We have compiled a comprehensive list of the world’s 10 tallest buildings that will captivate you. And each tower has its own USP. Now, let’s get started.
1. Burj Khalifa – Tallest Tower in the World
- Height: 830m till tip
- City: Dubai, UAE
- Architect: Adrian Smith, Marshall Strabala, and George J. Efstathiou
The Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest freestanding structure with the highest number of stories.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is a mixed-use skyscraper that holds the most number of world records for a tower: It is the tallest tower, tallest freestanding tower, has the highest number of stories, and has the highest observation deck, highest occupied floor, tallest service elevator and an elevator with the most distance length.
The tower boasts of being a unique and perfect blend of immaculate science and ideals. The impressive structure took six years to complete construction, and was formally opened on the 4th of January, 2010. There are numerous hotels, healthcare centers, luxury residences, offices, restaurants and more in the tower.
About 330,000 cubic metres of concrete and 39000 tons of steel was used to make this mighty tower stand tall. The immaculate structure costs US$1.5 billion (11210 crores INR) presently and is under the ownership of Emaar Properties.
2. India Tower
- Height: 707.5m
- City: Mumbai, India
- Architect: Foster and Partners
Most of Mumbai’s architectural wonders are a reminder of India’s colonial past as most were built by the British in the classic Victoria gothic styles. The India tower is something huge and different for the city. Located along the curve of the Marine Drive and southern Mumbai, the India Tower is a multipurpose skyscraper that houses residents, office spaces, restaurants and so much more. The tower is in a tube form and is divided into two symmetrical halves.
There is a sky lobby that provides a panoramic platform allowing any activity to unfold. The architectural height is 700m but the tower measures 707.5m to its tip. It has 5 floors under the ground and 126 above the ground. The occupational area of the tower is only 508m.
Tallest Building of 700 meters nestled in Mumbai
3. Warison Merdeka Tower
- Height: 679m
- City: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Architect: Fender Katsalidis
This Skyscraper reflects perfect blend of futuristic architecture
The Warison Merdeka Tower is also called the Merdeka 118 or Merdeka PNB/KL 118. It is recognized as a RM5 billion development project and is laid across on a 19 acre site in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The building was developed in three phases and reached its present height recently when a spire was built on top.
The phase one of construction, starting in 2014 completed its 118 stories, with a 7-story mall. 83 stories of this building were to host office spaces. The rest were to be used as headquarters for Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), a hotel and a hotel residential space managed by the Park Hyatt.
The second and third phases are foreseen to be completed by 2026 and add residential buildings to the tower. The tower is to have the highest observation deck in south East Asia in days to come and will function as a tourism promoter, boasting of Kuala Lumpur’s beautiful skyline.
4. Tokyo Skytree
- Height: 634m
- City: Sumida, Tokyo, Japan
- Architect: Nikken Sekkei
Tokyo Skytree is designed after taking from the classic shrines and temples and swords of Japan
Recognized as the tallest tower in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2011, the Tokyo Skytree is today among the ten tallest towers in the world. The tower serves as a landmark and tourist attraction. Tickets are sold for visiting the fourth floor, which has been made into a ticket counter for visitors. The elevator takes people up to the 350th floor that reveals the expansive Tokyo skyline to the tourists
There is a shopping center, observation deck and uniting radio tower on the Skytree. The famous sculptor, Kiichi Sumikawa, designed the tower and drew inspiration from the classic shrines and temples and swords of Japan. The core is concrete, surrounded by supporting steel tubes. An elevator shaft and emergency staircase are wound around the building.
5. Shanghai Tower
Height: 632m
City: Shanghai, China
Architect: Marshall Strabala, Andy Cohen, Jun Xia, and Arthur Gensler
The beauty of Shanghai Tower at night is inexplicable
The Shanghai Tower of China was the country’s tallest skyscraper with a massive height of 632m and holding the record for the second tallest structure in the world for a few years. Despite its massive height, only 583.4m remain occupational.
There are 5 basement floors and 128 floors above the ground. It was designed by Gensler and other designers. There are shopping stores, urban centers, restaurants and much more inside of this structure.
The tower was intricately shaped in an asymmetrical manner, with a tapering form and rounded corners that could withstand the typhoon forces common in Shanghai. The net worth of the Shanghai tower presently is CN¥15.7 billion (18544 crores INR) and is owned by Yeti Construction and Development.
6. Makkah Royal Clocktower
- Height: 601m
- City: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
- Architect: SL Rasch GmbH and Dar Al-Handasah Architects
Makkah Royal Clock Tower is nestled near Masjid al Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The Makkah Royal Clocktower, also called the Abraj al-Bayt, is a skyscraper complex in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The complex houses several shopping hubs, hotels, residential areas, and an expansive prayer area that can accommodate thousands of worshippers.
The project was reported to have cost 3 billion USD (22421 crores INR), and its net worth today stands at US dollar15 billion (112105 crores INR). There are seven towers in this complex, and the most prominent feature of the tower is the clock at its head that resembles the Big Ben in London.
In all, 3 underground floors and 120 floors above the ground make the building. Only 494m out of the 601m in the tower remains occupied. The last 100m houses a spire with a crescent on top, to add to the Islamic aesthetic of Mecca.
7. Ping an Finance Center
- Height: 599m
- City: Guangdong, China
- Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox
Completed in 2016, this tower is known for its uniqueness
The Ping an Finance Center in China is again a very unusual, unique tower that addresses all challenges of being built in an urban dense area. Its 5 floors underground and 115 above make the structure expansive with 562m occupational height.
The tower is mostly a commercial office space, with 100 floors devoted to commerce. It accommodates 15,500 workers and 9000 passengers daily. The podium houses a restaurant and shopping space that also gets sun set views, making for beautiful evenings.
Five floors terrace away from the tower, functioning as a shopping hub and giving it an amphitheater like look. The tower was designed to withstand local weather. Therefore, the tapered façade works to reduce the wind effect by as much as 40%! The tower was completed in 2016 and is owned by Ping An Life Insurance Company of China.
8. Goldin Finance 117
- Height: 596m
- City: Tianjin, China
- Architect: Goldin Properties Holdings
The Goldin Finance of 117 is another iconic building in the Goldin Metropolitan project. With a gross floor area of 280,000m, the tower also holds one of the most expansive areas of the world. It consists of 117 floors in all and provides a panoramic view of the city from its observation deck.
Indoor swimming pools, revolving restaurants, a five star hotel and more make the construction of this building impressive. There is an iconic diamond shape at the crown of the tower and it boasts the highest technological development for a tower.
The building occupies 584m and the rest remains just architecture. Reinforced concrete and steel give strength to the building’s foundation. Its worth is US dollar 4.9 billion (36621 crores INR) as of 2022.
9. Lotte world tower
- Height: 555m
- City: Seoul, South Korea
- Architect: James von Klemperer
Lotte world tower 123-story building is the largest tower in South Korea and one of the world’s top 10 tallest buildings!
The Lotte World Tower of Seoul was started in 2011 and the construction was completed in five years in 2016. The tower boasts of an exceptional occupational height of 496.6 meters and comprises 129 floors in all, of which 6 are under the ground and 123 above it.
The tower is also Korea’s landmark and covers an area of 304,081 square meters. The design of this structure was inspired from the traditional Korean art forms. The tower’s sleek design gives a sharp contrast to the city’s otherwise mountainous terrain.
The tower contains art galleries, a luxury hotel and cafeterias, with a skywalk and an observation deck. The tower is also the country’s first to exceed 100 floors. The tower was built by the Lotte group and is estimated to have cost them 2.5 billion USD (18684 crores INR).
10. Willis Tower
- Height: 527m
- City: Chicago, Illinois
- Architect: Fazlur Rahman Khan, and Bruce Graham
Second largest tower in the US is built on a steel frame structure
Last but not in any way the least, this spectacular Willis tower in Chicago is another epitome of the world’s tallest towers. With a brilliant height reaching 527m in the sky, the tower was formerly famous as the Sears tower. There are 110 floors in the building and consist of art fitness, restaurants and cafes, a conference center, skywalks and an amazing observation deck.
The construction of this immaculate structure began in 1970. 2000 workers and three years completed the structure and invited the public to its first ever sky deck. The skyscraper emerged to be America’s second tallest structure and is wound around by a steel frame structure.
Blackstone purchased this tower in 2015 for 1.3 billion USD. The sky deck, the United States’ highest observation deck, is the most famous feature of this building and attracts more than 1.7 million tourists every year. Only 443m of the tower is occupational in this building while the rest consists of antennae.
Conclusion – Tallest towers in the world
The world is a race. No proverb will ever reflect the nature of human spirit better than this one. With buildings soaring higher and higher in competition every year, there is no telling of this world’s thirst for sky-reaching skyscrapers.
With time and technology, we may foresee so many more soaring towers in the years to come. Perhaps over time they may even measure more than 1 kilometer in height? Time will tell! Meanwhile check these amazing towers of the world and marvel at human imagination and architecture.
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