List of tallest buildings and structures in the world Totally Explained

Everything about List Of Tallest Buildings And Structures In The World totally explained

While determining the world's tallest structure has generally been straightforward, the definition of the world's tallest building or the world's tallest tower is less clear. The disputes generally center on what should be counted as a building or a tower, and what is being measured.
In terms of absolute height, the tallest structures are currently the dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers which measure over 600 meters (about 2,000 feet) in height. There is, however, some debate about:

whether structures under construction should be included in the list
whether structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included.

For towers, there's debate over:

whether guy-wire-supported structures should be counted For buildings, there's debate over:

whether communication towers with observation galleries should be considered habitable buildings.

whether only habitable height is considered.

whether roof-top antennas should be considered towards height of buildings; with particular interest in whether components that look like spires can be either classified as antennas or architectural detail. These debates will likely lose some relevance in 2009, as the Burj Dubai, a building currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has already become the world's tallest man-made structure.

Tallest structures

The tallest man-made structure is the Burj Dubai, a skyscaper still under construction in Dubai, that has reached in height as of May 12 2008. The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, standing at, was the world's tallest freestanding structure on land from 1976 until September 12, 2007, when it was overtaken in height by the rising Burj Dubai. The tower has the world's highest public observation deck at .
   The Petronius Platform stands, leading some, including the Guiness Book of World Records 2007, to claim it as the tallest freestanding structure in the world. However, critics argue that the below-water height shouldn't be counted, in the same manner as underground 'height' isn't taken into account in buildings.
   The Troll A platform is, without any part of that height being supported by wires. Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan is currently the world's tallest inhabited building in three of the four main categories that are commonly measured: at as measured to its architectural height (spire) as well as roof height and highest occupied floor . The Sears Tower is highest in the last category: the greatest height to top of antenna of any building in the world at .
   The Burj Dubai, currently under construction, is already the tallest freestanding structure on land. As of 12 May 2008, the tower's developers reported its height to be with 160 completed floors,. On its completion, projected for 2009, it'll break the height record in all four categories for completed buildings by a wide margin. While the final height hasn't been released to the public, Greg Sang, the construction manager, says that the building will rise to a minimum of . The developer, Emaar, is keeping structural details secret due to competition for the "world's tallest" with other proposed structures, including the nearby Al Burj. The CN Tower will retain its record of the world's highest observation deck as Burj Dubai's deck will be at . The 'Symbol of Dubai' will have more than 160 floors, 56 elevators, apartments, shops, swimming pools, spas and corporate suites.

Tallest structure by category

Due to the disagreements over how to measure and classify structures, engineers have created various definitions for categories of buildings and other structures. One measure includes the absolute height of a building, another includes only spires and other permanent architectural features, but not antennas. The tradition of including the spire on top of a building and not including the antenna dates back to the rivalry between the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street. A modern-day example is that the antenna on top of the Sears tower are not considered part of its architectural height, while the spires on top of the Petronas towers are counted.

Category	Structure	City	Height (m)	Height (ft)
Skyscraper (under construction) - all categories	Burj Dubai	Dubai	636	2,087
	Grande Dixence Dam	Val d'Hérens	285	935
Electricity pylon built of concrete	Yangtze River Crossing, Nanjing	Nanjing	257	843
Electricity pylon of HVDC-powerline	Yangtze River Crossing, Wuhu	Wuhu	229	751
Minaret	Hassan II Mosque	Casablanca	210	689
Wind turbine	Fuhrländer Wind Turbine Laasow	Laasow, Brandenburg	205	673
Cooling Tower	Niederaussem Power Station	Niederaussem	200	656
Monument	Gateway Arch	St. Louis, Missouri	192	630
90° twisted building	Turning Torso	Malmö	190	623
Inclined structure, Stadium	Le Stade Olympique	Montreal, Quebec	175	574
Masonry tower	Anaconda Smelter Stack	Anaconda, Montana	178.3	585
Church Building	Chicago Temple Building	Chicago	173	568
Obelisk	Washington Monument	Washington, D.C.	169.3	555.5
Masonry building	Mole Antonelliana	Torino	167	548
Masonry building	Philadelphia City Hall	Philadelphia	167	548
Ferris wheel	Singapore Flyer	Singapore	165	541.3
Church tower	Ulm Cathedral	Ulm	161	528
Industrial hall	Vehicle Assembly Building	Kennedy Space Center	160	525
Memorial cross	Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos	El Escorial	152.4	500
Tomb	Great Pyramid of Giza	Giza, Cairo	138.8 originally 146.6	455.2 480.9
Air traffic control tower	Suvarnabhumi Airport control tower	Bangkok, Thailand	132.2	433.7
Roller coaster	Kingda Ka	Jackson, New Jersey	138.98	456
Flagpole, free-standing	Aqaba Flagpole	Aqaba	132	430
Equilateral Pentagon	Baltimore World Trade Center	Baltimore	123.5	405
Statue (including pedestal)	Ushiku Daibutsu Bronze Buddha Statue	Ushiku	120	416
Storage silo	Henninger Turm	Frankfurt	120	394
Sculpture	Spire of Dublin	Dublin	120	393
Light advertisement	Bayer Cross Leverkusen	Leverkusen	118	387
Wooden structure	Gliwice Radio Tower	Gliwice	118	387
Aerial tramway support tower	Pillar of third section of Gletscherbahn Kaprun	Kaprun	113.6	373
Lighthouse	Yokohama Marine Tower	Yokohama	106	324
Clock Tower	Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower	Birmingham	100	328
Pre-modern Chinese pagoda	Liaodi Pagoda	Ding County, Hebei	84	275
Lantern Tower	Boston Stump	Boston, Lincolnshire	83.05	272
Statue (not including pedestal)	Mamayev Kurgan	Volgograd	82	269
Brick lighthouse	Leterna di Genoa	Genoa	77	253
Brick minaret	Qutub Minar	Delhi	72.5	237.8
Electricity Pylon (concrete, prefabricated)	Pylon 310 of powerline Innertkirchen-Littau-Mettlen	Littau	59.5	195
Monolithic obelisk	Tuthmosis II Obelisk	San Giovanni in Laterano	36	118.1

Tallest destroyed structures by category, not surpassed by existing structures

There are some destroyed architectural structures which were taller than the tallest existing structure of their type.

Category	Structure	City	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Remarks
Guyed mast	Warsaw Radio Mast	Gąbin	646.38	2,121	completed in 1974, collapsed on August 8, 1991
Mast radiator, insulated against ground	Warsaw Radio Mast	Gąbin	646.38	2,121	completed in 1974, collapsed on August 8, 1991
Guyed tubular steel mast	Shushi-Wan Omega Transmitter	Shushi-Wan	389	1,276	completed in 1973, dismantled in 1998
Structure for destructive scientific experiment	Smoky Shot Tower	Nevada Test Site	213	700	Guyed mast, which carried 44 kt yield nuclear bomb "Smoky" (part of operation Plumbbob) on top until its explosion on August 31st, 1957
Wooden structure	Mühlacker Wood Radio Tower	Mühlacker	190	623	completed in 1934, destroyed on April 6, 1945 by Germans to prevent usage by the Allies of World War II.
Masonry building	Mole Antonelliana	Torino	167.5	549.5	spire destroyed by a tornado in 1953.
Pre-Industrial Era building	Lincoln Cathedral	Lincoln	160	524	completed in 1311, spire blown off in 1549
Structure for illegal purpose	Mast of Koning Keizer Admiraal's transmitter	Bad Bentheim/Gildehaus	101.2	332	guyed mast of illegal radio transmitter operated in December 2004 in the FM-band with 10 kW ERP. Mast was situated in Germany, transmitter device in the Netherlands.

Tallest building by function

Category	Structure	Country	City	Architectural top
Category	Structure	Country	City	m	ft
Mixed Use*	Burj Dubai**		Dubai	636 (of est. 818)	2,087 (of est. 2,684)
Office	Taipei 101	Taiwan	Taipei	509	1,671
Mixed Use* (completed only)	John Hancock Center		Chicago	344	1,127
Hotel	Rose Tower***		Dubai	333	1,093
Residential	Q1		Gold Coast, Queensland	322.5	1,059
Hotel (in use only)	Burj Al Arab		Dubai	321	1,053
Educational	Moscow State University		Moscow	240	787
Hospital	Guy's Hospital		London, England	143	468
Library	W. E. B. DuBois Library		Amherst, Massachusetts	116	381

* Mixed Use is defined as having both residential and office space. ** As Burj Dubai is still under construction and not yet inhabitable, it currently doesn't serve a specific function. Upon completion, it'll serve as a mixed use building. *** Although the Rose Tower is complete, it isn't currently inhabited. Once the building's hotel opens in April 2008, the tower will become the world's tallest building used exclusively as a hotel.

Tallest buildings

Up until 1998 the tallest building status was essentially uncontested. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, and with antenna masts excluded, the Sears Tower in Chicago was considered the tallest. When the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were built, controversy arose because the spire extended nine meters higher than the roof of the Sears Tower. Excluding the spire, the Petronas Towers are not taller than the Sears Tower. At their convention in Chicago, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reduced the Sears Tower from world's tallest and pronounced it not second tallest, but third, and pronounced Petronas as world's tallest. This action caused a considerable amount of controversy, so CTBUH defined four categories in which the world's tallest building can be measured:

Height to the structural or architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles)

Height to the highest occupied floor

Height to the top of the roof

Height to the top of antenna The height is measured from the pavement level of the main entrance. At the time, the Sears Tower held first place in the second and third categories. Petronas held the first category, and the original World Trade Towers held the fourth. Within months, however, a new antenna mast was placed on the Sears Tower, giving it hold of the fourth category. On April 20, 2004, the Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, was completed. Its completion gave it the world record for the first three categories. On July 21 2007 it was announced that the Burj Dubai had surpassed Taipei 101 in height, reaching 512 m (1,680 feet) tall. However Burj Dubai is still under construction.
Today, Taipei 101 leads in the first category with 509 m (1,671 feet); in the second category with an occupied floor at 439 m (1,441 feet); and in the third category with 449 m (1,474 feet). The first category was formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers with 452 m (1,483 feet), and before that by Sears Tower with 442 m (1,451 feet). The second and third categories were held by the Sears Tower, with 412 m (1,351 feet) and 442 m (1,451 feet) respectively.
The Sears Tower still leads in the fourth category with 527 m (1,729 feet), previously held by the World Trade Center until the extension of the Chicago tower's western broadcast antenna in 2000, over a year prior to the Trade Center's destruction in 2001. Its antenna mast included, 1 World Trade Center measured 526 m (1,727 feet). The World Trade Center became the world's tallest buildings to be destroyed or demolished; indeed, its site entered the record books twice on September 11, 2001, in that category, replacing the Singer Building, which once stood a block from the WTC site.
The Ostankino Tower and the CN Tower are excluded from these categories because they're not "habitable buildings", which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout.

History of record holders in each CTBUH category

Date (Event)		Highest occupied floor	Rooftop	Antenna
2003: Taipei 101 completed	Taipei 101	Taipei 101	Taipei 101	Sears Tower
2000: Sears Tower antenna extension	Petronas Towers	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	Sears Tower
1998: Petronas Towers completed	Petronas Towers	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	World Trade Center
1996: CTBUH defines categories	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	World Trade Center

World's tallest freestanding structure on land

Freestanding structures include observation towers, monuments and other structures not generally considered to be "Habitable buildings", but excludes supported structures such as guyed masts and ocean drilling platforms. (See also history of tallest skyscrapers.) The world's tallest freestanding structure on land is defined as the tallest self-supporting man-made structure that stands above ground. This definition is different from that of world's tallest building or world's tallest structure based on the percent of the structure that's occupied and whether or not it's self-supporting or supported by exterior cables. Likewise, this definition doesn't count structures that are built underground or on the seabed, such as the Petronius Platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Visit world's tallest structure by category for a list of various other definitions.
As of 12 May 2008, the tallest freestanding structure on land is the still under construction Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building, which now stands at, surpassed the height of the previous record holder, the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, on September 12, 2007. It is scheduled to be completed in 2009, and is planned to rise to a height of over .

History

The following is a list of structures that have held the title as the tallest freestanding structure on land. (See also Timeline of three tallest structures in the world until Empire State Building).

Held record		Name and Location	Constructed	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Notes
From	To	Name and Location	Constructed	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Notes
c. 2600 BC	c. 2570 BC	Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt	c. 2600 BC	105	345
c. 2570 BC	c. AD 1300	Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt	c. 2570 BC	146	481	By AD 1439, the Great Pyramid had eroded to a height of approximately 139 m (455 ft).
c. 1300	1549	Lincoln Cathedral, England	1092–1311	160	525	The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549. While the reputed height of 525 ft is doubted by A.F. Kendrick, other sources agree on this height.
1549	1625	St. Olaf's Church, Tallinn, Estonia	1438–1519	159	522	The spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1625 and was rebuilt several times. The current height is 123 m.
1625	1647	St. Mary's Church, Stralsund, Germany	1384–1478	151	495	The spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1647. The current height is 104 m.
1647	1874	Strasbourg Cathedral, France	1439	142	469
1874	1876	St. Nikolai, Hamburg, Germany	1846–1874	147	483
1876	1880	Cathédrale Notre Dame, Rouen, France	1202–1876	151	495
1880	1884	Cologne Cathedral, Germany	1248–1880	157	515
1884	1889	Washington Monument, United States	1884	169	555
1889	1930	Eiffel Tower, Paris, France	1889	300	986	The addition of a telecommunications tower in the 1950s brought the overall height to 324 m.
1930	1931	Chrysler Building, New York, United States	1928–1930	319	1,046
1931	1967	Empire State Building, New York, United States	1930–1931	381	1,250
1967	1975	Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia	1963–1967	537	1,762	Remains the tallest in Europe
1975	2007	CN Tower, Toronto, Canada	1973–1976	553	1,815	The CN Tower lost its title in 2007 to the Burj Dubai.
2007	present	Burj Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2004–2008	636*	2,087*	The Burj Dubai surpassed the height of CN Tower in September 2007. Though still officially under construction, it's estimated to rise higher than 800 m (2,625 ft) when completed in 2009.

Notable mentions include the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, built in the third century BC, and estimated between 115 to 135 m (383–440 ft). It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal building for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at 122 m (400 ft). These were both the world's tallest or second tallest non-pyramidal buildings for over a thousand years.
The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre del Mangia in Siena, which is 102 m tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century, and the 97 m tall Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, also Italy, built between 1109 and 1119. * This is the current height of Burj Dubai, as of 12 May 2008. When completed, it's expected to rise over

World's highest observation deck

Timeline of development of world's highest observation deck since inauguration of Eiffel Tower.

Held record		Name and Location	Constructed	Height of highest observation deck (m)	Height of highest observation deck (ft)	Notes
From	To	Name and Location	Constructed	Height of highest observation deck (m)	Height of highest observation deck (ft)	Notes
1889	1931	Eiffel Tower, Paris, France	1889	275	902	Two further observation decks 57 and 115 metres above ground.
1931	1973	Empire State Building, New York City, USA	1931	369	1211	A second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at 320 metres above ground.
1973	1976	World Trade Center, New York City, USA	1973	420	1378	Destroyed during the September 11, 2001 attacks
1976	present	CN Tower, Toronto, Canada	1976	446.5	1398	Two further observation decks 342 and 346 metres above ground.

Higher observation decks have existed on mountain peaks or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. For example, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City, Colorado, USA, was constructed in 1929 spanning the Royal Gorge at a height of 321 m (1095 ft.) above the Arkansas River.
The currently under-construction 492 m high Shanghai World Financial Center will have three observation decks including one on the 100th floor, possibly surpassing the CN Tower's.

Timeline of guyed structures on land

As most of the tallest structures are guyed masts and the absolute height record of architectural structures on land is since 1954 kept by them, here's a timeline of world's tallest guyed masts, since the beginning of radio technology.
As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower survived World War II, it was the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II.

Held record		Name and Location	Constructed	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Notes
From	To	Name and Location	Constructed	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Notes
1913	1920	Central mast of Eilvese transmitter, Eilvese, Germany	1913	250	820	Mast was divided in 145 m by an insulator, demolished in 1931
1920	1923	Central masts of Nauen Transmitter Station, Nauen, Germany	1920	260	853	2 masts, demolished in 1946
1923	1933	Masts of Ruiselede transmitter, Ruiselede, Belgium	1923	287	942	8 masts, destroyed in 1940
1933	1939	Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary	1933	314	1,031	Blaw-Knox Tower, insulated against ground, destroyed in 1945, afterwards rebuilt
1939	1945	Deutschlandsender Herzberg/Elster, Herzberg (Elster), Germany	1939	335	1,099	Insulated against ground, dismantled in 1945
1945	1946	Blaw-Knox Tower Liblice, Liblice, Czech Republic	1936	280.4	920	Demolished on October 17, 1972 by explosives. Replaced in 1976 by 2 355 masts.
1946	1948	Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary	1946	314	1,031	Blaw-Knox Tower, Insulated against ground, rebuilt after destruction in 1945
1948	1949	WIVB-TV Tower, Colden, New York, USA	1948	321.9	1,056
1949	1950	Longwave transmitter Raszyn, Raszyn, Poland	1949	335	1,099	Insulated against ground
1950	1954	Forestport Tower, Forestport, New York, USA	1950	371.25	1,218	Insulated against ground
1954	1959	Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA	1954	480.5	1,576
1956	1959	KOBR-TV Tower, Caprock, New Mexico, USA	1956	490.7	1,610	Collapsed in 1960
1959	1960	WGME TV Tower, Raymond, Maine, USA	1959	495	1,624
1960	1962	KFVS TV Mast, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA	1960	511.1	1,677
1962	1963	WTVM/WRBL-TV & WVRK-FM Tower, Cusseta, Georgia, USA	1962	533	1,749	Located in Cusseta, Georgia
1963	1963	WIMZ-FM-Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA	1963	534.01	1,752
1963	1974	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, USA	1963	628.8	2,063
1974	1991	Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland	1974	646.4	2,121	Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991
1991		KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, USA	1963	628.8	2,063

Tallest structures, freestanding structures, and buildings

See also: List of tallest buildings in the world, List of tallest structures in the world, List of tallest freestanding structures in the world, Timeline of three tallest structures in the world The list categories are:

The structures (supported) list uses pinnacle height and includes architectural structures of any type that might use some external support constructions like cables and are fully built in air. Only the three tallest are listed, as more than fifty US TV masts have stated heights of 600-610m (1969-2000 ft).

The structures (media supported) list uses pinnacle height and includes architectural structures of any type that are not totally built in the air but are using support from other, denser media like salt water. All structures greater than are listed.

The freestanding structures list uses pinnacle height and includes structures over that don't use guy-wires or other external supports. This means truly free standing on its own or, in similar sense, non-supported structures.

The building list uses architectural height (excluding antennas) and includes only buildings, defined as consisting of habitable floors. Both of these follow CTBUH guidelines. All supertall buildings (300 m and higher) are listed. Notes:

Seven buildings appear on the freestanding structures category list with different heights than of another category. This is due to the different measurement specifications of those lists.

Only current heights and where reasonable target heights are listed. Historical heights of structures that for example did collapse are excluded.

Structures (supported)
1	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963		–
2	KXJB-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States	1998		–
3	KXTV/KOVR Tower, Walnut Grove, California, United States	2000		–
Structures (media supported)
1	Petronius Platform, Gulf of Mexico	2000		–
2	Baldpate Platform, Gulf of Mexico	1998		–
3	Bullwinkle Platform, Gulf of Mexico	1989		–
Freestanding structures
1	Burj Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (under construction)	2009	(predicted)	162 (predicted)
2	CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	1976		–
3	Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia	1967		–
4	Sears Tower, Chicago, United States	1974		110
5	Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan	2003		101
6	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (under construction)	2008		101
7	Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1996		–
8	John Hancock Center, Chicago, United States	1969	457 m (1,500 ft)	100
9	Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
9	Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
11	Empire State Building, New York City, United States	1936	449 (1,472 ft)	102
12	Milad Tower, Tehran, Iran	2007		–
13	Kuala Lumpur Tower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1995		–
14	Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1998		88
15	Chimney of GRES-2 Power Station, Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan	1987		–
16	Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	2003		88
17	Tianjin Radio and Television Tower, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China	1991		–
18	Central TV Tower, Bejing, People’s Republic of China	1992		–
Buildings
1	Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan	2003		101
2	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (topped out)	2008		101
3=	Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
3=	Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
5	Sears Tower, Chicago, United States	1974		110
6	Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1998		88
7	Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	2003		88
8	CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China	1997		80
9	Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China	1996		69
10	Empire State Building, New York, United States	1931		102
11	Central Plaza, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	1992		78
12	Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	1990		70
13	Bank of America Tower, New York, United States	2008		54
14	Almas Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2008		74
15	Emirates Office Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2000		54
16	Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung, Taiwan	1997		85
17	Aon Center, Chicago, United States	1973		83
18	The Center, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	1998		73
19	John Hancock Center, Chicago, United States	1969		100
20=	Rose Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2007		72
20=	Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	2006		60
22	Minsheng Bank Building, Wuhan, People's Republic of China	2007		68
23=	Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea (topped out)	1992		105
23=	China World Trade Center Tower 3, Beijing, People's Republic of China	2008		74
25	Q1 Tower, Gold Coast City, Australia	2005		78
26	Burj Al Arab, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	1999		60
27=	Chrysler Building, New York, United States	1930		77
27=	Nina Tower I, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	2007		80
27=	New York Times Building, New York, United States	2007		52
30	Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta, United States	1992		55
31	U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles, United States	1989		73
32	Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	2001		55
33	Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2000		56
34	One Island East, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China	2008		70
35	AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago, United States	1989		60
36	JPMorgan Chase Tower, Houston, United States	1982		75
37	Baiyoke Tower II, Bangkok, Thailand	1997		85
38	Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago, United States	1990		64
39=	Wells Fargo Plaza, Houston, United States	1983		71
39=	Kingdom Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	2002		41

Source: Emporis

Future record-breaking structures

Numerous supertall skyscrapers are in various stages of proposal, planning, or construction. Each of these, depending on the order of completion, could become the world's tallest building or structure in at least one category:

Under construction

Burj Dubai in Dubai, UAE is expected to be an tall skyscraper. It is currently under construction, and as of 12 May 2008, it's tall, with 160 completed floors. If completed (projected for 2009) it'll be the tallest manmade structure of any kind in history. Currently there's no man-made structure under construction that's planned to be taller than the Burj Dubai, but there are some proposals.

The, 150 floor Chicago Spire (formerly Fordham Spire) is currently under construction in Chicago. If completed, it would surpass the CN Tower as the tallest freestanding building in North America, and would be the tallest all-residential building in the world. Construction began in June 2007, and is expected to be completed in late 2010.

The Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower, being built in Guangzhou, China, is expected to be tall. If completed (projected for 2009) it'll be tallest concrete tower.

The Jakarta Tower (Menara Jakarta) is a tower that's currently on-hold in Jakarta, Indonesia. If completed (projected for 2011), it'll stand up 558 m (1,831 ft.) tall up to the antenna, thus may be tallest concrete tower.

Proposed

The Space Elevator is a hypothetical structure that would consist of a 100,000 km long cord connecting a point on or near the equator to an object, possibly a captured asteroid, in the Clarke orbit; while CNT cables have been found to possess phenomenal tensile strength far beyond any material developed so far, they're still not strong enough for this purpose by almost an order of magnitude, and it's highly improbable that this technology could be enhanced sufficiently to perform this feat, thus this remains in the realm of speculative fiction for the time being.

The Launch loop concept has been proposed for the purposes of orbital launch which would be 80 km high, and would have a cost of around $10 billion.

The X-Seed 4000 is the tallest building ever fully envisioned, meaning that the designs for construction have been completed. The X-Seed 4000 "was never meant to be built," says Georges Binder, managing director of Buildings & Data, a firm which compiles data banks on buildings worldwide. "The purpose of the plan was to earn some recognition for the firm, and it worked."[1] Its proposed 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) height, 6 km (3.7 mi) wide sea-base, and 800 floor capacity could accommodate five hundred thousand to one million inhabitants.

The Shimizu TRY 2004 Mega-City Pyramid is a proposed project for construction of a massive pyramid over Tokyo Bay in Japan. The structure would be 12 times higher than the Great Pyramid at Giza, and would house 750,000 people. If built, it'll be the largest man-made structure on Earth. The structure would be 2,004 m (6,575 feet) high and would answer Tokyo's increasing lack of space.

The Aeropolis 2001 is a proposed project for construction of a massive 500-story high-rise building over Tokyo Bay in Japan. It is proposed to be a 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) high building.

Al Jaber Tower in Kuwait City proposed by the famous Italian architect Amero Marchetti, part of the planned "ethic city". If built the Al Jaber Tower would reach 1852 m.

The Mile High Tower (Arabic: برج الميل‎) is a proposed skyscraper currently planned for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is proposed to rise in height, and has already had its necessary funding set aside.

The Bionic Tower is a proposed vertical city, an extremely large building designed for human habitation, designed by Spanish architects Eloy Celaya, and Mª Rosa Cervera and Javier Gómez Pioz. It would have a main tower 1,228 metres (4,029 ft) high, with 300 stories that would house about 100,000 people.

Al Burj is a proposed skyscraper, also planned for Dubai, UAE, expected to be approximately tall.

Murjan Tower is a Swedish company's proposal for a supertall skyscraper in Bahrain. Designed by the Danish architect Henning Larsens Tegnestue A/S, it's expected to be in height and comprise 200 floors.

The proposed Mubarak al-Kabir Tower in Madinat al-Hareer (City Of Silk), (Kuwait) is projected to be in height.

The proposed Sky City 1000 is a possible future urban supertall skyscraper project aimed at helping put an end to major congestion and lack of greenspace in the Tokyo, Japan metropolitan area. The plan consists of a building 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) tall and 400 m (1,312 ft) wide at the base, and a total floor area of 8 km² (3.1 sq mi).

Solar updraft tower, Buronga, Australia, planned height between and, state uncertain.

DIB-200 is a possible mixed use supertall skyscraper project proposed by Kajima Construction, and designed by Sadaaki Masuda and Scott Howe, that if built, would be 800 metres (2,625 ft) tall.

Solar updraft tower, Ciudad Real, Spain, .

Noida Tower, tall, is proposed for a small metro city in Delhi's NCR region with a target date for completion of 2013.

PAGCOR Tower is a proposal in Manila, Philippines for a height of, planned to be completed in 2010.

Incheon Tower is a 151-floor, tower in Incheon, South Korea. It is estimated to be completed in 2012.

Sumida Tower has been proposed in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It is planned to be finished by December 2011.

International Business Center is a 130-floor, skyscraper proposal for Seoul, South Korea.

Never-built record-breaking structures

Watkin's Tower in Wembley, London was planned in 1891 to surpass the Eiffel Tower by, but construction stopped before that height was reached due to unstable land. The tower remnants were dismantled in the 1900s, and the site was redeveloped as Wembley Stadium.

During the Russian October Revolution of 1917, Vladimir Tatlin designed a structure named The Monument to the Third International, which was to serve as the international headquarters of the Komintern. Better known as the Tatlin Tower, the structure was to rise to a height of, which would have made it by far the tallest building in the world at that time, but the time and resource shortages that resulted from the Russian Civil War halted the project.

The Palace of Soviets in Moscow, planned in 1932, was to be 415 m (including a 100 m Lenin statue), and would have been the tallest building in the world at the time if completed. Construction was halted during World War II, during which the uncompleted structure was partially dismantled; its foundations were later to serve as the world's largest open-air swimming pool before being razed in 1995.

The Illinois, envisioned by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, was to be a mile high (1609 m / 5280 ft) skyscraper in Chicago.

Eaton's / John Maryon Tower was a planned (686m to spire) tall building in Toronto in 1971.

The Grant USA Tower was planned by developer Harry Grant, who started New York Apple Tours. The building was to be completed in 1986 in Newark, New Jersey and to be the tallest hotel, tallest building and tallest structure. Harry Grant went bankrupt and the building never broke ground.

The Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle in Chicago was to be tall in 1988.

Until late 1995, there were plans to rebuild the collapsed Warsaw Radio Mast to its previous height on the same site, using the basements of the old mast. Although some refurbishment of the basements started, work was canceled after violent protests by local residents, who feared harmful radiation effects from the high-power transmitter served by the antenna. A new transmission facility with two smaller masts measuring 330 and 289 m was built as a replacement in 1998-99 at Solec Kujawski.

7 South Dearborn in Chicago was planned in 1999 to be .

Construction was scheduled to begin in 2006 on the now-canceled Strait of Messina Bridge. It would have been the world's largest suspension bridge as well as the tallest, as the proposed height of the two towers,, exceeded the of current record-holder Millau Viaduct in France.

Construction was cancelled on the Grollo Tower (named after the architect) in Melbourne's developing Dockland precinct in April 2001 after Melbourne's Docklands Authority ruled it out of the tender for development of the Batman Hill's precinct. The area is now occupied by a mixture of smaller commercial and residential buildings. The Grollo Tower would have been the world's tallest building at the time at 560m (1837ft) tall.

A series of super-tall sky-scrapers were planned for the major Australian cities of Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth from 1985-95 but were all cancelled. The plans included (in order of height) the Grollo Tower (mentioned above), Brisbane Central Tower (450m/1476ft, Brisbane), Minuzzo Tower (450m/1476ft, Brisbane), CBD-1 (445m/1459ft, Sydney), Melbourne Plaza (338m/1109ft, Melbourne), City Tower (305m/1000ft, Sydney) and the Westralia Tower (287m/941