World's tallest structures
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For many millennia the record holder for world's tallest structure was clearly defined (see table below.) However, there has been much debate as to the ranking of the world's tallest structures since the middle of the 20th century, chiefly depending on the criteria used for selecting the structures admissible to the list. In terms of absolute height, most of the tallest structures are dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers that are around 610 meters (2,000 feet) tall.
In particular, there is debate about:
- guy-wire-supported structures
- whether only habitable height counts
- 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 observation galleries on communication towers make them into habitable buildings
- whether structures under construction can be included in the list
- whether structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included.
Tallest structures
Tallest Structure by Category| Category | Structure | Country/Region | City | Height to relevant point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supported stucture | 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 | 553.33 m (1,815 ft) |
| Building - to highest point | Sears Tower | USA | Chicago | 527 m (1,729 ft) |
| Building - to top of antenna | Sears Tower | USA | Chicago | 527 m (1,729 ft) |
| Building - to architectural top | Taipei 101 | Taiwan | Taipei | 509 m (1,671 ft) |
| Building - to top of the roof | Taipei 101 | Taiwan | Taipei | 449 m (1,474 ft) |
| Building - to highest occupied floor | Taipei 101 | Taiwan | Taipei | 439 m (1,441 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) |
| 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 (1,058 ft) |
| Dam | Nurek Dam | Tajikistan | Nurek | 300 m (984 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) |
| 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) |
| Silo | Schapfen-Mill-Tower | Germany | Ulm | 130 m (427 ft) |
| Air-traffic-control tower | KUL Control Tower | Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | 130 m (427 ft) |
| Sculpture | Spire of Dublin | Ireland | Dublin | 120 m (393 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) |
The tallest currently standing structure 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 following places, almost all of which are situated in the Midwest. 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 8th, 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.
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
On April 20, 2004, the Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan was completed. Its completion gave it the record for the first three categories.
Today, Taipei 101 leads in the first category with 509 m (1,671 ft); in the second category with an occupied floor at 439 m (1,441 ft); and in the third category with 449 m (1,474 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 442 m (1,451 ft). The second and third categories were held by the Sears Tower, with 442 m (1,451 ft).
The Sears Tower still leads in the fourth category with 527 m (1,729 ft), previously held by the World Trade Center until the extension of the Chicago tower's western broadcast antenna in 2000, over a year prior to the Trade Center's destruction in 2001. Its antenna included, 1 World Trade Center measured 526 m (1,727 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 |
| 2000 (Extension of Sears Tower western antenna) | 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
In this table a "building" is any freestanding structure. (See also history of tallest skyscrapers.)
| 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 (?) | 525 (?) | The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549; the reputed height of 525 ft has been described as "doubtful"[link] by a single source. ALL other sources agree on the height. |
| 1549 | 1625 | St. Olav's Church, Tallinn, 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 | Strasbourg Cathedral, Germany, now France | 1439 | 143 | 469 | Still standing |
| 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 | |
| 1884 | 1889 | Washington Monument, United States | 1884 | 169 | 555 | |
| 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 | Chrysler Building is still the tallest brick building in the world. |
| 1931 | 1967 | Empire State Building, New York, United States | 1930–1931 | 381 | 1250 | |
| 1967 | 1975 | Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia | 1963–1967 | 537 | 1762 | |
| 1975 | Current | CN Tower, Toronto, Canada | 1973–1976 | 553 | 1815 | |
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.
Source: Emporis.
Proposed record-breaking structures
- The proposed Solar Tower 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, but financial viability remains questionable.
- 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 474 m (1,555 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 1,368 ft (417 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 will have been built until then. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 2004. The cornerstone has since been removed, acknowledging the continued uncertainty of when and if the Freedom Tower will be built. The removal was not accompanied by the same fanfare as the original laying of the cornerstone.
- 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.
- Kpt tower Karachi Port Trust is taking on a Rs. 20 billion project, the Port Tower Complex, is said to be 1,947ft high. 1947 is the independence year of Pakistan. It should be finished within six years. It will comprise a hotel, a shopping center, and an Expo center. Integrating into Karachi’s skyline, the main feature of the venture shall be a revolving restaurant, a viewing gallery offering a panoramic view of the coastline and the city. The Tower is planned to be located at the Clifton shoreline. When completed it will be the tallest building in Pakistan and the 2nd tallest building in the world, first being Burj Dubai.
- The new Guangdong TV Tower at Guangzhou, China may also become one of the world's tallest structures.
- Construction is scheduled to begin in 2006 on the Strait of Messina Bridge, When completed the bridge will be the largest suspension bridge as well as the tallest. The height of the two towers will be 382.6 metres, taller than the current record holder, the Millau Viaduct in France (341 metres).
- There are some plans for a 609.6 metre high free-standing TV tower at Bayonne, New Jersey.
- During the Russian October Revolution of 1917, Vladimir Tatlin had designed a structure named The Monument to the Third International to become the international center of the Komintern. Better known as the Tatlin Tower, the stucture would have risen 400 meters into the air. For the time, it was by far the tallest building in the world. The Russian Civil War stopped the project from continuing, due to lack of recources and time. Later, the Stalinist doctrine of "Socialism in One Country" and the abolishment of the Komintern made the plan for an international center to communism of no use to the Stalinist bureaucracy of the USSR.
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 | [link] |
| Liberman Broadcasting Tower Sargent | 609.6 metres | USA | Sargent, Texas | [link] |
| Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Winnie | 609.6 metres | USA | Winnie, Texas | [link] |
| American Media Services Tower Agate | 609.5 metres | USA | Agate, Colorado | [link] |
| Vertical Properties Tower Busterville | 609.5 metres | USA | Busterville, Texas | [link], [link] |
| Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Stowell | 609.3 metres | USA | Stowell, Texas | [link] |
| Pegasus Broadcasting Tower | 609 metres | USA | Metcalf, Georgia | [link] |
| SpectraSite Tower Raymond | 608.8 metres | USA | Raymond, Mississippi | [link] |
| Beasley Tower | 608.7 metres | USA | Immokalee, Florida | [link] |
| KKDD-FM Tower | 608.1 metres | USA | HOYT, Colorado | [link] |
| Liberman Broadcasting Tower Devers | 607.7 metres | USA | Devers, Texas | [link] |
| Wiliam Smith Tower Walker | 607 metres | USA | Walker, Iowa | [link] |
| CBC Real Estate Tower Auburn | 606.4 metres | USA | Auburn, North Carolina | [link] |
| Gray TV Tower Grifton | 605 metres | USA | Grifton, North Carolina | [link] |
| KELO TV Tower | 605 metres | USA | Rowena, South Dakota | [link][link] |
| Pappas Telecasting Tower Plymouth County 2 | 603.5 metres | USA | Plymouth County, Iowa | [link] |
Towers/Skyscrapers
- TV tower of Djakarta [link].
See also
- Skyscrapers
- 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 tallest structures of different uses
- List of buildings
- List of skyscrapers
- List of towers
- List of masts
- List of tallest churches
- Height restriction laws
- List of buildings with many floors
External links
- [Emporis]
- [SkyscraperPage]
- [SkyscraperCity]
- [SkyscraperCity forum]
- [Guinness Book of world Records]
- [Guinness Entry for 'Tallest Office Building']
- [Guinness Entry for 'Tallest Building']
- 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
- http://www.skyscrapernews.com
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