If you thought the Burj Khalifa was big, wait until you see what else made our list of the 10 largest buildings in the world. From an airport terminal to a hotel, these structures will leave you in awe. Keep reading to learn about these ten behemoths and their place in history.
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the tallest building in the world. The skyscraper stands at 2,717 feet (828 meters), and has a total of 163 floors. The building was completed in 2010, and was designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
The Burj Khalifa has a number of unique features, including the world’s highest observation deck, situated on the 124th floor. The deck offers stunning views of the city below, and on a clear day, visitors can see up to 95 miles (153 kilometers) away.
The building also houses the world’s fastest elevator, which can travel from the ground floor to the top in just 60 seconds. And for those looking for a thrill, there’s also an “edge walk” – a stroll around the perimeter of the building’s outdoor observation deck on the 148th floor.
Shanghai Tower
The Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China and the second-tallest in the world, with a height of 632 metres. It is located in the Lujiazui area of Pudong, in Shanghai. The tower has 128 floors, and is the world's highest observation deck at 562 metres. The building also has the world's fastest elevators, travelling at 18 metres per second.
Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower
The Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower is a mega tall skyscraper with a clock on each face. It is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and is the world's largest building by floor area. The building has a total height of 1,972 feet (601 meters) and contains 120 floors. The clock tower was completed in 2012 and includes a hotel, mosque, and observation deck.
Ping An Finance Centre
Ping An Finance Centre is a 115-storey skyscraper in Shenzhen, China. The building was completed in 2016, and is the tallest building in Shenzhen, as well as the fourth-tallest building in China. The building has a height of 599 metres (1,965 feet), and contains office space, retail space, a hotel, and an observation deck.
The Ping An Finance Centre was designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. The exterior of the building is composed of three distinct sections: a rectangular base, a triangular middle section, and a circular top. The exterior is covered in glass and steel, and is illuminated at night by LED lights.
The building contains 2.1 million square metres (23 million square feet) of floor space. The offices occupy the lower levels of the building, while the hotel and retail spaces are located in the upper levels. The observation deck is located on the 116th floor, and offers views of Shenzhen and the surrounding area.
Lotte World Tower
Lotte World Tower is a supertall skyscraper with 123 floors, located in Seoul, South Korea. The tower has a height of 1,821 feet (555 meters), making it the fifth tallest building in the world. Lotte World Tower was completed in March 2016, and features office space, retail space, apartments, a hotel, and an observation deck.
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. One WTC is the tallest building in the United States, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest building in the world. The supertall structure has 94 stories of office space above ground and five below ground. The 104-story tall One World Trade Center replaced the original 6 World Trade Center that was destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001.
The primary tenant of One World Trade Center is Condé Nast, a global media company. The company leases about one million square feet of space in One WTC for its headquarters and occupies 25% of the available space in the entire building. Other notable tenants include Moody's Corporation, China Construction Bank, BGC Partners, Group M, and Legends Hospitality.
One World Trade Center was designed by architect David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). Its construction began on April 27, 2006. The building opened on November 3, 2014.
Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is the tallest building in China and the fourth-tallest building in the world. The skyscraper is 1,739 feet tall and has 111 floors. The building was completed in 2016 and is located in Guangzhou, China.
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre houses a hotel, offices, retail space, and a convention center. The building’s architecture features a unique double-skin façade that helps to regulate the indoor temperature. The skyscraper also has a “ sky garden ” on its 100th floor that offers panoramic views of Guangzhou.
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 is a skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, that stood as the world's tallest building from 2004 until 2010. It is now the fourth-tallest building in the world at 1,667 feet (508 meters), and it remains the tallest building in Taiwan. The building is composed of 101 floors above ground, with 5 basement levels for parking and shopping malls, making a total of 106 floors. The structure was designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and engineered by Fazlur Khan of Skidmore Ownings & Merrill.
The exterior of Taipei 101 is adorned with 8,648 windows—a lucky number according to Chinese culture—overlooking scenic views of Taipei City. The top floor features an indoor observatory deck called “The Sky Deck” which offers 360-degree views of the cityscape below. Visitors can take an express elevator up to the observatory in just 37 seconds!
Since its completion in 2004, Taipei 101 has become an iconic symbol of Taipei City and a popular tourist destination. So whether you're looking to snap a selfie with one of the world's most recognizable buildings or just enjoy stunning views of Taipei, be sure to add Taipei 101 to your list of must-see sights!
International Commerce Centre
The International Commerce Centre (ICC) is the tallest building in Hong Kong, rising 118 floors and 1,588 feet (484 meters). The ICC is part of the Union Square development project on top of Kowloon Station and was completed in 2010. It is currently the fourth tallest building in the world.
The ICC contains a hotel, offices, residential apartments, and observation decks. The hotel, operated by Ritz-Carlton, occupies floors 102 to 108. The rest of the building is leased out as office space or sold as private apartments. The ICC also contains an observation deck on the 100th floor called Sky100 which offers 360-degree views of Hong Kong.
Petronas Towers
The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers, are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The buildings are a landmark of Kuala Lumpur, and were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101. The towers remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.
The buildings are part of the Petronas Centre development that includes shopping malls, offices and an underground train station. The towers were designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli and Malaysian firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. They chose a distinctive postmodern style to create a 21st-century icon for Kuala Lumpur. Planning on the Petronas Towers started on 1 January 1992 and construction began on 1 March 1993. The towers were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race track, close to Bukit Bintang Plaza and Low Yat Plaza shopping centres and with easy access to public transport.
The 88-storey towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion. The towers feature a double-deck skybridge connecting the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world. The skybridge is 170 m (558 ft) above street level and 58 m (190 ft) long, weighing 750 metric tons (740 long tons; 820 short tons). It is accessed via