Melbourne is being transformed into a city of giants, with more than 20 new skyscrapers taller than 200 metres being constructed or planned.

In a breathtaking transformation of the city's landscape, developers are taking Melbourne to new heights, with the latest addition the bronze Prima Pearl tower at Southbank, which has now reached its full height of 256 metres.

Prima Pearl is only second in height among apartment towers to Melbourne's tallest building, Eureka Tower, standing at 297 metres. But among the new towers set to emerge, two skyscrapers are aiming to be even higher than Eureka.

The skyscraper boom is creating envy among Sydney's developers, but it's also generating concern that Melbourne's amenity is suffering, with problems including a lack of open space, and the creation of wind tunnels and overshadowing.

The Urban Melbourne website, which tracks developments, recently counted 23 towers above 200 metres being proposed or under construction. It cited a "gobsmacking" figure: since the Rialto became the city's first 200-metre-plus tower in 1986, only six more 200-metre-plus towers were built in the next 28 years.