April 17, 2023, 10:58 am | Read time: 7 minutes

They truly tower over everything: Recently, new skyscrapers have been built around the world, aiming to literally overshadow everything that came before. Ever more daring plans have been circulating since then, especially when it comes to the superlative of the world’s tallest building. Notably, five of the ten tallest buildings in the world are in China, seven in total are in Asia, including the new number two, which was only recently completed.

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Rank 1: Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 828 meters

Since January 2010, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, designed by U.S. architect Adrian Smith, has held the top spot among the world’s tallest buildings. The structure reaches an incredible height of 828 meters. According to its official website, the Burj Khalifa holds several other world records, such as the tallest free-standing structure in the world. It has maintained its lead for 10 years now. But will it stay that way?

Adrian Smith himself, the creator of the Burj Khalifa, aims to break his own record with the Jeddah Tower, which is planned to reach 1,007 meters. It is currently being built in the port city of Jeddah on Saudi Arabia’s west coast. The cost: approximately one billion euros, according to the website of Smith’s architectural firm AS+GG.

The building of superlatives is set to include office and residential spaces, a 5-star hotel, and several tourist attractions. With around 500,000 square meters across 167 floors, this should be easily achievable. Elevators are expected to travel a record height of 660 meters, reaching the 158th floor in 66.5 seconds. In total, there will be 59 elevators. From the 664-meter-high observation deck (also a record), one should be able to see across the Red Sea to the African continent, about 230 kilometers away.

The Jeddah Tower was originally supposed to be completed in 2015, but construction was delayed due to a corruption scandal. Currently, only a kind of framework with a height of about 250 meters stands of the future record-breaking skyscraper. When the 1,000-meter mega-project will be completed is still uncertain.

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Rank 2: Merdeka PNB 118 Tower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 678.9 meters

In Kuala Lumpur, the new second tallest building in the world was opened in early 2023. At 678.9 meters, the Merdeka PNB 118 Tower is even taller than originally planned. The skyscraper was designed by the architectural firms RSP Architects and Fender Katsalidis. With 118 floors, it is set to be used as a hotel, office building, shopping center, and residential building. Its height is due to the approximately 150-meter-long spire–without it, the Merdeka 118 would be just over 500 meters tall. This makes the skyscraper the tallest in all of Southeast Asia.

Rank 3: Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China, 632 meters

The now third tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower, was completed in March 2016 by the U.S. architectural firm Gensler. At 632 meters, it is not only the tallest building in China but also has, according to China Discovery, the fastest elevators in the world–18 meters per second.

Rank 4: Mecca Royal Clock Tower Hotel, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 601 meters

Ranked fourth is the Mecca Royal Clock Tower Hotel in Saudi Arabia. The clock tower reaches a height of 601 meters and was built by the Saudi Bin Laden Group, according to Skyscraper Center. The clock on the tower is said to be 35 times larger than England’s famous Big Ben.

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Rank 5: Ping An Finance Center, Shenzhen, China, 599 meters

In 2017, the Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen, China, was completed by the architectural firm CCDI. According to The Tower Info, the observation deck at the top has become the city’s most popular tourist attraction. The tower is so tall that it can even be seen from some locations in Hong Kong.

Rank 6: Lotte World Tower, Seoul, South Korea, 554 meters

Ranked sixth in the world, but the tallest building in South Korea: that is the Lotte World Tower in Seoul. According to Skyscraper Center, it was built by the firms Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and BAUM Architects and was completed in 2017. According to The Tower Info, the building is designed to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 9 on the Richter scale.

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Rank 7: One World Trade Center, New York, USA, 541 meters

The One World Trade Center in New York rises on the site where the original World Trade Center towers once stood. Since its opening in 2014, it has become a symbol of the city. According to CNN, despite being ranked seventh, it is the second tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

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Rank 8: CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China, 530 meters

Ranked eighth is another building by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, completed in 2016. According to The Tower Info, the skyscraper housed the world’s highest hotel in 2019 and 2020, before the J Hotel in the Shanghai Tower opened and took over the title.

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Rank 9: Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin, China, 530 meters

Same name, same size, same rank: The Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center also lands at 530 meters, even though it is listed here as ninth. According to Skyscraper Center, it was designed by the U.S. architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and was completed in 2019.

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Rank 10: CITIC Tower, Beijing, China, 528 meters

The CITIC Tower, also known as Zhongguo Zun or China Zun, is only two meters shorter than its two predecessors and is the tallest skyscraper in China’s capital, Beijing. According to Skyscraper Center, it was planned by the architectural firms TFP Farrells and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and has 108 floors. The skyscraper was opened in 2018 and houses a hotel, office spaces, and an observation deck.

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Rank 11: Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan, 508 meters

Rank 11 for Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which, upon its completion in 2004, was for some time the tallest building in the world, according to The Tower Info. This tower is also designed to withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale. This is all the more important given that it stands just 200 meters away from an underground fault line.