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May 14, 2008
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World > Structures and Buildings

World's Tallest Buildings1

NOTE: This list includes only buildings.2 For towers, see World's Tallest Towers. See also Skyscraper History, Skyscraper Facts, and America's Favorite Structures.


World's Tallest Buildings: Taipei 101, Petronas Towers 1 & 2, Sears Tower, Jin Mao Building, and The Empire State Building
  Building, city Year Sto-
ries		 Height
Rank m ft
1. Burj Dubai, Dubai, The United Arab Emirates3 2009 (est.) 167 818 2,313
2. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 2004 101 508 1,667
3. Petronas Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 88 452 1,483
4. Petronas Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 88 452 1,483
5. Sears Tower, Chicago 1974 110 442 1,451
6. Jin Mao Building, Shanghai 1999 88 421 1,381
7. Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong 2003 88 415 1,362
8. CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, China 1996 80 391 1,283
9. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China 1996 69 384 1,260
10. Empire State Building, New York 1931 102 381 1,250
11. Central Plaza, Hong Kong 1992 78 374 1,227
12. Bank of China, Hong Kong 1989 70 367 1,205
13. Emirates Tower One, Dubai 1999 54 355 1,165
14. Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1997 85 348 1,140
15. Aon Centre, Chicago 1973 80 346 1,136
16. The Center, Hong Kong 1998 73 346 1,135
17. John Hancock Center, Chicago 1969 100 344 1,127
18. Rose Tower, Dubai 2007 72 333 1,093
19. Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai 2006 60 333 1,093
20. Minsheng Bank Building, Wuhan, China 2007 68 331 1,087
21. Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, N. Korea 1995 105 330 1,083
22. Q1, Gold Coast, Australia 2005 78 323 1,058
23. Burj al Arab Hotel, Dubai 1999 60 321 1,053
24. Nina Tower I, Hong Kong 2006 80 319 1,046
25. Chrysler Building, New York 1930 77 319 1,046
26. New York Times Building, New York 2007 52 319 1,046
27. Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta 1993 55 317 1,039
28. U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles 1990 73 310 1,018
29. Menara Telekom Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1999 55 310 1,017
30. Emirates Tower Two, Dubai 2000 56 309 1,014
31. AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago 1989 60 307 1,007
32. JP Morgan Chase Tower, Houston 1982 75 305 1,002
33. Baiyoke Tower II, Bangkok 1997 85 304 997
34. Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago 1990 64 303 995
35. Wells Fargo Plaza, Houston 1983 71 302 992
36. Kingdom Centre, Riyadh 2002 41 302 992
37. Aspire Tower, Doha 2006 36 300 984
38. First Canadian Place, Toronto 1975 72 298 978
39. Eureka Tower, Melbourne 2006 91 297 975
40. Landmark Tower, Yokohama, Japan 1993 70 296 971
41. 311 South Wacker Drive, Chicago 1990 65 293 961
42. SEG Plaza, Shenzhen, China 2000 71 292 957
43. American International Building, New York 1932 67 290 952
44. Key Tower, Cleveland 1991 57 289 947
45. Plaza 66, Shanghai 2001 66 288 945
46. One Liberty Place, Philadelphia 1987 61 288 945
47. Millennium Tower, Dubai 2006 59 285 935
48. Sunjoy Tomorrow Square, Shanghai 2003 55 285 934
49. Columbia Center, Seattle 1984 76 284 933
50. Cheung Kong Center, Hong Kong 1999 63 283 929
51. Chongqing World Trade Center, Chongqing, China 2005 60 283 929
52. The Trump Building, New York 1930 71 283 927
53. Bank of America Plaza, Dallas 1985 72 281 921
54. United Overseas Bank Plaza, Singapore 1992 66 280 919
55. Republic Plaza, Singapore 1995 66 280 919
56. Overseas Union Bank Centre, Singapore 1986 63 280 919
57. Citigroup Center, New York 1977 59 279 915
58. Hong Kong New World Tower, Shanghai 2002 61 278 913
59. Diwang International Commerce Center, Nanning, China 2006 54 276 906
60. Scotia Plaza, Toronto 1989 68 275 902
61. Williams Tower, Houston 1983 64 275 901
62. Wuhan World Trade Tower, Wuhan, China 1998 60 273 896
63. Cullinan North Tower, Hong Kong 2007 68 270 886
64. Cullinan South Tower, Hong Kong 2007 68 270 886
65. Renaissance Tower, Dallas 1975 56 270 886
66. China International Center Tower B, Guangzhou, China 2007 62 270 884
67. Dapeng International Plaza, Guangzhou, China 2006 56 269 883
68. 21st Century Tower, Dubai 2003 55 269 883
69. Naberezhnaya Tower C, Moscow 2007 61 268 879
70. Al Faisaliah Center, Riyadh 2000 30 267 876
71. 900 North Michigan Ave., Chicago 1989 66 265 871
72. Bank of America Corporate Center, Charlotte 1992 60 265 871
73. SunTrust Plaza, Atlanta 1992 60 265 871
74. BOCOM Financial Towers, Shanghai 1999 52 265 869
75. Triumph Palace, Moscow 2005 57 264 866
76. Bluescope Steel Centre, Melbourne 1991 52 264 866
77. Shenzhen Special Zone Daily Tower, Shenzhen, China 1998 42 264 866
78. Tower Palace Three, Tower G, Seoul 2004 73 264 865
79. Trump World Tower, New York 2001 72 262 861
80. Water Tower Place, Chicago 1976 74 262 859
81. Grand Gateway Plaza I, Shanghai 2005 52 262 859
82. Grand Gateway Plaza II, Shanghai 2005 52 262 859
83. Aon Center, Los Angeles 1974 62 262 858
84. Hotel Panorama, Hong Kong 2007 64 261 856
85. BCE Place–Canada Trust Tower, Toronto 1990 53 261 856
86. Post & Telecommunication Hub, Guangzhou, China 2002 66 260 853
87. Dual Towers 1, Manama, Bahrain 2006 57 260 853
88. Dual Towers2, Manama, Bahrain 2006 57 260 853
89. 101 Collins Street, Melbourne 1991 50 260 853
90. Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco 1972 48 260 853
91. G.E. Building, New York 1933 70 259 850
92. Chase Tower, Chicago 1969 60 259 850
93. Commerzbank Zentrale, Frankfurt 1997 56 259 850
94. Two Liberty Place, Philadelphia 1990 58 258 848
95. Philippine Bank of Communications, Makati 2000 55 258 848
96. Park Tower, Chicago 2000 67 257 844
97. Messeturm, Frankfurt 1990 64 257 843
98. Sorrento 1, Hong Kong 2003 75 256 841
99. U.S. Steel Tower, Pittsburgh 1970 64 256 841
100. Mokdong Hyperion Tower A, Seoul 2003 69 256 840
101. Rinku Gate Tower, Izumisano, Japan 1996 56 256 840
NOTE: When a building is “topped out” (the point of construction when the structure has met its proposed structural top), the building is officially ranked and is placed on the list. UC indicates under construction: although the building has been “topped out,” construction has not been completed. Height is measured from sidewalk level of main entrance to structural top of building. This includes spires, but does not include antennas or flagpoles.
1. World Trade Center twin towers of New York City ranked fifth and sixth (at 1,368 ft and 1,362 ft) on this list until their destruction on Sept. 11, 2001.
2. A building differs from a tower in that the former is considered to be a structure that is designed for residential, business, or manufacturing purposes. Also, an essential characteristic of a building is that it has floors.
3. As of April 2008, Burj Dubai was 2,064 feet with 160 completed floors.
Source: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, 2008, Web: www.ctbuh.org , and Emporis Buildings, Web: www.emporis.com .

NOTES:

Criteria for Inclusion on the List of 100 Tallest Buildings by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

This data was gathered and/or supplied by members and representatives of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat who represent world leaders in the field of the built environment, including research, industry, and education.

What defines a building (as opposed to a tower)? A “building” is considered to be a structure that is designed for residential, business, or manufacturing purposes. An essential characteristic of a building is that it has floors. Note that towers are NOT included in the list. Although a number of tall buildings on this list have “Tower” in their name—the famous Petronas Towers, for example—none are technically towers.

When does a building appear on the list? When a building is “topped out”—the point of construction when the structure has met its proposed structural top (see height definition below)—the building is officially ranked and is placed on the list.

Height 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 flag poles. Height is listed in both meters and feet and is rounded to the nearest integer. This is the official criterion used by the Council in determining ranking.

In many cases, the height of a building is supplied to the Council using only one unit of measure (either feet or meters). Based on the exact value of the unit supplied, the other unit’s value is mathematically calculated, then rounded to the nearest integer. The final determinant in ranking a building’s height is the footage—not meters—because of footage’s smaller (and therefore more precise) incremental value.

Rank Ranking is determined by height to the structural top of the building (see above). If there is a tie, the building with the larger number of stories is ranked higher. If a tie still remains, the building which was completed first is ranked higher. If a tie would still remain, the buildings would be ranked alphabetically.

Year The year in which construction of the building was officially completed. “UC” stands for Under Construction. For a building that is currently under construction to appear on the list it must be “topped out.”

See also World's Tallest Towers (towers are NOT included in the table above), Top Ten Tallest Completed Building Projects, 2006, and Architects


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