Reaching New Heights: A Look at the World’s Tallest Buildings

One World Trade Center in Manhattan skyline. Photo by Lucas Franco on Unsplash

When it comes to America’s tallest structures, the Empire State Building comes to mind for most folks. But the Midtown Manhattan tower, at 1,250 feet, is now only the country’s ninth tallest.

Currently, our tallest building—and the tallest in North America—is One World Trade Center, an office tower at a fitting 1,776 feet. Formerly known as Freedom Tower, One World Trade is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan that was leveled in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

As high as it is, though, it is only the seventh tallest in the world. But even the six that are higher are about to be eclipsed by two supertower skyscrapers currently under construction, one in the Middle East and the other in Asia. The two structures are “eye-wateringly ginormous,” according to a new report from British marketing firm Mediaworks on behalf of Niftylift, a client that makes construction equipment.

Tallest Structures

As of now, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is the world’s tallest at 2,717 feet. With 167 floors above ground and one below, it has held that title since it was topped out 12 years ago.

But it will be overshadowed by Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Started in 2008, construction has been paused for the time being because of the pandemic. But when this engineering marvel is finished—no date has been given—it will become the tallest in the world at a heart-thumping 3,281 feet.

Designed by Adrian Smith, the same Chicago architect who did the Dubai property, the combination commercial-residential tower will have 57 million square feet of apartments, offices, restaurants and hotels.

Another engineering marvel currently underway is Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. At 2,227 feet, it is 500 feet or so shorter than Burj Khalifa. But it still will be the tallest in South East Asia and tall enough to supplant the Shanghai Tower as the world’s second-highest when it is finished this year. That curved, 2,073-foot high structure was completed in 2015.

Merdeka will consist of 100 stories of rentable space, including 83 floors of office space, 60 of which are called for by the project’s developer and its subsidiaries. There will also be 12 floors for hotel rooms and five for apartments, parking for 8,500 vehicles as well as a ground-floor mall.

Meanwhile, back in the states, developers are also aiming high, although just not as high as in other countries. Take the new JP Morgan Chase headquarters, for example. Also in Midtown Manhattan, between 47th and 48th Streets, the 270 Park Ave. tower will rise 1,425 feet and become the country’s fifth tallest when it is completed, containing 2.4 million square feet of office space on 52 floors.

Who Made the List?

As of January, the new Chase HQ is only the 18th-tallest structure currently under construction throughout the world, according to the latest tabulation of the 100 tallest buildings now underway by the Chicago-based Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. It’s not until No. 78 that another American project is listed, that being the Brooklyn Tower, a 1,066-foot high, 74-floor residential property. The Flatbush Avenue condo is planned for completion this year. Also scheduled for completion in 2022 is the Spiral, a 1,031-foot high office building on 10th Avenue in Manhattan. This 66-floor office tower is No. 91 on the Council’s tallest buildings list.

The Chase project is notable for another reason besides its height. Or as some people might say, what goes up must come down. 270 Park is the site of the old Chase HQ, the Union Carbide Building, which was torn down to make way for the new building. The 708-foot UC structure remains the tallest building in the world ever to be voluntarily demolished.

Meanwhile, a 1,663 footer is on the drawing board for 10th Avenue in Manhattan. Called Affirmation Tower, this 95-floor combination office and hotel skyscraper might be the most unusual of all. As proposed, it is a series of cantilevered boxes, one larger than the other, as they rise to the building’s full height.

Just a few feet lower is 175 Park Ave., which will replace the Grand Hyatt Hotel at that address. This 1,646-foot supertower has been cleared by the New York City Council, and construction of the 83-floor building is expected to start in 2026, with a 2030 completion date.

Another proposed supertower, Tower Fifth at 5 E. 51st St., is designed to “weigh” in at 1,556 feet, with 96 floors of office space. And the proposed 350 Park Ave. is set for 1,450 feet, with 70 floors of office space.

Other Notable Projects

Here are some other sky-high factoids that may be of interest:

The skinniest tower in the world clocks in at 1,428 feet tall. A residential building at 111 W. 57th St. along “Billionaires Row” in Midtown, its width-to-height ratio is a mere 1:23. It offers 33 floor plans on 84 floors.

Let’s not forget the Willis Tower, either. At 1,451 feet high, this Chicago edifice, once known as the Sears Tower, was built in 1974 and reigned supreme as the tallest in America from 1974, when it was built, until it was surpassed by…

Manhattan’s Central Park Tower of 57th Street, which topped out at 1,550 feet when it was finished last year. It achieved its height without adding a spire or antenna. At its roof, the residential tower is 180 feet taller than One World Trade Center, which has antennas. Without them, One World Trade would be only the country’s third-tallest building.