restaurants and a public observatory at the top. The building has stepping on the outer side, which helps it to separate each section of the building. This building has received less attraction because it was the sixth tallest building at the time of its completion.
8. Petronas Twin Towers
The tallest twin tower was also the tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004, when it was surpassed by Taipei 101. Both the towers rise to a height of 451.9 meters and the building is primarily used for office use. The towers are a jewel for the famous tourist place Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which helps it for tourist attraction. Tower one is fully occupied, however the office space in tower two is still available for lease. The tower also has a skybridge which connects the two towers on floor 41 and 42. The visitors can buy a ticket to the skybridge and even all the way to 86th floor. The bridge also serves a safety purpose, so that in case of emergency, people can evacuate from one tower to another.
7. International Commerce Center
The International Commerce Center is a 484m tall skyscraper in Honk Kong, China. It holds title for world’s seventh tallest building by height; with 118 floors, the world’s third tallest building by no. of floors and of course the tallest building in Hong Kong. It stands facing the second tallest building in Hong Kong, the International Finance Center. It was originally planned to be 574 m tall, but due to regulations which did not allow building to be taller than the surrounding mountains, it was scaled down to 484 meters. It has the world’s highest swimming pool and bar, located on the 118th floor.
6. Shanghai World Financial Center
Shanghai World Financial Center is the second tallest building in China, which stands neighbouring the tallest building of China, Shanghai Tower. The tower houses world class financial centers, office, hotel, museum and can also showcase cultural and art exhibitions. It also has a sightseeing platform at a height of 474 meters. Visitors could easily buy a ticket to the observatory to take a perfect and extensive view of Shanghai. The observatory is big enough to hold exhibitions. The construction of the building started in 1997 and completed on August 28, 2008. It took this long to complete this building because its construction was shut down for six years due to Asian Financial Crises.
5. Taipei 101
As its name suggests, it is located in Taipei, Taiwan, with 101 floors. It was the tallest building in the world until 2010, when Burj Khalifa bagged this record under its name. However, the building is still considered as the tallest green building in the world because of its innovative energy saving design. The design and construction of the building is meant to represent a bamboo, which connects heaven and earth. It is a symbol of good fortune and abundance as the number 101 is considered as perfect and auspicious in Chinese culture. It also has 8 sections as it is also considered a symbol of good fortune.
4. One World Trade Center
One world trade center is a skyscraper in the New York City, USA, formerly known as the Freedom Tower. It is the primary building of the WTC complex and the tallest building in the western Hemisphere. The construction of this tower is also a memorial and rebuild of the original World Trade Center, which was destroyed during the attacks of September 11, 2001, upon the United States. The estimated cost of the tower is USD $ 3.9 billion, which makes it the most expensive building in the world till date. With a total floor count of 109(including 5 basement floors) and 73 elevators, the building is primarily used for observation, communication and office work.
3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower
Also known as the Abraj Al Bait Tower, it is famous as the tallest clock tower in the world, with also the largest clock face in the world. It is a government owned building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is very near to the world’s largest mosque, the Masjid Al-Haram. The five-star hotel provides world class comfort and elegance of 1299 guest rooms, 56 elevators and easy access to Masjid Al-Haram. The tower is designed keeping in mind, to give views of the mosque, and its complete construction is based on Mecca’s religious environment. This tower stands as the tallest building in Saudi-Arabia with a height of 601 metres.
2. Shanghai Tower
This tower is under construction and estimated to be completed in 2014; it would set a record height of 632 meters, on completion. It is the tallest building in china and No. 2 in the world which accommodates 125 stories, is located in Shanghai. The tower is designed in such a way that wind loads are reduced by 24 percent making it easy for construction. It will house schools, theatres, hospital, shopping centres, and cinemas. It also has a ‘vertical farm’, which can provide enough food to the building’s residents which outnumber 30,000. The building is semi-transparent and twists about 1 degree per floor. This twisted structure would help it to withstand frequent typhoons.
1. Burj Khalifa
The world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa is named after the president of United Arab Emirates, Khalifa Bin Zayed. It is located in the heart of the city near Dubai’s main business district. With a height of over 828 meters, it holds many records under its name like highest number of floor in the world, tallest and fastest service elevator in the world and many more. The building is very innovative and has received praise but many people consider it to be very expensive and impractical to maintain. It took around 6 years to build this tower, and costs a hefty sum of USD $ 1.5 billion. Its architecture is amazing, with multiple safety features and world class amenities, which created quite a curiosity everywhere, this was a famous tourist place in 2010.