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Top 10 Tallest Buildings in the World

Written by:
Sarah Howard
Photography:
David Rodrigo

The building of tall buildings is a big trend in cities today. Cities from all over the world compete for the title of city with the tallest building every year.

People like to visit observatories on top of tall buildings, and their owners make a lot of money from them. This is why the countries with the most money compete to see who can build the biggest buildings. Here are the top 10 tallest buildings in the world, if you want to see them.

Top Tallest Buildings in the World

Burj Khalifa is a tall building in Dubai

50 years ago, Dubai was a dry desert with poor people living there. Today, petrodollars have done a miracle, turning Dubai into a place of ostentation and luxury with the most impressive buildings. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It is a symbol of how strong Dubai's economy is. You can see amazing things  from the top of the Burj Khalifa.

At 555 meters, the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa is one of the best places to see it, but the silver 124 to 442 meters above is just as impressive. I climbed to the 124th floor in record time. From there, I could see the whole city of Dubai. Burj Khalifa can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, but sometimes its shape is hidden by sand that blows in from the desert.

Shanghai has a Chinese Tower

The Shanghai Tower, which was designed by Gensler and is now the second-tallest building in China, was finished earlier this year. The building's 128 floors are used for many different things. It has the fastest elevators in the world, which can go up to 64 kilometers per hour (about 18 meters per second).

The spiral shape of the building is not only a symbol of China's economic unification, but it also makes the building 24% stronger than a parallelepiped building of the same height.

Mecca's Clock Tower

In 2012, house worshippers who came to the holy city of Mecca could stay in the hotel and see the Arabian "Big Ben." The Masjid al-Haram is easy to get to from a five-star hotel with nine high-end restaurants and 76 elevators.

The financial hub of Ping An Ping An Financial Services Building

There are 115 floors in the Ping An Finance Center. Even though it hasn't been officially opened yet, the public can go inside the building. It's likely to happen before the end of the year. It is only slightly shorter than the Abraj Al Bait in Mecca, which is 599 meters tall.

At the Lotte World Tower

Compared to the other skyscraper buildings on the Korean peninsula, this tower is miles ahead of the rest. This 555-meter building is home to many businesses and organizations, including a seven-star hotel. Taking the elevator to the observation deck is sure to give you breathtaking views. After dark, the only thing I don't like about the building is that there isn't enough light.

World Trade Center Number

The famous One World Trade Center building in New York is close to ground zero, not too far from where the original World Trade Center buildings were. At 546 meters tall (including the huge antennae on top of the building designs), it gives you a good view of almost all of Manhattan.

Even though I didn't have to wait between 30 and 60 minutes near the viewpoint because I made my reservation online, I still think you should. The reservation must be made for a certain date and time. It costs $30, but the amazing views from the floor-to-ceiling windows make it well worth it just like massage beds.

The Center for Tax and Financial Analysis

The CTF Finance Centre is a mixed-use building in Canton that looks out over the Pearl River. It has underground subway connections that lead to the public train, and on the ground floor, there are bridges that connect it to other buildings.

Even though the building is tall, one of the most interesting things about it is how quickly the elevators take you from floor to floor. In the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, it takes elevators less than 43 seconds to go from the basement to the top floor, which is 440 meters away.

One Taipei 101 is the tallest building in Taipei, Taiwan.

The 509-meter-high landmark can be seen in Taipei, which is the capital of Taiwan. There are 105 stories in the building as a whole (101 above ground and 5 below). It is the tallest green office building in the world.

I think it is Taiwan's most interesting landmark. Both its indoor and outdoor attractions, like the area's famous taverns and bowling alleys, come highly recommended. It's beautiful and the country's symbol, but the views aren't very interesting.

The Shanghai World Financial Center

Now, the Shanghai World Financial Center is the tallest building in Shanghai. It is more than 70 meters taller than the nearby Jing Mao. Even though other buildings have been built that are taller than it since then, its vantage point is still the highest in the world. Between 56 and 87 stories make up the beautiful Grand Hyatt Hotel. On floors 86 and 87, you can find the JinMao Club and Cloud 9, a rooftop bar and restaurant.

Even though I couldn't see the building's full beauty because of the clouds, it still blew my mind.

The World's Financial Center The World's Financial Center

The huge building that tops the list of the 10 tallest is close by in Hong Kong. At 484 meters, the International Commerce Center (ICC) is the tallest building in the world. This glass and metal building stands out in China, which is known for its tall buildings. On my last trip to Hong Kong in 2012, I wanted to climb a few of the tall buildings, but the thick fog made that impossible.

Ryugyong Hotel

One of the rarest and tallest building in the world is the Ryugyong Hotel, located in Pyongyang, North Korea. The building is a 105-story, 330-meter (1,083 feet) tall pyramid-shaped skyscraper that was intended to be a luxury hotel. Construction of the building began in 1987, but the project was halted in 1992 due to lack of funds and materials. The building was left unfinished for many years and was referred to as the "Hotel of Doom".

In 2008, construction resumed and an exterior cladding was added to the building. However, the hotel is still not completed and remains empty to this day. Despite its unfinished state, the Ryugyong Hotel is still considered as one of the tallest building in the world, and its unique pyramid shape sets it apart from other skyscrapers.

Conclusion:

The human race has always been known for big building projects. From the pyramids in Egypt to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, these man-made wonders are getting taller and taller.


By Liliana Alvarez

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