World's tallest structures

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Image:Cntower2.jpg

Until the mid 20th century the record for the world's tallest structure was relatively clearly defined (see table below.) Since that time however, more debate and confusion has been present over the criteria and definitions involved. In terms of absolute height, most of the tallest structures are the dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers that are around 600 meters (2000 feet) tall.

Contents

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Contested criteria

Tall-structure enthusiasts debate:

  • whether guy-wire–supported structures should be eligible to be counted
  • whether only habitable height counts and if so;
    • whether observation galleries on communication towers make them into habitable buildings
  • whether roof-top antennas can be counted towards height of buildings (the debate over this has especially focused on the fact that things that look like spires can be either classified as an antenna or an "architectural detail")
  • whether structures currently under construction can be included in the list
  • whether structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included.
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Tallest structures

Tallest Structure by Category

Category Structure Country/Region City Height to relevant point
Supported structure - under construction Magnolia Tension-leg Platform Gulf of Mexico 1,430 m (est.) (4,700 ft)
Building - under construction Mubarak al-Kabir Tower Kuwait Kuwait City 1,001 m (3,284 ft) (est.) (4,700 ft)
Supported structureMars Tension-leg Platform Gulf of Mexico 990.6 m (3,250 ft)
Building - under construction Burj Dubai UAE Dubai 705 m (est.) (2,313 ft)
Supported structure on land - highest everWarsaw Radio Mast Poland Gabin 646.38 m (2,120 ft) (collapsed in 1991)
Supported structure on land - currentlyKVLY-TV mastUSA Blanchard, North Dakota 629 m (2,063 ft)
Freestanding structurePetronius Platform Gulf of Mexico 610 m (2,001 ft)
Freestanding structure on land CN Tower Canada Toronto 553 m (1,815 ft)
Supported structure on land - currentlyOstankino TV-Tower Russia Moscow 540 m (1,772 ft)
Building - to top of antennaSears Tower USA Chicago 529 m (1,736 ft)
Building - to architectural topTaipei 101 Taiwan Taipei 508 m (1,667 ft)
Building - under construction Abraj Al Bait Towers Saudi Arabia Mecca 485 m (1,591 ft) (est.)
Building - to top of antenna Petronas Towers Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 452 m (1483 ft.)
Building - Proposed Project Port Tower Complex Karachi Pakistan 450 m (1,476 ft)
Building - to top of the roof Taipei 101 Taiwan Taipei 448 (1,470 ft)
Chimney GRES-2 Power Station Kazakhstan Ekibastusz 419.7 m (1,375 ft)
Lattice towerKiev TV Tower Ukraine Kiev 385 m (1,263 ft)
Chimney - freestanding Inco Superstack Canada Sudbury 381m (1,257 ft)
Partially guyed towerGerbrandy Tower Netherlands Lopik 375 m (1,230 ft)
Bridge pillarMillau ViaductFrance Millau 341 m (1,119 ft)
Incomplete buildingRyugyong Hotel North Korea Pyongyang 330 m (1,083 ft)
Residential building Q1Australia Gold Coast 323 m (1,059 ft)
Commercial buildingKingdom CentreSaudi Arabia Riyadh 302 m (992 ft)
Electricity pylonPylons of Pearl River Crossing People's Republic of China Pearl River 253 m (830 ft)
Educational Building Moscow State University Russia Moscow 240 m (787 ft)
MinaretHassan II Mosque Morocco Casablanca 210 m (689 ft)
Wooden tower - highest everRadio Tower Muehlacker Germany Mühlacker 190 m (623 ft) (demolished in 1945)
Masonry buildingPhiladelphia City Hall USA Philadelphia 167 m (548 ft)
Church towerUlm Münster Germany Ulm 161 m (528 ft)
Industrial hall Vehicle Assembly Building USA Kennedy Space Center 160 m (525 ft)
Memorial cross Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos Spain El Escorial 152.4 m (500 ft)
Roller coaster Kingda Ka USA Jackson, NJ 138.98 m (456 ft)
Tomb Great Pyramid of Giza Egypt near Cairo 138.75 (455.21 ft), only surviving classical wonder of the world original height: 146.5 m / 481 ft
Air-traffic-control tower KUL Control Tower Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 130 m (427 ft)
Silo Henninger Turm Germany Frankfurt 120 m (394 ft)
Light advertisement Bayer Cross Leverkusen Germany Leverkusen 118 m (387 ft)
Wooden tower Radio Tower Gliwice Poland Gliwice 118 m (387 ft)
Support tower of aerial tramway Pillar of third section of Gletscherbahn Kaprun Austria Kaprun 113.6 m (373 ft)

Image:Mars Tension-leg Platform.jpg The tallest currently standing structure, including those structures which are partially under water, is the Mars Platform in the Gulf of Mexico, at 990.6 m (3,250 ft). It is a tension-leg platform, meaning that it consists of a deck located atop a hull which is connected to pontoons located far below the water surface, which provide buoyancy support. The structure is connected to foundation piles on the sea floor by rigid tendons, which are analogous to guy-wires. As this oil and natural gas platform is partially supported by buoyancy, some critics argue that the below-water height should not be counted, in the same manner as the underground 'height' of buildings is not taken into account.

Image:Mars Tension-leg Platform after Katrina.jpg The Mars Platform, while still standing and predominantly intact, is currently not functioning due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina in late August of 2005. The platform was engineered to withstand 22 m (72 ft) waves and 225 km/h (120 mph) winds simultaneously; however, winds alone from Katrina were estimated to be in the 265 to 280 km/h (165 to 175 mph) range in the vicinity of the platform. ***The structural height of the above-deck portion of the platform was temporarily affected by as much as 20 m (65 ft).

Image:KVLYFromBase.jpeg The tallest currently standing structure on land is the KVLY-TV mast near Mayville, North Dakota, at 629 m (2,063 ft). It is a transmission antenna, consisting of a bare metal structure supported by guy-wires. The Warsaw radio mast at Gabin-Konstantynow near Warsaw, Poland at 645 m (2,115 ft) was taller, but it collapsed on August 8, 1991. Masts such as these are generally not considered 'tall buildings', primarily because they are not self-supporting. They require guy wires to remain upright. For greater detail on communication masts, see either List of the world's tallest structures, List of masts, or Table of masts.

The Petronius Platform stands 610 m (2,001 ft) tall, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the world. The CN Tower in Toronto stands at 553.33 m (1,815 ft) tall, and it is the tallest freestanding structure above ground.

The tallest tower built of lattice steel is Kiev TV Tower with a height of 386 metres. Built in 1934 and demolished in 1945, the tallest tower ever built of wood was the 190 metre high radio tower of the transmitter Mühlacker in Germany. The tallest tower built of wood is currently the transmission tower of the transmitter Gliwice in Poland at 118 meters.

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Way of comparison

There are two ways of comparison, the CTBUH way (explained later in this article) and the AA Skyscraper way. All About Skyscrapers (AA Skyscrapers) divided the comparison of structures into seven different categories.

Fully habitable structures - Spire Taipei 101 Taipei 1,671 ft (509m)
Fully habitable structures - Antenna, Sears Tower Chicago 1,736 ft (529m)
Fully habitable structures - Highest Floor, Taipei 101 Taipei 1,437 ft (438m)
Partially habitable structures - Spire, CN Tower Toronto 1,481 ft (452m)
Partially habitable structures - Antenna, CN Tower Toronto 1,816 ft (554m)
Partially habitable structures - Highest Floor, CN Tower Toronto 1,481 ft (452m)
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Tallest buildings

Image:Skyscrapercompare1.PNG

Up until 1998 the tallest building status was essentially uncontested. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, New York City's World Trade Center was the tallest including the antennas, Sears Tower in Chicago excluding the antennas. As antennas were usually excluded, Sears Tower was counted as the tallest. When Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was built, some felt that the "spire" extending to 9 meters higher than the roof of the Sears Tower was just added to "cheat" its way into the spot as tallest building. Excluding the spire, the Petronas Towers were not taller than the Sears Tower. Therefore, before the Petronas Towers were completed, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat defined four categories in which the "world's tallest building" can be measured:

  1. Height to the structural or architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles)
  2. Height to the highest occupied floor
  3. Height to the top of the roof
  4. Height to the top of antenna

The height is measured from the sidewalk level of the main entrance. In all of these categories, Sears Tower had held the top spot. After Petronas was built, Sears Tower became second in the first category only.

On April 20, 2004, the Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan was completed. Its completion gave it the record for the first category.

Image:Ost.jpg

Today, the Taipei 101 leads in the first category with 508 m (1,667 ft); in the second category with an occupied floor at 438 m (1,437 ft); and in the third category with 448 m (1,470 ft). The first category was formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers with 452 m (1,483 ft), and before that by Sears Tower with 443 m (1,448 ft). The second category was held by the Sears Tower, with 435 m (1,431 ft). The third category was formerly held by the Sears Tower with 442 m (1,445 ft).

The Sears Tower still leads in the fourth category with 527 m (1,730 ft), 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 included, 1 World Trade Center measured 526 m (1,727 ft). The World Trade Center became the world's tallest buildings to be 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 are 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)1. Height to the architectural top 2. Height to the highest occupied floor 3. Height to the top of the roof4. Height to the top of antenna
2003 (Completion of Taipei 101)Taipei 101Taipei 101Taipei 101Sears Tower
2000 (Extension of Sears Tower antenna)Petronas Twin TowersSears TowerSears TowerSears Tower
1998 (Completion of Petronas Towers)Petronas Twin TowersSears TowerSears TowerWorld Trade Center
1996 (CTBUH defines the four categories)Sears TowerSears TowerSears TowerWorld Trade Center
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Tallest structures in world history

Held record Name and Location Constructed Height (m) Height (ft) Notes
From To
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 160 524 The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549
1549 1625 St. Olav's Church, Tallinn (Reval), Estonia 1438–1519 159 522 The spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1625, rebuilt several times, current overall height is 123 m
1625 1847 Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Germany, now France 1439 143 469
1847 1876 St. Nikolaikirche, Hamburg, Germany 1846–1847 147 483 Designed by George Gilbert Scott
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 1848–1884 169 555 Still the tallest free-standing stone building in the world
1889 1930 Eiffel Tower, Paris, France 1887–1889 300 986 The addition of a telecommunications tower brought the overall height to 324 meters in 1959
1930 1931 Chrysler Building, New York, United States 1928–1930 319 1046  
1931 1954 Empire State Building, New York, United States 1930–1931 381 1250 The addition of a telecommunications tower in 1952 brought the overall height to 448 meters
1954 1956 Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States 1954 481 1577 guyed mast
1956 1959 KOBR-TV Tower, Roswell, New Mexico, United States 1956 491 1610 guyed mast
1959 1960 WGME TV Tower, Raymond, Maine, United States 1959 495 1624 guyed mast
1960 1962 KFVS TV Mast, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States 1960 511 1677 guyed mast
1962 1963 Ray-Com Media Tower Cusseta, Columbus, Georgia, United States 1962 533 1748 guyed mast
September, 1963 November, 1963 WIMZ-FM-Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States 1963 534 1752 guyed mast
1963 1974 KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States 1963 629 2063 guyed mast, regained title in 1991
1974 1991 Warsaw radio mast, Konstantynów, Poland 1963 646 2120 guyed mast, tallest structure ever built, collapsed in 1991
1991 KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States 1963 628.8 2063 guyed mast, regained title upon collapse of Warsaw radio mast in 1991
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Currently-standing tallest skyscrapers

Listed by height to the architectural top.

Note that this list, with the exception of the comparison section, is limited to a certain type of structure, and is characterized by a very specific type of height measurement. Most of the tallest structures in the world are guyed broadcasting towers. The structures on this list are not sorted by the absolute highest point on the building, due to the nature of the skyscrapers.

Rank Name and location Year
completed 		Height to architectural top1 Stories
m ft
1 Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 2004 508 1,668 101
2 Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 452 1,483 88
(tie) 2 Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 452 1,483 88
4 Sears Tower, Chicago (IL), United States 1974 442 1,451 108
5 Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, China 1998 421 1,380 88
6 Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong SAR 2003 420 1,377 88
7 CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China 1997 391 1,283 80
8 Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China 1996 384 1,260 69
9 Empire State Building, New York (NY), United States 1931 381 1,250 102
10 Central Plaza, Hong Kong SAR 1992 374 1,227 78
11 Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong SAR 1989 368 1,209 72
12 Emirates Office Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 1999 355 1,165 55
13 T & C Tower, Kaohsiung, Republic of China (Taiwan) 1997 347 1,140 85
14 Aon Center, Chicago (IL), United States 1973 346 1,136 80
15 The Center, Hong Kong SAR 1998 346 1,135 73
16 John Hancock Center, Chicago (IL), United States 1967 344 1,127 100
17 Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea 1995 330 1,083 105
18 Burj al Arab Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 1999 321 1,053 60
19 Chrysler Building, New York (NY), United States 1930 319 1,046 77
20 Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta (GA), United States 1993 312 1,023 55
21 U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles (CA), United States 1990 310 1,018 75
22 Telekom Malaysia Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1999 310 1,017 55
23 Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2000 309 1,014 56
24 AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago (IL), United States 1989 307 1,007 60
25 Baiyoke Tower II, Bangkok, Thailand 1997 304 997 85
29 First Canadian Place, Toronto (ON), Canada 1975 298 978 72
Towers and Other Structures for comparison
– KVLY-TV mast, Fargo (ND), United States 1963 629 2,063 –
1 CN Tower, Toronto (ON), Canada 1976 553 1,815 –
2 Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia 1967 540 1,772 –

1 Height for inhabited buildings (with stories) does not include TV towers and antennas.
2 The tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere.

Source: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

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Proposed record-breaking structures

In 1956, Frank Lloyd Wright proposed a structure known as The Illinois, which would have been one mile (1609 m) high. This structure was considered by many both technically impossible, and wholly unneeded. Since that time some 4000 ft (1220 m) tall or higher skyscrapers or pyramids have been proposed as population pressures have seemed to indicate a need for them, but as of now, no structure approaching the height of The Illinois is past a planning stage. (See X-Seed 4000, Sky City 1000 and Pyramid City)

The UK architectural firm, Eric Kuhne and Associates, based in London, is in very serious and confidential talks with the Kuwaiti Government about building a 1,001 meter tall Mubarak al-Kabir Tower in the newly-approved 150-billion-dollar Madinat al-Hareer development, which would include the construction of a new Olympic city and stadium.

On March 30, 2006, Kuwaiti newspapers released images Mubarak al-Kabir Tower of the new Madinat al-Hareer (or "City of Silk") development, to be located north of Kuwait Bay and connected to Kuwait City by a bridge. The development will feature the Mubarak Tower, the world's tallest at 1001 meters, along with a new international airport, hotels, resorts, residences, and an Olympic City. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in the next five to seven years, with the entire project taking twenty-five years to complete. The expected cost of the project is twenty-five billion Kuwaiti dinars (over seventy-five billion U.S. dollars).

Image:Madinat.jpg

The proposed solar chimney referred to as Solar Tower Buronga in Buronga, New South Wales, Australia would be 1,000 m (3,281 ft) tall. Engineering feasibility has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of consulting engineers, and construction is a matter of financial viability.

The 492 m (1,614 ft; roof height) Shanghai World Financial Centre in Shanghai, China has proposed completion in 2007, but has been delayed by evaluation of soil stability. A competing on-going project for the world's tallest is the 490 m (1,608 ft) Union Square Phase 7 in Hong Kong, also scheduled for completion in 2007. This would make either building the tallest under categories 2 and 3 by the CTBUH.

The Freedom Tower of the new World Trade Center in New York City will reach 1,776 ft (541.3 metres) to its spire and about 1,368 ft (416.9 metres) to its roof once completed in 2011. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 2004.

The Al Burj and the Burj Dubai are skyscrapers currently under development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The final heights for both are unknown, but both will be at least 700 meters (2,296 feet). The Burj Dubai is designed to be completed around 2008, which would put it at the number one spot in all four of CTBUH's categories, as well as make it the tallest manmade structure of any kind in history.

The new Guangdong TV Tower at Guangzhou, China may also become one of the world's tallest structures.

There are some plans for a 609.6 metre high free-standing TV tower at Bayonne, New Jersey.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi announced his own "world's tallest" proposal, the 677m-tall pyramid-shaped World Centre of Vedic Learning, in 1998, in India.

Serious thought and design work has been invested in a concept called the Space elevator, which could conceivably extend from ground level to well past geosynchronous orbit; a height of 100,000 km, although the current state-of-the-art in technology cannot produce the materials needed for such an engineering feat. If built, it would shatter the current record for the tallest structure by a factor of almost 200,000.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2006 on the Strait of Messina Bridge, When completed the bridge will be the largest suspension bridge as well as the tallest. The height of the two towers will be 382.6 metres, taller than the current record holder, the Millau Viaduct in France (341 metres).

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Other proposed very tall towers

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Radio masts taller than 600 metres

Tower Pinnacle height Country Town External links
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Sargent 609.6 metres USA Sargent, Texas [1]
Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Winnie 609.6 metres USA Winnie, Texas [2]
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Era 609.6 metres USA Era, Texas [3]
American Media Services Tower Agate 609.5 metres USA Agate, Colorado [4]
Vertical Properties Tower Busterville 609.5 metres USA Busterville, Texas [5], [6]
Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Stowell 609.3 metres USA Stowell, Texas [7], [8]
Pegasus Broadcasting Tower 609 metres USA Metcalf, Georgia [9]
SpectraSite Tower Raymond 608.8 metres USA Raymond, Mississippi [10]
Beasley Tower 608.7 metres USA Immokalee, Florida [11]
KKDD-FM Tower 608.1 metres USA Hoyt, Colorado [12]
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Devers 607.7 metres USA Devers, Texas [13]
Wiliam Smith Tower Walker 607 metres USA Walker, Iowa [14]
CBC Real Estate Tower Auburn 606.4 metres USA Auburn, North Carolina [15]
Pappas Telecasting Tower Plymouth County 2 603.5 metres USA Plymouth County, Iowa [16]
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Towers/Skyscrapers

  • TV tower of Djakarta [17].
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See also

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External links

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