The World’s Tallest Buildings
You would think that deciding on the world’s tallest building would be pretty simple: get a big measuring tape, measure the buildings, biggest one wins. Easy, huh? Well, apparently not.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat have defined four categories on which to measure the world’s tallest buildings. They are:
- 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 street level of the main entrance (so basements aren’t included).
Kuala Lumpur’s fantastic Petronas Towers comes second place in the architectural height category at 452m, but they are the tallest twin towers in the world. You can visit the sky bridge, although tickets sell out fast.
When Taipei 101 in Taiwan was completed on April 20, 2004 it took the first three of the four tallest building titles with an architectural height of 508m, a highest occupied floor of 438m and a roof height of 448m. Make sure you click through to the Google Local map because this tower has an absolutely monstrous shadow.
Chicago’s Sears Tower once led the way in all four categories but today is only top in the category of height with antenna at 529m. However; this is the largest height overall. Tourists can visit the 103rd floor for fantastic views over Chicago.
All three towers can be compared at Sky Scraper Page.
Thanks: Kyle Gunn, jher, Marcin, wil Grundon, Steve Ransom, Kenneth, Benjamin, Paul, Stilt, Joe Chang & Tim
![World's Largest Saw [Updated]](http://media.googlesightseeing.com/wp-content/images/worldslargestsaw.jpg "World's Largest Saw [Updated]")
Check out the weird seam just to the east of the Sears tower, espcially this (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=chicago+illinois&t=k&hl=en&ll=41.881408,-87.63029&spn=0.005743,0.014741&t=k) strange looking tall building… Buildings seem to be pointing in different directions, and even overlapping each other. kinda makes you dizzy
y’know, we’re only discussing the world’s tallest free-standing structures. There once was a radio tower near Warsaw, the capital of Poland, that was an astonishing 646 meters high! However, the tower, built in 1973, collapsed in 1991. Anyway, the reason we don’t consider this (besides the fact that’s it’s not here anymore) is that it stood with guy-wires, not on its own. More information at:
http://www.smeter.net/daily-facts/5/fact7.php
Cool, the Taipei 101 is awsome. I think this site could come in handy for finding some cool structures- http://skyscraperpage.com/ ,it has an amazing search feature under “diagrams” (you can even find the tallest trees!).
I also look forward to hopefuly sightseeing some of these strutures- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallest_buildings#Proposed_record-breaking_structures especialy the X-Seed 4000.
What about the CN tower? That’s taller than all of those - it may not be an office block but it’s surely still a ‘building’, and it’s freestanding
CN Tower, Toronto
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
Towers such as the CN Tower are not, ‘ “habitable buildings”, which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout.’
The tallest freestanding structure in the UK is the Emley Moor transmitter. I’m hoping they’ll add an entry for it, but for now, here it is. (The angle makes it look much better that the CN Tower!)
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
that is very cool Jon. Thanks.
Good link of a video of the New Year Fireworks of Taipei 101
http://www.youtube.com/w/Firework-on-Taipei-101-Happy-New-Year-2006?v=lP5ytObecLQ
Awesome Jonathon! The combination of the low look-angle and the lack of a shadow is cool.
Another link for the fireworks of taipei 101. Taken from multiple angles:
http://ra-kai.myweb.hinet.net/101/2006_101firework_teamwork.wmv
Never thought of looking for Emley Moor - it looks amazing.
It is also, by far, the tallest listed building in Britain (it was Grade II listed in 2002)
Brilliant!
Burj Dubai: 800m. Expected completion: 2008. Amazing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Dubai
What is this? Maybe the side of a building? It looks like a coded message or something, LoL. You know how you could program computers with cards that had holes in them? That’s what it reminds me of. I certainly hope this is the right link…
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
-WTC -NEVER FORGET 9/11
I took some photos of WTC in December 1999. Still hard to believe that these massive buildings could have collapsed so easily.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/eggwater/industries/gallery5.html
@ BM of M:
you put powerful enough charges throughout any structure and it will collapse easily enough
canany body define bruj dubai in one word