Tallest Skyscraper by Country - Part 2

In the second part of this series, we will count down the top 20 tallest skyscrapers by country. Starting with... Number 20. Abeno Harukas, Japan Japan's first building to reach 300 meters in height, Abeno Harukas is a multifunctional skyscraper located in Osaka. The $700 million building has a special stabilization system to withstand large earthquakes. It also features a network of cascading gardens that are visible from the building's glass facade. Number 19. Gran Torre Santiago, Chile Located next to the Mapocho River in Santiago, the glass-clad tower has a unique design that forms into a crown towards the top. With a total height of 300 meters, the building is the tallest skyscraper in South America. Its design is inspired by the beautiful Andes Mountains, and it will become one of the four towers that will rise from the $600 million development, the Costanera Center. Number 18. Commerzbank Tower, Germany The banking district of Frankfurt is headlined by the 300-meter-tall Commerzbank Tower. The environment-friendly building is in the shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners and slightly convex sides, allowing for the floors to be arranged around a central atrium. The atrium, which is also triangular in shape, gives the tower an open and transparent feel. The building is enclosed in a two-layer facade, permitting natural ventilation and reduced energy consumption. The tower features nine spacious sky gardens, each offering a different botanical theme. The tower supports a stepped design towards the top, giving it an exquisite look. Number 17. Top Torre 1, Mexico One of the two towers at the Bishop's Tower Complex in Monterrey, the 305-meter-tall Top Torre 1 will be the tallest skyscraper in Mexico, as well as Latin America. The tower symbolizes the wealth and progress of the city and has LEED Gold certification for sustainable buildings. It will house offices, a Hilton Garden Hotel, commercial areas, and apartments. The tower was completed in 2020, and there are already talks of another skyscraper named the Rise Tower in the same neighborhood. Number 16. The Shard, United Kingdom Located in Southwark, the Shard has become a landmark of modern architecture in the British capital. Overlooking the iconic Thames River, the skyscraper rises up to 310 meters off the ground and offers two viewing platforms to the visitors. Its pyramid design was inspired by various London churches and the masts of ships as depicted in 18th-century paintings. The exterior of the skyscraper resembles a glass shard and reflects the London skyline. The building changes color depending on weather and the seasons, adding to its beauty. In 2008, the State of Qatar invested in the skyscraper to save it from funding difficulties, and the skyscraper was subsequently inaugurated by the Qatari Prime Minister in 2012. Number 15. Gamma Tower, Indonesia An icon of the Jakarta skyline, the 310-meter-tall Gamma Tower is a luxury office tower, which applies green building concepts and development. Situated in one of Jakarta's prime business districts, the building houses Indonesia's highest luxury hotel, the Westin Jakarta. It also features the world's highest open-air bar. The skyscraper is situated at the construction site of Minara Rasuna, a skyscraper that was halted due to the 1997 financial crisis in Indonesia. Opened in 2016, the tower meets the international standards of elegance and functionality. Number 14. IKON Siam, Thailand IKON Siam, a mixed-use development on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, is home to two of Thailand's tallest towers. The Magnolia's waterfront residences, standing at 318 meters, is the tallest building in the country. The residential skyscraper offers both riverfront and city ambience. Opened in 2018, IKON Siam also includes one of the largest shopping malls in Asia. Number 13. Grand Hyatt Manila, Philippines The 66-story Grand Hyatt Manila looms over all other buildings in the Philippines at a height of 318 meters. It is one of the 98 Grand Hyatt luxury hotels around the world. The top floors of the hotel feature a lifestyle space called The Peak, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the Makati skyline and Manila Bay. The building culminates into a golden pyramid-like crown, offering views of the Manila Bay to the west and the mountains of Rizal to the east. Considering that the Philippines is prone to earthquakes, the skyscraper is equipped with a damp outrigger system to make the building resistant to seismic shock and wind. The construction costs for the skyscraper were upwards of $300 million. Number 12. Palais Royale, India The Taj Mahal in Agra is often the reference point for the complexity and beauty of Indian architecture. However, the tallest building of India is situated in Mumbai. The 320-meter-high Palais Royale is India's first super-tall structure and incorporates many green features to reduce the building's impact on the city's overburdened infrastructure. The building design features a façade cladding entirely made up of Dupont's Corian, the first-ever use of such material on a residential high-rise because of its resistance to Mumbai's humid tropical climate. The construction also broke a record for the single-day concrete pour in the history of Mumbai. The ambitious structure topped out in 2018 and is tipped to open in May 2021 after several delays. Number 11. Q1, Australia Dwarfing the Gold Coast skyline at a height of 322.5 meters, the Q1 tower is the tallest skyscraper in the Southern Hemisphere. Its glass-enclosed sleek design is inspired by the Olympic torch of the 2000 Sydney Games and by the Sydney Opera House's sail motif. The building was the silver award winner of the 2005 Emporist Skyscraper Award, coming in second to Turning Torso in Sweden. The tower features the world's only beachside observation deck at 230 meters off the ground. The landmark building was recognized as one of Queensland's icons during the state's 150th birthday celebration. Number 10. Al-Hamra Tower, Kuwait The next skyscraper on the list breaks away from the previous buildings in height and crosses the 400-meter height barrier. Rising up to 412 meters into the sky, the Al-Hamra Tower is the tallest curved concrete skyscraper in the world. A desire to maximize views of the Arabian Gulf while minimizing solar heat gain inspired the The building's design provides transparency on the north, east, and west sides towards the Gulf and near-complete opacity against the severe desert sun to the south. The final form is achieved by carving out a quarter of each floor plate from the south side of the building. The purity of its form, expressed by a simple operation of removal, makes the tower a timeless, elegant marker in the heart of Kuwait City. Al-Hamra was named one of the best inventions of 2011 by Time magazine. Number 9. Petronas Towers, Malaysia The twin skyscrapers rising up to 452 meters are the world's tallest twin structures since 1996. The skyscrapers were originally proposed to be built at a height of 427 meters. However, a dome with an integrated pinnacle atop the towers was added at the request of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, increasing its height. The interior motifs are designed to resemble Malaysia's local handicrafts and weaving patterns. The design of each tower floor plate is based on simple geometric forms of two interlocking squares, creating a shape of an eight-pointed star. These forms represent the principles of unity, harmony, stability, and rationality of the Islamic cultures. Number 8. Landmark 81, Vietnam At a height of 460 meters, Southeast Asia's tallest building, Landmark 81, pierces the Ho Chi Minh City's skyline. The skyscraper forms the centerpiece of the $1.5 billion Vinhomes Central Park master plan. The building's design is inspired by Chicago's Willis Tower and also bears some resemblance to the Burj Khalifa. The design incorporates landscaped roof gardens atop each section of the tower, creating accessible urban parks for residents all the way up the building. The building's structure is simply a bundled tube system, comprising 36 square tubes of different heights clustered in a 6x6 matrix. The 81st floor of the building has an open-air terrace called Skytouch, where visitors can feel the air and wind at 383 meters off the ground. Number 7. Lakta Center With a height of 462 meters, the Lakta Center in St. Petersburg is the tallest building in Europe. The tower's curved glass facade pierces the sky like a needle. It takes a dynamic and slender shape, starting with the smaller ground floor area, reaching its largest diameter at around a quarter of its height and then narrowing sharply. To combat the dual effects of extreme height and a harsh winter, an ice formation control system will be implemented to protect the building's facade and passers-by below from the dangers of falling ice. Number 6. Taipei 101, Taiwan From 2004 to the completion of the Burj Khalifa in 2010, the Taipei 101 was the tallest skyscraper in the world at a height of 508 meters. The building design transcends the unibody concept and consists of eight floor structural units connected one by one on top of each other to form the whole. The design is based on the Chinese number eight, a numeral considered lucky in Chinese culture. The structure of Taipei 101 inclines 7 degrees inwards and increases in size as it gets higher. Resembling a flexible bamboo that rises into the sky, the building is a reflection of traditional Chinese building philosophy. Number 5. One World Trade Center, United States of America Recapturing the New York skyline, the One World Trade Center occupies the location of the original Six World Trade Center building. It reaches the symbolic architectural height of 1,776 feet, the year of American independence. The 541-meter-high skyscraper is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The design consists of eight isosceles triangles forming this impressive skyscraper. As the sun moves through the sky, the surface appears like a kaleidoscope and changes throughout the day as light and weather conditions change. The iconic importance and unique architectural features of the tower have meant that the construction costs for the tower were a whopping $3.9 billion. Number 4. Lot World Tower, South Korea One of Korea's architectural crown jewels, the Lot World Tower in Seoul soars 555 meters into the air. The tower embraces Korea's traditional beauty, human technology, and a cutting-edge design. The tower was constructed with matte foundation on bedrock to support the weight. Exterior materials will be light-toned silver glass accented by a filigree of white lacquered metal. The design embodies the structural beauty of eaves of traditional Korean-style houses with a modern interior. Lot World Tower is home to Korea's tallest observation deck, Seoul Sky, at a height of 500 meters. Number 3. Macca Royal Clock Tower, Saudi Arabia Macca, the holiest Islamic city, hosts over 7 million pilgrims each year. At the heart of the Rising up to a height of 601 meters, the tower aims to provide comfortable accommodation to the devout Muslims that embark on pilgrimage each year. The top of the tower features four clock faces that hold the record for both the largest and the highest clocks in the world. Number 2. Shanghai Tower, China A Shanghai landmark and a financial icon, the Shanghai Tower soars up to a height of 632 meters into the sky. The tower has an innovative spiraling shape that is aerodynamic, making the structure stable in strong winds. The helical shape gives the tower an ultra-modern signature appearance. The structure is covered with two layers of glass for insulation to save energy and provide extra protection. The Shanghai Tower offers stunning views of the Huangpu River, the historic Bund District, and the Pudong Cityscape, from the world's highest observation deck, at a height of 561 meters. Number 1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai Opened in 2010 with a height of 828 meters, the Burj Khalifa broke many records. In addition to becoming the tallest building, it also broke the record of the tallest structure and the tallest free-standing structure in the world. The tower instantly became a global icon and a benchmark for high-rise structures. Combining cutting-edge technologies with cultural influences, the building takes the shape of a desert flower. Supporting a Y-shaped structure, the skyscraper is reminiscent of the onion domes prevalent in Islamic architecture. The exterior cladding is composed of reflective glazing and hand-cut glass panels that give a stunning look to the building as well as protecting it from the desert heat. It is set to remain the tallest building in the world for the foreseeable future. Would you like to see more series and longer videos like this? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for watching, and we'll see you in the next video.