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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 stuctureKVLY-TV mastUSA Blanchard, North Dakota 629 m (2,063 ft)
Freestanding structurePetronius 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 antennaSears Tower USA Chicago 527 m (1,729 ft)
Building - to architectural topTaipei 101 Taiwan Taipei 509 m (1,671 ft)
Building - to top of the roofTaipei 101 Taiwan Taipei 449 m (1,474 ft)
Building - to highest occupied floorTaipei 101 Taiwan Taipei 439 m (1,441 ft)
Chimney Chimney of GRES-2 Power Station Kazakhstan Ekibastusz 419.7 m (1,375 ft)
Lattice towerKiev TV Tower Ukraine Kiev 385 m (1,263 ft)
Partially guyed towerGerbrandy Tower Netherlands Lopik 375 m (1,230 ft)
Bridge pillarMillau ViaductFrance Millau 341 m (1,119 ft)
Incomplete buildingRyugyong Hotel North Korea Pyongyang 330 m (1,083 ft)
Residential buildingQ1Australia Gold Coast 323 m (1,058 ft)
DamNurek DamTajikistan Nurek 300 m (984 ft)
Electricity pylonPylons of Pearl River Crossing China Pearl River 253 m (830 ft)
MinaretHassan II Mosque Morocco Casablanca 210 m (689 ft)
Church towerUlm 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:

  1. Height to the structural or architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles)
  2. Height to the highest occupied floor
  3. Height to the top of the roof
  4. Height to the top of antenna

The height is measured from the sidewalk level of the main entrance. In all of these categories, Sears Tower had held the top spot. After Petronas was built, Sears Tower became second in the first category only.

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 roof4. Height to the top of antenna
2003 (Completion of Taipei 101)Taipei 101Taipei 101Taipei 101Sears Tower
2000 (Extension of Sears Tower western antenna)Petronas Twin TowersSears TowerSears TowerSears Tower
1998 (Completion of Petronas Towers)Petronas Twin TowersSears TowerSears TowerWorld Trade Center
1996 (CTBUH defines the four categories)Sears TowerSears TowerSears TowerWorld 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"* 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.

Rank Name and location Year
completed 		Height to architectural top1 Stories
m ft
Buildings
1 Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 2004 509 1,666 101
2 Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 452 1,483 88
(tie) 2 Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 452 1,483 88
4 Sears Tower, Chicago (IL), United States 1974 442 1,451 108
5 Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, China 1998 421 1,380 88
6 Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong, China 2003 415 1,362 88
7 CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, China 1997 391 1,283 80
8 Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China 1996 384 1,260 69
9 Empire State Building, New York (NY), United States 1931 381 1,250 102
10 Central Plaza, Hong Kong, China 1992 374 1,227 78
11 Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong, China 1990 367 1,205 70
12 Emirates Office Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2000 355 1,163 54
13 Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1997 348 1,140 85
14 Aon Center, Chicago (IL), United States 1973 346 1,136 83
15 The Center, Hong Kong, China 1998 346 1,135 73
16 John Hancock Center, Chicago (IL), United States 1969 344 1,127 100
17 Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai, China 2006 333 1,093 60
18 Minsheng Bank Building, Wuhan, China 2006 331 1,087 68
19 Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea 1992 330 1,083 105
20 Q1 Tower, Gold Coast City, Australia 2005 323 1,058 78
21 Burj al Arab Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 1999 321 1,053 60
22 Chrysler Building, New York (NY), United States 1930 319 1,046 77
23 Nina Tower I, Hong Kong, China 2006 319 1,046 80
24 Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta (GA), United States 1992 312 1,023 55
25 U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles (CA), United States 1989 310 1,018 73
26 Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2001 310 1,017 55
27 Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2000 309 1,014 56
28 AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago (IL), United States 1989 307 1,007 60
29 JPMorganChase Tower, Houston, United States 1982 305 1,002 75
Towers and Other Structures for comparison
– KVLY-TV mast, Fargo (ND), United States 1963 629 2,063 –
1 CN Tower, Toronto (ON), Canada 1976 553 1,815 –
2 Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia 1967 540 1,772 –
1 Height for inhabited buildings (with stories) does not include TV towers and antennas.

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.

  • 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 *
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Sargent 609.6 metres USA Sargent, Texas *
Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Winnie 609.6 metres USA Winnie, Texas *
American Media Services Tower Agate 609.5 metres USA Agate, Colorado *
Vertical Properties Tower Busterville 609.5 metres USA Busterville, Texas [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b7157
Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Stowell 609.3 metres USA Stowell, Texas *
Pegasus Broadcasting Tower 609 metres USA Metcalf, Georgia *
SpectraSite Tower Raymond 608.8 metres USA Raymond, Mississippi *
Beasley Tower 608.7 metres USA Immokalee, Florida *
KKDD-FM Tower 608.1 metres USA HOYT, Colorado *
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Devers 607.7 metres USA Devers, Texas *
Wiliam Smith Tower Walker 607 metres USA Walker, Iowa *
CBC Real Estate Tower Auburn 606.4 metres USA Auburn, North Carolina *
Gray TV Tower Grifton 605 metres USA Grifton, North Carolina *
KELO TV Tower 605 metres USA Rowena, South Dakota **
Pappas Telecasting Tower Plymouth County 2 603.5 metres USA Plymouth County, Iowa *

Towers/Skyscrapers

  • TV tower of Djakarta *.

See also

External links

Buildings and structures | World records | Lists of structures

Liste der höchsten Gebäude ihrer Zeit | Struktur tertinggi dunia | Lijst van hoogste bouwwerken ter wereld (chronologisch) | Estruturas mais altas do mundo | Những công trình cao nhất thế giới

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "World's tallest structures".

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