jstn:

NINE SUPERTALL STRUCTURES I FIND INTERESTING

Illustrations from the amazing SkyscraperPage.com. 1 pixel == 1 meter.

Burj Khalifa — 830 m — Dubai, 2010
Currently the tallest structure in the world of any type. Total cost: $1.5 billion.

Warsaw Radio Mast — 646 m — Poland, 1974
The tallest structure in the world until its catastrophic collapse in 1991, so far only surpassed by the Burj Khalifa.

Tokyo Skytree — 634 m — Japan, 2012
The second tallest structure in the world, capable of broadcasting a TV signal over the entirety of Japan.

Shanghai Tower — 632 m — China, 2014
For my money this is the coolest, most futuristic building on the immediate horizon and the closest thing yet to a SimCity arcology. It’s composed of nine cylindrical “neighborhoods” stacked on top of each other and wrapped in a double-walled glass curtain that spirals asymmetrically around the entire structure, with the interior space forming massive public atriums. More pictures and info here. Total cost: $2.2 billion.

Canton Tower — 600 m — China, 2010
Another super modern TV tower, based on a hyperboloid structure patented in 1899. Of the 124 skyscrapers currently under construction in the world, over half are in China, with the number set to double by 2018.

One World Trade Center — 541 m (spire) / 417 m (roof) — USA, 2013
The new WTC has the exact same roof height as the original, but its spire will actually make it 15 meters taller overall. Upon completion it will be the tallest building in the western hemisphere.

Wills Tower — 527 m (spire) / 442 m (roof) — USA, 1973
Higher top floor than the WTC, but shorter overall. Has a terrifying glass-bottomed skydeck. Forever the Sears Tower to me.

Empire State Building — 443 m (spire) / 381 m (roof) — USA, 1931
Ultimate all-time classic skyscraper, tallest building in the world for over 40 years (surpassed by WTC). A B-25 bomber crashed into the 80th floor in 1945.

432 Park Avenue — 420 m — USA, 2015
My favorite upcoming building in New York that few seem to have heard about yet, especially considering how dramatically it might alter the skyline. The foundation has already been laid on the site of the former Drake Hotel on east 56th street, and when finished will have the highest roof in the city.