These are now the 10 tallest skyscrapers in the world

Ten years ago, on this travel website, we published a news article about the 10 tallest skyscrapers in the world at that time, in 2011, which can be viewed by clicking this link.

In just 10 years, only two of the buildings from that list remain in the top 10 of the tallest skylines in the world. In 2011, the Empire State Building, at 381 meters tall, and the Petronas Towers, at 451.9 meters, were still included in the list. Today, the historic skyscraper in New York and the twin towers in Kuala Lumpur rank 46 and 17, respectively, among the tallest buildings in the world.

The construction of towering buildings has been striking in the last decade. This was noted a few days ago by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the international organization based in Chicago that measures and studies these breathtaking buildings, through a report shared in their database at the Skyscraper Center.

In that report, it analyzes whether the September 11, 2001 attacks, which mark their 20th anniversary these days and brought down the Twin Towers, have had any impact on the construction of tall buildings. While one might initially think that the collapse of the World Trade Center towers could have led to a decrease in this type of buildings, the reality is different, asserts the CTBUH. "84% of all buildings 200 meters or taller that currently exist were built after 2001," the report states. And there's more: "During the decade 1991-2001, an average of 12 buildings of 200 meters or more were constructed each year. Between 2011 and 2021, that average jumped to 112."

Geographically, the construction of these skyscrapers has also shifted from one continent to another. "In 2001, 49% of all buildings over 200 meters were in North America," the report says. Today, only 15% of those skyscrapers are in North America. Asia and the Middle East have taken over. This is demonstrated by the current list of the 10 tallest buildings in the world:

The incredible tower has maintained its dominance in the list of the tallest skyscrapers in the world since 2010, the year it was inaugurated. With its height of 828 meters (829.8 meters if you include its antenna), the Burj Khalifa was an innovative building from its construction to its design. It is clad in textured aluminum and stainless steel panels to withstand the extreme temperatures of Dubai during the summer months.

632 meters tall is the second tallest skyscraper in the world (the first in Asia and the first in China). Its curved facade and spiraling shape symbolize the dynamic emergence of modern China. Completed in 2015, it consists of nine zones that include nine indoor gardens.

As its name indicates, the Makkah Royal Clock Tower (constructed in 2012) is a tower with a clock, located in Mecca. Its height of 601 meters grants it the title of the third tallest building in the world. It is part of the Abraj Al-Bait complex, which includes other shorter buildings. Of course, its four colossal clock faces also hold the record for being the tallest and largest in the world. At night, they are illuminated with a million LEDs in green and white. The pinnacle of the tower is topped with a shiny gold crescent moon.

In 2017, the Chinese city of Shenzhen, which is already being called the city of the future, inaugurated its Ping An Finance Center, a building 599.1 meters tall. Located in the Futian district, its top tapers to form a pyramid, giving the tower a prismatic aesthetic. Its aerodynamic shape reduces wind loads by 35%. The building also holds another record: its facade is the largest stainless steel facade in the world (1,700 tons of this corrosion-resistant material were used in its construction).

554.5 meters (up to 555.7 meters if we include its final structure) is the height of this supertall tower in Seoul, which was completed in 2017. The fifth tallest building in the world, and the tallest in South Korea, contains offices, a luxury hotel (the Signiel Seoul), and apartments for those who work in the building... Its top 10 floors are designated for public use and include a city observation deck and a rooftop cafe.

In June 2005, the final design of this skyscraper was officially approved, which has come to replace the fallen Twin Towers after the attacks of 2001. The One World Trade Center recovers a quarter of the total office space lost that fateful September 11. It was completed in 2014 and reaches a height of 541.3 meters, or 546.2 meters including its antenna. Its faceted facade reflects the light and symbolizes a future of hope, and its thin triangular shape aims to pay homage to other New York icons, such as the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.

In the city of Guangzhou, in southern China, stands the seventh tallest building in the world, but not the only one. The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre shares its height with the Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, which we will mention in point number 8. Completed in 2016, it stands at 530 meters and includes hotels, offices, and residences. One of its most remarkable features is its diagrid design, with triangular steel beams creating a sort of grid structure, which has made the building more efficient by saving material.

Another Chinese city, this time in the north of the country, Tianjin, has a record-setting building. The Tianjin CTF Finance Centre is, along with the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, the seventh tallest building in the world (although we have placed it at number 8 for the sake of order). Completed in 2019, it also has a height of 530 meters. It includes offices, luxury apartments, and a hotel. At its top, the tower narrows to minimize the exposed surface area to wind, sun, and humidity. Its facade features eight mega-columns, which aim to reduce seismic concerns in the area by increasing the rigidity of the building's perimeter framework.

527.7 meters tall, this tower was completed in 2018. Its upper shape and its base mimic a zun, an ancient vessel that first appeared during the Shang dynasty. This base is certainly the most surprising element of the CITIC Tower, as it seems to rise from the ground and open up.

Its height of 508 meters granted it the title of the second tallest building in the world in 2011, but it now ranks tenth. If we go back to that 2011, Taipei 101 also achieved the feat of receiving the highest LEED certification for sustainable buildings, a significant milestone 10 years ago.

Built in 2004, its structure consists of modules of eight floors that extend outward, evoking a Chinese pagoda. Its name, Taipei 101, carries symbolism, as the number 101 represents progress, innovation, and a new beginning. During New Year's ceremonies, hundreds of fireworks are projected from the building as its eight modules sequentially dim, counting down the last eight seconds of the old year.