10 Of The Tallest Towers Of The World: Height, Details, And Features

Mankind has managed to amazing progress as far as making inspiring architecture is concerned. The world is filled with several skyscrapers and huge towers that remain an example of how far technology and the human mind have progressed.

Records are made and broken as far as the tallest towers of the world are concerned. There are a lot of different towers spread all over the globe and most of these towers have become great tourist attractions as well. For instance, people from different parts of the world head to Dubai to take a glimpse of the Burj Khalifa. At the same time, there are towers in other nations too that attract tourists.

Of course, making a tall building isn’t easy and there are so many aspects that one needs to consider. It is imperative to ensure that one pays heed to the architectural details lest they can lead to problems. The last thing you want is to find that the tower ends up crumbling. This is why you should pay the right attention to the structural details.

There is a separate body called The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). It was formed in 1961 and its primary work is to map and measure the different towers and buildings and record their key features, heights, and more. They make use of three different ways of measuring a tower.

The architectural top

This is the net height when measured from the ground level to the tip of the tower. This will not include portions like flags or even antennae.

The occupational floors

It also measures the highest floor in the building that is currently under use.

The tip

This will include things like antenna and flag that is the parts that are not included under architectural tops.

Therefore, together all of these help in summarising the complete details of the towers. These details often come in handy as they help in analysing which buildings and towers are the tallest and the purposes they serve at hand too.

So, if you too seem to be interested to know the top towers of the world, we are going to share the right details with you. We will give you the complete details of the different towers that have managed to get themselves listed in the countdown of the top ten towers.

The Tallest Towers Of The World

To give you an idea of the different man-made architectural brilliance and how some of the towers are incredibly tall, huge, and vast, we will be sharing a list of the tallest towers. We will start from the tallest towers and then continue onwards from there.

1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai

burj khalifa (1) — Source: Tom Li / Pexels

The tallest tower in the world currently, this one is the real pride of Dubai. People from endless countries all over the world make it a point to head here to witness the sprawling beauty of this unique tower.

The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper that serves varied uses. In true Arabic style, this tower holds the record for several aspects. Let us give you some of the details to acquaint you with why this skyscraper is one of the most talked about man-made architecture.

The tallest tower in the world
Tallest freestanding tower in the world
Highest observation deck
Elevator with the most distance length
Tallest service elevator
Highest occupied floor in the world
Building with the highest number of stories

This is simply a display of the brilliance that went into the making of this architecture. It took just six years for the architects to complete this incredibly amazing structure. The Burj Khalifa was formally opened on January 4th, 2010 and you will find endless hotels, offices, restaurants, luxury residences, and even healthcare centres here.

It is owned by Emaar Properties and is valued at 1.5 billion USD currently. It made use of a whopping 39,000 tons of steel along with 330,000 cubic metres of concrete. The key architects whose vision was mapped to reality for the Burj Khalifa are Adrian Smith, George J. Efstathiou, and Marshall Strabala.

2. The India Tower

It looks like it is the Asian continent that has an upper hand in the list of the tallest towers. This tower is disputed as the construction was halted in between. Located in the city of Mumbai, India; the tower was previously known as Park Hyatt tower.

As per the initial plans, the tower was supposed to have a height of 301.1 metres but the project was dropped. It was then amended and resumed in 2010 with the idea of making it a supremely tall building. After the BMC approved, it was decided that the tower construction work would kickstart and it will be located at Chami Road in Girgaon.

It was in May 2011 that construction work was halted owing to a payment dispute with the developers. In 2015, the tower was subsequently cancelled, despite that, it remains the second tallest tower in the world.

It is located along the curve of Marine drive and offers views to die for. Along with this, there are several office spaces, residences, and several other things. The tower is shaped like a tube and one can split it into two symmetrical halves.

It also comes with a sky lobby that boasts a panoramic platform. It has 126 floors above the ground and 5 are present below it. The occupational area however is a meagre 508 metres. India has several other towers. You can check out the biggest towers in India for more details.

3. The Warison Merdeka Tower

Yet another Asian country to bombard its place in the list of the tallest towers, this one hails from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is alternately also known as the Merdeka 118. There were as many as three different phases that were used for completing this tower.

This tower is a part of the RM5 billion development project and uses a whopping 19-acre site in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The development work is still ongoing and the project is likely to get completed by 2026. If things go as per the envisioned plan, the project will end up having the highest observation deck in east Asia. There is a 7-storey mall inside the tower and there will be several residential and office spaces inside the tower.

Part of the tower is going to function as a headquarters for Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). It will have a hotel and a hotel residential space, both of which will be managed by Park Hyatt.

4. The Tokyo Skytree

Back in 2011, this tower was listed in the Guinness book of world records as the tallest tower in the world. However, ever since then, more towers were made and this one got pushed down. The observation deck is on the 350th floor where people can behold the incredibly beautiful skyline of Tokyo. It remains one of the top tourist attractions in Tokyo and people in large numbers gear together to witness the beauty of this tower.

There is a lot to do at the Skytree. The tower got its inspiration from the different temples and swords of Japan. One can find a uniting radio tower here along with a shopping centre as well. The core of the structure is made using concrete and steel tubes are used to surround it and give it the right support and strength. The height of the tower is 634 metres and Nikken Sekkei is the architect whose vision shaped this tower.

5. Shanghai Tower

When we are talking of the tallest towers in the world, how could China stay behind? At one point in time, it was the second tallest tower in the world. However, other taller structures pushed it down. With a height of 632 metres, it is the tallest skyscraper in China.

The tower is currently valued at 15.7 billion yuan and it is owned by Yeti construction and development. The overall shape of this tower is pretty asymmetrical but the key reason behind this is to ensure that it could withstand the strong typhoon winds that are very common in Shanghai.

There are 5 basement floors in the towers and as many as 128 floors above the ground. Like most of the other skyscraper towers, this one too has several restaurants and shopping centres inside it. Gensier along with other designers planned this vision. It remains one of the top tourist highlights for people visiting Shanghai. One can steal some of the most mesmerising views of the city from this tower.

6. The Makkah Royal Clock Tower

With a staggering height of 601 metres and the vision of SL Rasch GmbH and Dar Al- Handasah, this clock tower has managed to make a name of its own. It is also known as the Abraj Al-Bayt and is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

As per reports, as much as 3 billion dollars were spent in making this architecture and the current value is 15 billion dollars. This clock tower has several different towers and there are endless shopping centres, hotels, and even residential areas inside it. One of the notable things has to be a massive prayer area located inside the tower to allow several people to pray together.

It contains 3 underground floors and there are as many as 120 floors above the ground. Of the 601 metres, only 494 metre comprises the occupied space. The remaining 100 metres sports a spire with a crescent. This is in tune with the Islamic undertones of the city. The clock present on the tower is very famous as it tends to resemble Big Ben in London.

7. Ping An Finance Centre

Another skyscraper from China, this one is located in Guangdong. It has a total height of 599 metres and the main architect is Kohn Pedersen Fox. The occupational height of the tower is mere 562 metres but it is built right in the urban locality and has a busy city surrounding it.

This tower primarily functions as office space and as many as 100 floors are dedicated to office use. It gets massive footfall as it is estimated that as much as 15,500 workers along with 9000 passengers pass through this centre every day.

It comes with a tapered facade for the sake of battering adverse weather conditions. The design helps in cutting down the wind speed by as much as 40 percent. It is owned by the Ping An Life Insurance Company of China. This project was completed back in 2016 and is a great architectural brilliance.

8. Goldin Finance

China has a lot of towers to contribute to the list. This one with a height of 596 metres is located in Tianjin city. This building sports an area of 280,000 metres and has as many as 117 floors. There are several restaurants, swimming pools, shopping complexes, luxury hotels and more. This tower is famous for boasting of the best technological development used and its key highlight is the diamond shape that is present at the very crown of the tower.

The occupied space is merely 584 metres and the rest is just an iconic show of architectural brilliance. The building is currently valued at 4.9 billion USD.

9. Lotte World Tower

Located in Seoul, South Korea, this sport has a height of 555 metres. James von Klemperer is the man behind this incredibly beautiful design. It took five years to make this brilliant building as the construction started in 2011 and was completed in 2016.

There are 129 floors above the ground and 6 of them are underground. The tower covers a net area of 304,081 square metres and comes with a sharp and sleek design. The shape of the tower is in sharp contrast to the overall terrain of the city which is largely rocky.

There are tons of art galleries and cafeterias inside the tower and an observation deck as well. The tower is the first in the country to have more than 100 floors. The current value of the tower is 2.5 billion USD.

10. The Willis Tower

The only tower on the list that is not from Asia, this one is in Chicago, Illinois and has a net height of 527 metres. Bruce Graham and Fazlur Rahman Khan are the two architects behind this steep tower. It has a net height of 527 metres and it was earlier known as the Sears tower. The tower was made in 3 years and the construction dates back to 1970.

The tower is famous as it was the first one to ever have a sky deck observatory. People for the first time stood high on a building to gaze at the skyline of the city. It is the second tallest structure in America. Of the total height, it is just 443 metres of the tower is occupied. It is estimated that as many as 1.7 million tourists come to visit this tower every year.

Blackstone had purchased this tower back in 2015 for a whopping 1.3 billion USS and they currently own it.

So, these are some of the tallest towers. Some structures are taller and you can check the tallest structures too to gauge just how far technology and architects have come. No doubt, these towers continue to amaze and entertain us.

FAQ

Which tower has the highest number of floors and how many?

The Burj Khalifa holds the record for the highest number of floors and it stands at 163

Which is the tallest towers in the world?

The Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower and holds several other records as well. It is one of the biggest architectural brilliance at the moment.

What makes Willis Tower so special?

In this countdown, it is the oldest tower. It also remains the first tower to have a sky deck and the public first witnessed the skyline from a sky deck on this tower.

Is the India tower disputed?

The India tower construction was halted midway owing to a payment-related dispute between the owners. The tower project was cancelled in 2015 though it is still operational even today.

Do all towers have an observation deck?

Mostly, it is seen that all towers tend to have an observation deck as it is a great way to bring in tourists and promote the city as well. It also allows simple to experience some of the most majestic views of the skyline too.