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Encyclopedia—skyscraperOutstanding SkyscrapersThe tallest skyscrapers are freestanding structures such as the CN Tower in Toronto (opened 1976), which measures 1,815 ft (553 m), and the Ostankino Tower in Moscow (opened 1967), which is 1,771 ft (540 m) high. By convention, however, a building is defined as being primarily for human habitation with the greatest majority of its height divided into occupiable floors. The height of a building is measured from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural top of the building. This includes spires but does not include television antennas, radio antennas, or flagpoles. By this definition the tallest building is Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan, which was topped off at 1,671 ft (509 m) and 101 stories in 2003. The twin Petronas Towers (opened 1997) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are the second tallest; 88 stories high and topped by twin spires, they stand 1,483 ft (456 m) tall. Third highest is the Sears Tower (opened 1974) in Chicago; its 110 stories rise 1,454 ft (443 m) with an additional 253 ft (77 m) for the television antenna on top, making it the world's third tallest freestanding structure at 1,707 ft (520 m). The next tallest building, the 1,380 ft (420 m) tall Jin Mao Building (opened 1998) in Shanghai, China, is another example of leadership in skyscraper construction shifting from the United States. Among the highest New York City skyscrapers are the Empire State Building, with 102 stories, 1,250 ft (381 m) high; the Chrysler Building, with 77 stories, 1,048 ft (319 m) high; 60 Wall Tower, with 67 stories, 950 ft (290 m) high; and the GE (formerly RCA) Building in Rockefeller Center, with 70 stories, 850 ft (259 m) high. The former World Trade Center, which was the tallest building in the city until it was destroyed (Sept., 2001) by a terrorist attack, had two unstepped, rectangular towers of 110 stories each, one 1,362 ft (415 m) and the other 1,368 ft (417 m) high. Sections in this article: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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