World's tallest structures
From Freepedia
Until the mid 20th century the record for the world's tallest structure was relatively clearly defined (see table below.) Since that time however, more debate and confusion has been present over the criteria and definitions involved. In terms of absolute height, most of the tallest structures are the dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers that are around 2000 feet (610 meters) tall.
Image:Maszt radiowy w Konstantynowie.jpg
Tall structure enthusiasts debate whether:
- guy-wire–supported structures should be eligible to be counted
- whether only habitable height counts and if so;
- whether observation galleries on communication towers make them into habitable buildings
- whether roof-top antennas can be counted towards height of buildings (the debate over this has especially focused on the fact that things that look like spires can be either classified as an antenna or an "architectural detail")
- whether structures currently under construction can be included in the list
- whether structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included.
Contents |
Tallest structures
Tallest Structure by Category
| Category | Structure | Country/Region | City | Height to relevant point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supported structure | Mars Tension-leg Platform *** | Gulf of Mexico | 990.6 m (3250 ft) | |
| Building - under construction | Burj Dubai | UAE | Dubai | 800 m (est.) (2,624 ft) |
| Supported structure on land | KVLY-TV mast | USA | Blanchard, North Dakota | 629 m (2,063 ft) |
| Freestanding structure | Petronius Platform | Gulf of Mexico | 610 m (2,001 ft) | |
| Freestanding structure on land | CN Tower | Canada | Toronto | 553 m (1,815 ft) |
| Building - to highest point | Sears Tower | USA | Chicago | 529 m (1,736 ft) |
| Building - to top of antenna | Sears Tower | USA | Chicago | 529 m (1,736 ft) |
| Building - to architectural top | Taipei 101 | Taiwan | Taipei | 508 m (1,667 ft) |
| Building - to top of the roof | Taipei 101 | Taiwan | Taipei | 448 m (1,470 ft) |
| Building - to highest occupied floor - under construction | International Commerce Centre | Hong Kong | Kowloon | 490 m (1,608 ft) |
| Building - to highest occupied floor | Taipei 101 | Taiwan | Taipei | 438 m (1,437 ft) |
| Freestanding structure with largest functional structure | Borj-e Milad | Iran | Tehran | 435m (1,427 ft) |
| Chimney | Chimney of GRES-2 Power Station | Kazakhstan | Ekibastusz | 419.7 m (1,375 ft) |
| Lattice tower | Kiev TV Tower | Ukraine | Kiev | 385 m (1,263 ft) |
| Chimney - freestanding | Inco Superstack | Canada | Sudbury | 381m (1,257 ft) |
| Partially guyed tower | Gerbrandy Tower | Netherlands | Lopik | 375 m (1,230 ft) |
| Bridge pillar | Millau Viaduct | France | Millau | 341 m (1,119 ft) |
| Incomplete building | Ryugyong Hotel | North Korea | Pyongyang | 330 m (1,083 ft) |
| Residential building | Q1 | Australia | Gold Coast | 323 m (1,059 ft) |
| Electricity pylon | Pylons of Pearl River Crossing | China | Pearl River | 253 m (830 ft) |
| Minaret | Hassan II Mosque | Morocco | Casablanca | 210 m (689 ft) |
| Masonry building | Philadelphia City Hall | USA | Philadelphia | 167 m (548 ft) |
| Church tower | Ulm Münster | Germany | Ulm | 161 m (528 ft) |
| Industrial hall | Vehicle Assembly Building | USA | Kennedy Space Center | 160 m (525 ft) |
| Memorial cross | Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos | Spain | El Escorial | 152.4 m (500 ft) |
| Educational Building | Cathedral of Learning | USA | University of Pittsburgh | 163 m (535 feet ft) |
| Silo | Henninger Turm | Germany | Frankfurt | 120 m (394 ft) |
| Air-traffic-control tower | KUL Control Tower | Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | 130 m (427 ft) |
| Light advertisement | Bayer Cross Leverkusen | Germany | Leverkusen | 118 m (387 ft) |
| Wooden tower | Radio Tower Gliwice | Poland | Gliwice | 118 m (387 ft) |
| Support tower of aerial tramway | Pillar of third section of Gletscherbahn Kaprun | Austria | Kaprun | 113.6 m (373 ft) |
Image:Mars Tension-leg Platform after Katrina.jpg The tallest currently standing structure, including those structures which are partially under water, is the Mars Platform in the Gulf of Mexico, at 990.6 m (3,250 ft). It is a tension-leg platform, meaning that it consists of a deck located atop a hull which is connected to pontoons located far below the water surface, which provide bouyancy support. The structure is connected to foundation piles on the sea floor by rigid tendons, which are analogous to guy-wires. As this oil and natural gas platform is partially supported by buoyancy, some critics argue that the below-water height should not be counted, in the same manner as the underground 'height' of buildings is not taken into account.
The Mars Platform, while still standing and predominantly intact, is currently not functioning due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina in late August of 2005. The platform was engineered to withstand 22 m (72 ft) waves and 225 km/h (120 mph) winds simultaneously; however, winds alone from Katrina were estimated to be in the 265 to 280 km/h (165 to 175 mph) range in the vicinity of the platform. ***The structural height of the above-deck portion of the platform was temporarily affected by as much as 20 m (65 ft).
Image:KVLYFromBase.jpeg
The tallest currently standing structure on land is the KVLY-TV mast near Mayville, North Dakota, at 629 m (2,063 ft). It is a transmission antenna, consisting of a bare metal structure supported by guy-wires. Transmission towers in excess of 600 meters (~2000 ft) exist in the USA at the following places, almost all of which are situated in the Midwest. All these structures are taller than the tallest tower, the CN Tower in Toronto which is 568 m (1,865 ft).
For greater detail on communication masts, see either List of the world's tallest structures, List of masts, or Table of masts
The Warsaw radio mast at Gabin-Konstantynow near Warsaw, Poland at 645 m (2,115 ft) was taller, but it collapsed on August 8, 1991.
The main reason these transmission antennas are not usually included with the world's tallest buildings is that they are not self-supported. Another example of a structure that's not self-supporting is a long rope tethered to the ground on one end and to a helium balloon on the other. If structures that are not self-supporting were counted then these would be the tallest in the world.
However guyed masts are designed for permanent use and cannot be dismantled quickly e.g. in case of bad weather as rope structures carried by a balloon to the sky. So guyed masts have to be as free-standing towers designed in such way that they can stand strong winds and other natural forces.
The Petronius Platform stands 610 m (2,001 ft) tall, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the world. However, as this oil and natural gas platform is partially supported by buoyancy, some critics argue that the below-water height should not be counted, in the same manner as the underground 'height' of buildings is not taken into account.
The CN Tower in Toronto stands at 553.33 m (1,815 ft) tall, and it is the tallest freestanding structure above ground.
The tallest tower built of lattice steel is Kiev TV Tower with a height of 386 metres. Built in 1934 and demolished in 1945, the tallest tower ever built of wood was the 190 metre high radio tower of the transmitter Mühlacker in Germany. The tallest tower built of wood is currently the transmission tower of the transmitter Gliwice in Poland at 118 meters.
Way of comparison
There are two ways of comparison, the CTBUH way (explained later in this article) and the AA Skyscraper way. All About Skyscrapers (AA Skyscrapers) divided the comparison of structures into seven different categories.
| Fully habitable structures - Spire | Taipei 101 | Taipei | 1,671 ft (509m) |
| Fully habitable structures - Antenna, | Sears Tower | Chicago | 1,736 ft (529m) |
| Fully habitable structures - Highest Floor, | Taipei 101 | Taipei | 1,437 ft (438m) |
| Partially habitable structures - Spire, | CN Tower | Toronto | 1,481 ft (452m) |
| Partially habitable structures - Antenna, | CN Tower | Toronto | 1,816 ft (554m) |
| Partially habitable structures - Highest Floor, | CN Tower | Toronto | 1,481 ft (452m) |
This method has ended any debate concerning the worlds tallest building/structure.
Tallest buildings
Up until 1998 the tallest building status was essentially uncontested. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, New York City's World Trade Center was the tallest including the antennas, Sears Tower in Chicago excluding the antennas. As antennas were usually excluded, Sears Tower was counted as the tallest. When Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was built, some felt that the "spire" extending to 9 meters higher than the roof of the Sears Tower was just added to "cheat" its way into the spot as tallest building. Excluding the spire, the Petronas Towers were not taller than the Sears Tower. Therefore, before the Petronas Towers were completed, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat defined four categories in which the "world's tallest building" can be measured:
- Height to the structural or architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles)
- Height to the highest occupied floor
- Height to the top of the roof
- Height to the top of antenna
The height is measured from the sidewalk level of the main entrance. In all of these categories, Sears Tower had held the top spot. After Petronas was built, Sears Tower became second in the first category only.
On April 20, 2004, the Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan was completed. Its completion gave it the record for the first category.
Today, the Taipei 101 leads in the first category with 508 m (1,667 ft); in the second category with an occupied floor at 438 m (1,437 ft); and in the third category with 448 m (1,470 ft). The first category was formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers with 452 m (1,483 ft), and before that by Sears Tower with 443 m (1,448 ft). The second category was held by the Sears Tower, with 435 m (1,431 ft). The third category was formerly held by the Sears Tower with 442 m (1,445 ft).
The Sears Tower still leads in the fourth category with 529 m (1,736 ft), previously held by the World Trade Center until its destruction in 2001; its antenna included, it measured 536 m (1,758 ft). The World Trade Center became the world's tallest buildings to be demolished–indeed, its site entered the record books twice on September 11, 2001, in that category, replacing the Singer Building, which once stood a block from the WTC site.
The Ostankino Tower and the CN Tower are excluded from these categories because they are not "habitable buildings", which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout.
History of Record Holders in each CTBUH category
| Date (Event) | 1.Height to the architectural top | 2. Height to the highest occupied floor | 3. Height to the top of the roof | 4. Height to the top of antenna |
| 2003 (Completion of Taipei 101) | Taipei 101 | Taipei 101 | Taipei 101 | Sears Tower |
| 2001 (Destruction of World Trade Center) | Petronas Twin Towers | Sears Tower | Sears Tower | Sears Tower |
| 1998 (Completion of Petronas Towers) | Petronas Twin Towers | Sears Tower | Sears Tower | World Trade Center |
| 1996 (CTBUH defines the four categories) | Sears Tower | Sears Tower | Sears Tower | World Trade Center |
Tallest buildings in world history
| Held record | Name and Location | Constructed | Height (m) | Height (ft) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | |||||
| c. 2600 BC | c. 2570 BC | Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt | c. 2600 BC | 105 | 345 | |
| c. 2570 BC | c. AD 1300 | Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt | c. 2570 BC | 146 | 481 | By AD 1439 the Great Pyramid had eroded to a height of approximately 139 m (455 ft) |
| c. 1300 | 1549 | Lincoln Cathedral, England | 1092–1311 | 160 | 524 | The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549 |
| 1549 | 1625 | St. Olav's Church, Tallinn (Reval), Estonia | 1438–1519 | 159 | 522 | The spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1625, rebuilt several times, current overall height is 123 m |
| 1625 | 1847 | Notre Dame Minster, Strasbourg, Germany, now France | 1439 | 143 | 469 | |
| 1847 | 1876 | St. Nikolaikirche, Hamburg, Germany | 1846–1847 | 147 | 483 | Designed by George Gilbert Scott |
| 1876 | 1880 | Cathédrale Notre Dame, Rouen, France | 1202–1876 | 151 | 495 | |
| 1880 | 1884 | Cologne Cathedral, Germany | 1248–1880 | 157 | 515 | Still the tallest Gothic spires |
| 1884 | 1889 | Washington Monument, United States | 1884 | 169 | 555 | Still the tallest free-standing stone structure in the world |
| 1889 | 1930 | Eiffel Tower, Paris, France | 1889 | 300 | 986 | The addition of a telecommunications tower brought the overall height to 324 meters in the 1950s |
| 1930 | 1931 | Chrysler Building, New York, United States | 1928–1930 | 319 | 1046 | |
| 1931 | 1972 | Empire State Building, New York, United States | 1930–1931 | 381 | 1250 | |
| 1972 | 1974 | World Trade Center, Tower One, New York, United States | 1972 | 417 | 1368 | Destroyed in September 11, 2001 attacks |
| 1974 | 1998 | Sears Tower, Chicago, Illinois, United States | 1974 | 442 | 1450 | |
| 1998 | 2004 | Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 1998 | 452 | 1483 | |
| 2004 | Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan | 2004 | 508 | 1668 | ||
Currently-standing tallest skyscrapers listed by height to the architectural top
Note that this list, except the comparison section, is limited to a certain type of structure, and a certain very specific type of height measurement. Most of the tallest structures in the world are guyed broadcasting towers. The structures on this list are not sorted by the absolute highest point on the building.
1 Height for inhabited buildings (with stories) does not include TV towers and antennas.
2 The tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere.
Source: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
Proposed record-breaking structures
Image:Worldstallestucoctprogress9iw.jpg
In 1956, Frank Lloyd Wright proposed a structure known as The Illinois, which would have been one mile (1609 m) high. This structure was considered by many both technically impossible, and wholly unneeded. Since that time some 4000 ft (1220 m) tall or higher skyscrapers or pyramids have been proposed as population pressures have seemed to indicate a need for them, but as of now, no structure approaching the height of The Illinois is past a planning stage.
The proposed solar chimney referred to as Solar Tower Buronga in Buronga, New South Wales, Australia would be 1,000 m (3,281 ft) tall. Engineering feasibility has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of consulting engineers, and construction is a matter of financial viability.
The 492 m (1,614 ft; roof height) Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, China has proposed completion in 2007, but has been delayed by evaluation of soil stability. A competing on-going project for the world's tallest is the 490 m (1,608 ft) Union Square Phase 7 in Hong Kong, also scheduled for completion in 2007. This would make either building the tallest under categories 2 and 3 by the CTBUH.
The Freedom Tower of the new World Trade Center in New York City will reach 1,776 ft (541.3 metres) to its spire and about 1,100 ft (335 m) to its roof once completed in 2010. This would make it the tallest building under categories 1 and 4 by the CTBUH, if no other record-breakers were built until then. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 2004.
Burj Dubai is a 705-metre (2,313-foot) skyscraper currently under development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Designed to be completed around 2008, this would put it at the number one spot in all four of CTBUH's categories, as well as make it the tallest manmade structure of any kind in history.
The new Guangdong TV Tower at Guangzhou, China may also become one of the world's tallest structures.
There are some plans for a 609.6 metre high free-standing TV tower at Bayonne, New Jersey.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi announced his own "world's tallest" proposal, the 677m-tall pyramid-shaped World Centre of Vedic Learning, in 1998.
Serious thought and design work has been invested in a concept called the Space Elevator, which could conceivably extend from ground level to past geosynchronous orbit; a height of nearly 50,000 km. Although the current state-of-the-art in technology cannot produce the materials needed for such an engineering feat, it is not too fantastic to foresee that it could someday be built, thus shattering the current record for the tallest structure by a factor of 100,000.
Throughout the internet many building design proposals can be found, several of which surpass the height of Taipei 101, including Twin Towers 2.
Other proposed very tall towers
Radio masts taller than 600 metres
| Tower | Pinnacle height | Country | Town | Weblinks |
| Central Missouri State University Tower Syracuse | 609.6 metres | USA | Syracuse, Missouri | [1] |
| Liberman Broadcasting Tower Sargent | 609.6 metres | USA | Sargent, Texas | [2] |
| Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Winnie | 609.6 metres | USA | Winnie, Texas | [3] |
| American Media Services Tower Agate | 609.5 metres | USA | Agate, Colorado | [4] |
| Vertical Properties Tower Busterville | 609.5 metres | USA | Busterville, Texas | [5], [6] |
| Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Stowell | 609.3 metres | USA | Stowell, Texas | [7] |
| Pegasus Broadcasting Tower | 609 metres | USA | Metcalf, Georgia | [8] |
| SpectraSite Tower Raymond | 608.8 metres | USA | Raymond, Mississippi | [9] |
| Beasley Tower | 608.7 metres | USA | Immokalee, Florida | [10] |
| KKDD-FM Tower | 608.1 metres | USA | Hoyt, Colorado | [11] |
| Liberman Broadcasting Tower Devers | 607.7 metres | USA | Devers, Texas | [12] |
| Wiliam Smith Tower Walker | 607 metres | USA | Walker, Iowa | [13] |
| CBC Real Estate Tower Auburn | 606.4 metres | USA | Auburn, North Carolina | [14] |
| Gray TV Tower Grifton | 605 metres | USA | Grifton, North Carolina | [15] |
| Pappas Telecasting Tower Plymouth County 2 | 603.5 metres | USA | Plymouth County, Iowa | [16] |
Towers/Skyscrapers
- TV tower of Djakarta [17].
See also
- Skyscrapers
- List of Countrywise Tallest Building
- World's biggest and largest buildings
- Tallest buildings in the U.S.
- Tallest structures in Canada
- Tallest structures in the U.S.
- List of the world's tallest structures
- Tallest structures of different countries
- List of buildings
- List of skyscrapers
- List of towers
- List of masts
- List of tallest churches
External links
- SkyscraperPage
- SkyscraperCity
- SkyscraperCity forum
- Emporis
- Guinness Book of world Records
- Guinness Entry for 'Tallest Office Building'
- Guinness Entry for 'Tallest Building'
- http://www.skyscrapernews.com
- All About Skyscrapers
- http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001338.html
- http://www.xs4all.nl/~hnetten/tallest.html
- http://www.civl.port.ac.uk/comp_prog/weird/tallest.html
- http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/toptens/buildings/buildings.html
