The Global Rush to Build New Skyscrapers

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As the creator of today’s visualization, Alberto Lucas López, points out, “the world’s tallest buildings have acted as barometers”.

Another way of putting it? Our biggest architectural accomplishments are highly visible symbols of what society values most, and those values have changed over time. Today, the paramount belief system in many parts of the world is in capitalism, and there is no more potent marker of the economic might than fantastically tall commercial skyscrapers.

Today’s visualization is an effective way to take in the mind-bending scale of the newest generation of megatall buildings. It’s headlined by Jeddah Tower, a skyscraper currently under construction in Saudi Arabia that will smash the one kilometer mark when it’s completed in 2019.

Cities are Growing Up

In general, only very large cities have the resources to build and support extremely tall buildings.

With the explosion of urbanization around the world and developing economies asserting themselves in high profile ways, the stage is set for a global skyscraper boom.

In the last two years, 39 skyscrapers taller than 300m have been constructed, with five of the them eclipsing the height of the Empire State Building.

Global skyscraper construction has increased a whopping 402% since 2000.

High-rise Hot Spots

China

Nearly every sizeable Chinese city has skyscrapers under construction, and the numbers are staggering. Since 2012, China has added 38 skyscrapers over 300m (~1,000 ft) in height, and there are another 16 skyscrapers on the way in 2018.

In particular, the Pearl River Delta megaregion, which is anchored by Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, has seen an astonishing commercial construction boom. Today, 20 of the 100 tallest buildings on earth are located in just this one urban megaregion of China.

China’s Top 10 Tallest Buildings



Building Name City Height (m) Completed Use Shanghai Tower Shanghai 632 2015 hotel / office Ping An Finance Center Shenzhen 599.1 2017 office Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre Guangzhou 530 2016 hotel / res / office Shanghai World Financial Center Shanghai 492 2008 hotel / office International Commerce Centre Hong Kong 484 2010 hotel / office Zifeng Tower Nanjing 450 2010 hotel / office KK100 Shenzhen 441.8 2011 hotel / office Guangzhou International Finance Center Guangzhou 438.6 2010 hotel / office Jin Mao Tower Shanghai 420.5 1999 hotel / office Two International Finance Centre Hong Kong 412 2003 office

In total, 46 of the world’s 100 tallest skyscrapers are now located in China, and that number is sure to increase in coming years.

United Arab Emirates

Construction has been relentless in UAE for decades, and much of that development has been vertically-oriented. Today, Dubai is home to nearly 1,000 high-rise buildings, and there are 13 projects currently under construction that will hit or exceed the 300m mark.

UAE’s Top 10 Tallest Buildings



Building Name City Height (m) Completed Use Burj Khalifa Dubai 828 2010 hotel / res / office Marina 101 Dubai 425 2017 residential / hotel Princess Tower Dubai 413.4 2012 residential 23 Marina Dubai 392.4 2012 residential Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Abu Dhabi 381.2 2014 residential Elite Residence Dubai 380.5 2012 residential The Address Boulevard Dubai 370 2017 res / hotel / retail Almas Tower Dubai 360 2008 office JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai Tower 1 Dubai 355.4 2012 hotel JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai Tower 2 Dubai 355.4 2013 hotel

Russia

While the skylines of many European cities are conspicuously low-rise, an exception to that rule is in Moscow’s International Business Centre, where four 300m+ towers have been completed since 2012.

Russia’s Top 10 Tallest Buildings



Building Name City Height (m) Completed Use Vostok Tower Moscow 373.8 2016 residential / office OKO - Residential Tower Moscow 353.6 2015 residential / hotel Mercury City Tower Moscow 338.8 2013 residential / office Stalnaya Vershina Moscow 308.9 2015 res / hotel / office Capital City Moscow Tower Moscow 301.8 2010 residential Naberezhnaya Tower Block C Moscow 268.4 2007 office Triumph Palace Moscow 264.1 2005 residential / hotel Capital City St. Petersburg Tower Moscow 257.2 2010 office Evolution Tower Yekaterinburg 246 2015 residential Zapad Tower Moscow 242.5 2008 residential / office

What about the United States?

In the early 20th century, the United States was the undisputed champion of skyscraper construction, but that has tapered off dramatically. In fact, only six commercial towers over 300m have been constructed in the last 20 years.

The exception may be the city that started it all: New York. There are currently 30 skyscrapers under construction in NYC, fueled in part by a red-hot luxury real estate market.

America’s Top 10 Tallest Buildings (Under Construction)



Building Name City Height (m) Target Date Use Central Park Tower New York City 472.4 2020 res / hotel / retail 111 West 57th Street New York City 435.3 2019 residential One Vanderbilt New York City 427 2021 office 30 Hudson Yards New York City 386.6 2019 office Vista Tower Chicago 362.9 2020 residential / hotel Comcast Technology Center Philadelphia 341.7 2018 office / hotel 3 World Trade Center New York City 328.9 2018 residential / hotel Salesforce Tower San Francisco 326.1 2018 office 9 DeKalb Avenue New York City 324.9 2020 office 53 West 53rd New York City 320 2019 res / office / retail

Philadelphia and San Francisco will soon have new additions to their skylines as Comcast and Saleforce complete their flagship construction projects. If current construction numbers are any indication, America’s love affair with the skyscraper may be reignited in urban centers across the country.