The following list is based on data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the recognized authority on skyscraper height.
With the number of officially “tall” buildings — at least 656 feet — doubling over the next ten years, and the number of “megatall” buildings — at least 1,969 feet — expected to jump from two to 10 by 2020, building construction around the world is literally reaching new heights.
Indeed, next year alone 10 new skyscrapers of at least 1,110 feet will be completed. They are 2015’s tallest buildings…
10. ADNOC Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — 1,122 feet
Floors: 76
Global ranking upon completion: 62nd tallest
Interesting fact: The new headquarters for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is, somewhat ironically, being built to LEED Gold green building certification.
9. Forum 66 Tower 2 in Shenyang, China — 1,150 feet
Floors: 68
Global ranking upon completion: 56th tallest
Interesting fact: When fully complete, the 9.3 million-square-foot, multi-building complex will include a mall, hotel, office space, residential units and a subway. Tower 2, the office portion of the project, will be the tallest building in Shenyang.
8. OKO Tower in Moscow, Russia — 1,155 feet
Height: 85
Global ranking upon completion: 55th tallest
Interesting fact: The tower is part of Moscow’s thriving International Business Center, a mixed-use district centrally located within the Russian metropolis and loosely based on London’s Canary Wharf and Paris’s La Défense. It was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the same architecture firm behind One World Trade Center in New York City and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
7. Vostok Tower in Moscow, Russia — 1,224 feet
Floors: 95
Global ranking upon completion: 43rd tallest
Interesting fact: Like OKO, the Vostok Tower is also part of Moscow’s fast-growing business district. Once the building is topped off, it will be the tallest in Europe.
6. Eton Place Dalian Tower 1 in Dalian, China — 1,257 feet
Floors: 80
Global ranking upon completion: 37th tallest
Interesting fact: Eton Place Dalian Tower 1 is one of five skyscrapers in the Eton Place Dalian development, which also includes a 62-story building and four 42-story towers.
5. Capital Market Authority Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — 1,263 feet
Floors: 79
Global ranking upon completion: 34th tallest
Interesting fact: The tower’s external layer of fins, gantries and perforated panels are there to shade the building from the unrelenting desert sun.
4. 432 Park Avenue in New York City — 1,397 feet
Floors: 85
Global ranking upon completion: 22nd tallest
Interesting fact: As it has already been topped off, 432 Park Avenue is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The building’s most expensive unit on the market, Penthouse 94, is a full-floor, 8,255-square-foot six-bedroom with a $82.5 million price tag. That’s $9,994 per square foot.
3. Marina 101 in Dubai — 1,399 feet
Floors: 101
Global ranking upon completion: 21st tallest
Interesting fact: Construction on Marina 101, Dubai’s second tallest tower, originally began in 2006 but was stalled due to the global financial crisis. The project will finally be completed in the early part of 2015.
2. Wuhan Center in Wuhan, China — 1,437 feet
Floors: 88
Global ranking upon completion: 19th tallest
Interesting fact: The tower’s aerodynamic shape was designed to reduce wind resistance and the vortex action that builds up around super-tall towers.
1. Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China — 2,073 feet
Floors: 128
Global ranking upon completion: 3rd tallest
Interesting fact: Already the tallest building in all of Asia, the topped off construction site is a favorite target of so-called “rooftoppers,” daredevils who scale tall buildings without safety equipment for fun.
