Happy Skyscraper Day
For today’s “Skyscraper Day” we have listed the 10 tallest, but also most spectacular buildings in the world for you. Today we have the chance to honor the giants of the cities and get the opportunity to give a little consolation against the growing wanderlust.
Taipei 101
The tallest building in Taiwan is in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, and is currently the tenth tallest building in the world. Taipei 101 rises 508 meters above the city’s skyline, but in addition to the 101 floors above ground, it also offers five underground floors.
In addition to the pagoda-like design of the building, the building was built according to the Feng Shui doctrine. Thus, according to the traditional Chinese understanding, the tenants should be protected from negative influences. The oversized Chinese lucky coins that can be seen on the facade of the building are supposed to protect against bad business.
The Shard
With its 72 usable floors and a height of 309.6 meters, the Shard was the tallest skyscraper on the European continent from July to October 2012 and the tallest skyscraper in the EU until January 31, 2020.
The facade is completely glazed with 11,000 panes and is therefore a real eye-catcher.
In the skyscraper, the lower 28 floors are intended for offices, above there are three floors with publicly accessible luxury restaurants and above again a five-star hotel from the Shangri-La chain with 200 rooms. This is followed by 13 floors with ten luxury apartments with all-round views and finally the viewing platform at the top. Above the 72nd floor is the Spire, which was constructed from 800 individual steel parts, weighs 500 tons, is 66 meters high and was set up by the largest crane in Great Britain.
Aspire Tower
This skyscraper is the tallest building in Qatar at 300 meters and is located in Ar-Rayyan. The tower was built for the Asian Games in 2006 and is therefore intended to remind of an Olympic torch.
In the tower there is a 17-story hotel with a restaurant, museums and a viewing platform for visitors.
The highlight of the building only becomes visible at night – the skyscraper changes its lighting via LED technology, which is incorporated into a wire mesh, and shines in rainbow colors.
Fun fact: On March 27, 2015, the Aspire Tower with its 1304 steps hosted the first official stairway world championship.
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center is the tallest building in New York City and has a sad background. It was built on Ground Zero, next to the place where the twin towers were destroyed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and innocent people lost their lives.
The 541.3 meter tall building is the tallest in the United States and currently the seventh tallest in the world. The tower is said to be a memorial against terrorism and is used commercially as an office building.
The viewing floors are on the upper floors (floors 100-104) at a height of 406 meters. They offer visitors panoramic views of New York and beyond. There is a public restaurant on the 102nd floor.
Maha Nakhon
Maha Nakhon is the second tallest building in Bangkok at 313 meters and 77 floors. It seems as if a pixelated ribbon is looping around the building, peeling off the surface layer and thus exposing an inner layer. This creates balconies with a view of the city. The glass walls are divided horizontally and vertically, which contributes to the “pixelated” appearance of the building. The use of the tower is divided into living space, entertainment area for residents and hotel area. On the roof, the Skybar extends over 3,500 square meters, with a further 6,000 square meters intended for retailers
Al Hamra Tower
The Al Hamra Tower is in Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait. The height of the building is 413 meters and the 77 floors of the building offer 195,000 square meters of floor space. In addition to offices, there is a restaurant here, from which one has a panoramic view of the city.
The special winding shape is unmistakable and a real trademark of the city. Another special feature is the marble cladding that was attached to the concrete facade between the windows. These were individually glued to the facade by the construction workers, who lifted them up in baskets that were hung from cranes.
Evolution Tower
The Evolution Tower in Moscow turns like a screw into the sky. You could also say that the 246-meter-high skyscraper was modeled on a strand of DNA. The entire tower has a rotation of 135°, which corresponds to a rotation of about 2.5° for each of the 55 above-ground floors. In 2015, the building received second place in the Emporis Skyscraper Award.
Lakhta Center
The Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg is the tallest building in Europe at 462 meters. It is located on the northern bank of the Gulf of Finland and is intended to relieve the heavily frequented city center. The main purpose of the multi-purpose building complex is public use through leisure activities. The two individual buildings of the building complex are connected by an inner courtyard, making the total area of ​​the complex 570,000 m².
In addition to a modern business center, the buildings contain office space, a conference center, sports facilities, a children’s center for science and education, a health center, a film center and a spherical planetarium.
At a height of 315 meters there is a panorama restaurant and on the top floor (370 m) there is a viewing terrace with a 360-degree view.
Shanghai Tower
The Shanghai Tower is located in the Pudong financial district in Shanghai and has a height of 632 meters, 128 floors above and five below ground, 106 elevators and a lobby on the 101st floor.
Together with the 420-meter-high Jin Mao Tower and the 492-meter-high Shanghai World Financial Center, it forms an ensemble of three very high skyscrapers, with the Shanghai Tower clearly towering above the other two buildings.
It is the tallest building in China and the third tallest structure on earth after the Burj Khalifa and the Sky Tree in Tokyo with 634 meters.
The highest viewing platform is on the 121st floor, 562.1 meters above the ground.
Burj Khalifa
With its 828 meters height and 163 usable floors, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is currently the tallest and probably the most famous building in the world. This year it was supposed to be replaced by the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which should measure 1007 meters by the time of completion. The construction work has been suspended since 2018, which is why the Burj Khalifa may still keep its title and is therefore definitely worth a visit.
As a visitor, you can take an elevator to the 124th floor in 55 seconds, where one of the viewing platforms is 456 meters high with a 360-degree view.
Since autumn 2014, visitors have even been able to drive up to the 148th floor and enjoy the breathtaking view over Dubai from 555 meters.
As you can see from this list, the architects have already come up with many creativity when planning and building these “giants”.
Our list can be a little inspiration on the day of the skyscraper, possibly for an upcoming incentive or a vacation trip to one of these fantastic countries.
Because as soon as travel is safe again and the world is “open” again, nothing stands in the way of a visit to one of these giants …
And our travel expert team can tell you how to get there 🙂