The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) conducts its survey of the skyscrapers all across the world, and according to its 2017 survey, a number of records have been broken. This year has seen 144 skyscrapers taller than 200 meters go ups. This is the highest number of skyscrapers that have been constructed in a single calendar year.
If you stacked all these, one on top of the other you would reach into the stratosphere, more than 35 km from the surface. This number is almost the double of that in 2013. The year was a record breaker for geographical diversity as well, as these building were built in 69 cities in 23 different countries.
China leads the way with 76 completed buildings and the USA and North Korea follow with 10 and 7 buildings respectively. When it comes to cities, as you would expect Shenzhen, China, coming first with a dozen skyscrapers, followed by Nanning, China, and Jakarta, Indonesia, with seven and five, respectively. New York and Pyongyang in North Korea completed 4 each.
Of the 144 completed skyscrapers, 15 are rated super tall and are over the height of 300 m. Only 2 of them were able to enter the top 10 rankings.
The Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen, China, was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and at 599 m (1965 ft) in height, is rated the world’s 4th tallest building by CTBUH. The front of the building is sculptured from stainless steel to protect the building from the salty coastal atmosphere and the strong winds.
The Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea, again by KPF, reaches a height of 555 m (1,820 ft), making it the world’s fifth tallest building. Its design is inspired by traditional Korean ceramics, porcelain, and calligraphy, and it boasts the world’s highest glass-bottomed observation deck, which is reached by the world’s fastest elevator.
To conclude the report, here is what CTBUH had to say about this year and what to expect in the next year:
“Asia – and China in particular – still leads the world in 200-meter- plus building completions, but the region may start to lose its dramatic lead as other regions, such as Africa and India, pick up the pace. North America, which for much of the twentieth century completed the majority of 200-meter-plus buildings in the world, is also beginning to see a resurgence in tall building construction. In addition, new technologies and increased international capital flows are facilitating the creation of ever-taller skyscrapers. Looking forward, 2018 may well be another record-breaking year.”
You can check out the top picks by the council below:
1. 3 Manhattan West Complex has a height of 222.5 meters with 64 floors.
2. Zhuhai St. Regis Hotel & Office Tower in Zhuhai, China is 330 meters tall and was completed earlier this year.
3. 50 West in New York City stands tall at a height of 239 meters.
4. 150 North Riverside in Chicago has a height of 228 meters.
5. The Concord International Center in Chongqing, China has a height of 290 meters.
6. Madison Square Park Tower in New York City has 64 floors and a height of 237 meters.
7. The Marina 101 in Dubai, UAE stands tall at a height of 432 meters.
