Even as we write these very words, the amazing architects of this world are dreaming up ways to stretch concrete and steel high into the sky. Freudian, isn't it? But every time these architects try to out-build each other, the records are broken within minutes by some other lunatic builder halfway across the world.
But what are the tallest structures out there as of right now, (assuming that "right now" is March 7, 2000)? Some top ten lists leave out communications towers and only do buildings. Some lists do buildings, but will not include the huge-ass antennas sitting on top of a building as part of its height. These lists all stink. OUR list is a list of the top ten tallest buildings, structures, towers, antennas and whatever else has been built by human hands. This is the right way to do it.
So while we await the completion of such projects as the Daewoo Tower in Korea, the Shanghai World Financial Center, 7 South Dearborn in Chicago, the Maharishi Tower of World Peace in Brazil, and the Kowloon MTR Tower in Hong Kong, let us contemplate the very tall buildings that exist in the here and now.
1. BUILDINGS 10 - 8
10. Jin Mao Building
Height: 1378 feet
Location: Shanghai
Built: 1997
This concrete mix of hotel and office space was built to withstand the 125 mph winds common in Shanghai, as well as seismic activity on a Californian scale. But it is a building to which luck is as intrinsic as structural steel.
"Luck?" you ask. We will explain. The number "8" is lucky for the Chinese, so when building the Jin Mao, they tried to build 8s into the construction wherever possible:
- The project was dedicated on 08/28/98
- It is 88 stories tall
- Each segment is 1/8th smaller than the 16-story base
- Vertical elements include an octagonal-shaped core surrounded by 8 exterior composite columns and 8 exterior steel columns.
- At the opening dinner, 8 eight-year old busboys brought in 8 octopuses to each member of the 8-person committee (alert readers will realize that we just made that last one up).
Height: 1403 feet
Location: Kuala Lumpur
Built: 1996
The Menara Telecom Tower is perched atop a 3-level basement, a pedestrian mall featuring outlet shops, a mini-theater, an outdoor amphitheater, a fast-food restaurant, and a prayer room (perhaps for all of the poor janitorial crew who clean up this behemoth of a building). Over a million people flock to the Menara every year, a giant TV antenna with an observation deck. People should really look into getting a life.
Height: 1454 feet
Location: New York
Built: 1931
The original construction took 775 days and cost $41 million. Renovations over the past six years have cost a total of over $67 million. It just goes to show that it's better to do it right the first time, or it could cost you more to fix than it did to build.
The famous observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors are not to be missed on any trip to the city. And yes, it was famous before King Kong vs. Sleepless in Seattle, holding the world record for "tallest building" for many years. As with most tourist attractions in New York, you'll have a bit of a wait before you can finally scream and curse your way up to the 104th floor. But the view is worth the wait, as some visitors have claimed to be able to see as far as the great pyramids of Egypt. (Note: those visitors tend to be liars. Or stockbrokers.)
2. BUILDINGS 7 - 5
7. John Hancock CenterHeight: 1476 feet
Location: Chicago
Built: 1968
"Big John" is one of the most striking big roofs on the Chicago skyline. The shape of the building is unique, almost like a pyramid; it is 50,000 square feet at the base, decreasing to 16,000 square feet at the top.
Occupancy includes 300,000 square feet of commercial, 8 levels of parking, 25 floors of office space, 700 luxury apartments (with a pretty nice view), multiple restaurants and health clubs, as well as a swimming pool, a supermarket, and an ice-skating rink. What, no laser tag?
Height: 1482 feet
Location: Kuala Lumpur
Built: 1996
To join the twin towers of Malaysia, construction workers lifted installed an enormous pre-assembled "sky bridge" between the 41st and 42nd floors (you may remember it from the Sean Connery flick Entrapment). The visual effect is that of a giant gateway to the great beyond. Each building contains a mix of hotels, offices, and residential space to the tune of about 11 million square feet.
Add to that 1.5 million square feet of retail, entertainment, and a Philharmonic Hall on the bottom, and you have a substantial complex. How substantial? Each tower contains approximately 80,000 cubic meters of concrete. That's a lot of mix and pour.
5. Oriental Pearl Broadcasting Tower
Height: 1535 feet
Location: Shanghai
Built: 1995
Located in the city of Lujiazui on the east shore of the Huang-pu River, the Oriental Pearl has one of the most unusual shapes of all the buildings on our list. It has 5 sky hotels, a revolving restaurant, and various sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment opportunities.
It's a major tourist attraction, like so many of the others on our list, but its original purpose was for the somewhat pedestrian goal of improved television reception. Amazing what a big antenna can turn into when you let crazy architects loose to design it.
3. BUILDINGS 4 - 2
4. Sears Tower
Height: 1707 feet
Location: Chicago
Built: 1974
The building itself is a measly 1450 feet (the roof is ¼ mile above the earth's surface), but the builders cunningly thought to throw a communications tower on the roof that bumps it way up on the list. The complex covers two city blocks at its base, offering a total of 4.4 million square feet of office and commercial space. Imagine the annual rents on this place, if you can.
There is a 106-cab elevator system, including 16 double-deckers, to transport shoppers and office drones up and down all day long. The building itself weighs 222,500 tons (don't ask us how they weighed it).
Height: 1728 feet
Location: New York
Built: 1973
The taller of the two towers is really only 1368 feet tall, but the builders of the World Trade Center somehow got a much bigger antenna than anybody else, making the WTC the tallest building on our list that isn't primarily a broadcasting tower. While the World Trade Center has an observatory, a mall, and tons of offices for the rich fat-cats of the financial district, it has most recently achieved fame by being the target of a terrorist attack.
Height: 1771 feet
Location: Moscow
Built: 1967
Due to high-speed elevators, it is possible to reach the observation deck of the Ostankino Tower in just 58 seconds (the only potential danger is that your eardrums will violently explode). Holder of the number one position for eight years, the Ostankino Tower is mostly used for communication purposes. In total, it transmits signals for 11 television stations, 12 radio stations, and 17 satellite TV shows.
The tower is also a major tourist attraction, featuring an observation deck and a restaurant, "The Seventh Heaven," which has three dining rooms and serves both European and traditional Russian cuisine (in other words, borscht and more borscht).
4. THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD
1. CN Tower
Height: 1821 feet
Location: Toronto
Built: 1975
The world's tallest freestanding structure is a telecommunications tower, an entertainment complex, a tourist attraction, and a phallic symbol for the ages. Here is evidence of architects who truly felt that size counts.
The bulge in the middle of the tower includes an observatory deck and a revolving restaurant that turns 360 degrees every hour, with a spectacular view on all sides. The downside: it's a spectacular view of Toronto.
