History of the world's tallest structures

While determining the world's tallest structure has generally been straightforward, the questions of what is the world's tallest building or the world's tallest tower have often been controversial, both because of disputes over what counts as a building or a tower, and further disputes over how to measure the height of these. Questions of national or local prestige may cause different people to adopt different definitions which favour their own structures.

In terms of absolute height, most of the tallest structures are dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers that are around 600 meters (2,000 feet) tall. There is, however, some debate about:

whether structures under construction can be included in the list
whether structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included.

For towers, there is debate about:

whether guy-wire-supported structures count

For buildings, there is debate about:

whether observation galleries on communication towers make them into habitable buildings
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"

Tallest structures

Currently, the tallest standing structure is the KVLY-TV mast near Fargo, North Dakota, at 629 m (2,063 ft). It is a transmission antenna, consisting of a bare metal structure supported by guy-wires. The Warsaw radio mast at Gąbin-Konstantynow near Warsaw, Poland at 645 m (2,115 ft) was taller, but it collapsed on 8 August 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 captive balloon, 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 in opposite to captive balloons, captive helicopters or kites as free-standing towers for permanent use and cannot be dismantled quickly, for example in case of bad weather as rope structures carried by balloons, kites or helicopters to the sky. So guyed masts have to be like free-standing towers designed in such way that they can stand strong winds and other natural forces. Therefore they are considered as other non-inhabitable constructions as architectural structures.

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.

Tallest structure by category

Category	Structure	Country/Region	City	Height (m)	Height (ft)
Supported structure	Warsaw Radio Mast (collapsed in 1991)	Poland	Gąbin	646.38	2,120
Supported structure	KVLY-TV mast	USA	Blanchard, North Dakota	629	2,063
Freestanding structure	Petronius Platform	Gulf of Mexico		610	2,001
Freestanding structure on land	CN Tower	Canada	Toronto	553.33	1,815
Building - to top of antenna	Sears Tower	USA	Chicago	527	1,729
Building - to roof	Taipei 101	Republic of China (Taiwan)	Taipei	449.2	1,474
Building - to highest occupied floor	Taipei 101	Republic of China (Taiwan)	Taipei	439	1,441
Chimney	Chimney of GRES-2 Power Station	Kazakhstan	Ekibastusz	419.7	1,375
Lattice tower	Kiev TV Tower	Ukraine	Kiev	385	1,263
Partially guyed tower	Gerbrandy Tower	Netherlands	Lopik	375	1,230
Electricity Pylon	Yangtze River Crossing	People's Republic of China	Jiangyin	346.5	1,137
Bridge pillar	Millau Viaduct	France	Millau	341	1,119
Uncompleted building	Ryugyong Hotel	North Korea	Pyongyang	330	1,083
Dam	Nurek Dam	Tajikistan	Nurek	300	984
Concrete dam	Grande Dixence Dam	Switzerland	Val d'Hérens	285	935
Communication tower	N Seoul Tower	South Korea	Seoul	239.7	786
Minaret	Hassan II Mosque	Morocco	Casablanca	210	689
Monument	Gateway Arch	USA	St. Louis, Missouri	192	630
Masonry tower	San Jacinto Monument	USA	La Porte, Texas	174	570
Inclined structure	Tower of Montreal	Canada	Montreal, Quebec	169.5	556
Church tower	Ulm Münster	Germany	Ulm	161	528
Pre-Industrial Era building	Lincoln Cathedral 1311 (Collapsed in 1549)	UK	Lincoln	159.7	524
Industrial hall	Vehicle Assembly Building	USA	Kennedy Space Center	160	525
Memorial cross	Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos	Spain	El Escorial	152.4	500
Tomb	Great Pyramid of Giza	Egypt	Giza, near Cairo	138.75 originally 146.5	455.21 481
Air traffic control tower	Vancouver Harbour Control Tower	Canada	Vancouver	142	466
Roller coaster	Kingda Ka	USA	Jackson, New Jersey	138.98	456
Flagpole (free-standing)	Raghadan Flagpole	Jordan	Amman	126.8	416
Storage silo	Henninger Turm	Germany	Frankfurt	120	394
Sculpture	Spire of Dublin	Republic of Ireland	Dublin	120	393
Light advertisement	Bayer Cross Leverkusen	Germany	Leverkusen	118	387
Wooden tower	Radio Tower Gliwice	Poland	Gliwice	118	387
Wooden tower	Radio Tower Muehlacker (demolished in 1945)	Germany	Mühlacker	190	623
Support tower of aerial tramway	Pillar of third section of Gletscherbahn Kaprun	Austria	Kaprun	113.6	373

Tallest building by function

Category	Structure	Country	City	Height to architectural top
Category	Structure	Country	City	m	ft
Office	Taipei 101	Republic of China (Taiwan)	Taipei	509	1,671
Residential	Q1	Australia	Gold Coast	323	1,058
Hotel	Burj al-Arab	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	321	1,053
Educational	Moscow State University	Russia	Moscow	240	787
Recreational	Kingda Ka	United States	Jackson, NJ	138.98	456

Tallest buildings

Comparison of top skyscrapers with measurements to top of antenna

Up until 1998 the tallest building status was essentially uncontested. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, and with antennas excluded, the Sears Tower in Chicago was considered the tallest. When the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were built, controversy arose since the "spire" extended nine meters higher than the roof of the Sears Tower. Excluding the spire, the Petronas Towers are not taller than the Sears Tower. Therefore, before the Petronas Towers were completed, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) defined four categories in which the "world's tallest building" can be measured:

Height to the structural or architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles)
Height to the highest occupied floor
Height to the top of the roof
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 world 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 412 m and 442 m (1,451 ft) respectively.

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 roof	4. Height to the top of antenna
2003 (Completion of Taipei 101)	Taipei 101	Taipei 101	Taipei 101	Sears Tower
2000 (Extension of Sears Tower western antenna)	Petronas Twin Towers	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	Sears Tower
1998 (Completion of Petronas Towers)	Petronas Twin Towers	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	World Trade Center
1996 (CTBUH defines the four categories)	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	Sears Tower	World 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		Notes
From	To	Name and Location	Constructed	m	ft	Notes
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"[1] 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	142	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

Notable mentions include the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, built in the 3rd century BC, and estimated between 115 to 135 metres (383 - 440 ft). It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal building for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the 3rd century, and was similarly tall at 122 metres (400 ft). These were both the world's tallest non-pyramidal buildings for over a thousand years.

The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, Italy, which is 97 m tall and was built between 1109 and 1119.

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
Rank	Name and location	Year completed	m	ft	Stories
Buildings
1	Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan	2004	509	1,671	101
2	Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998	452	1,483	88
2 (tie)	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, People's Republic of China	1998	421	1,380	88
6	Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China	2003	415	1,362	88
7	CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China	1997	391	1,283	80
8	Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, People's Republic of 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, People's Republic of China	1992	374	1,227	78
11	Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong, People's Republic of 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, People's Republic of China	1998	346	1,135	73
16	John Hancock Center, Chicago (IL), United States	1969	344	1,127	100
17	Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	2006	333	1,093	60
18	Minsheng Bank Building, Wuhan, People's Republic of 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, People's Republic of 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
30	Baiyoke Tower II, Bangkok, Thailand	1997	304	997	85
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	–
3	Sky Tower, Auckland, New Zealand	1997	328	1,076	–
4	Sydney Tower, Sydney, Australia	1981	309	1,014	–

¹ Height for inhabited buildings (with stories) does not include TV towers and antennas.

Source: Emporis.

Proposed record-breaking structures

Proposed on the tiny Island of Bahrain, Murjan Tower is going to be 1,022 meters (3,353 ft) in height. The tower is being designed by Danish firm Henning Larsens Tegnestue A/S and comprises 200 floors. If built, it will become world's tallest building, surpassing the proposed Mubarak Tower in nearby Kuwait City.

The proposed Mubarak al-Kabir Tower in Madinat al-Hareer (City Of Silk), (Kuwait) is going to be 1,001 m (3,284 ft) in height. Taller than the upcoming Solar Tower (in NSW, Australia) by 1 meter only. There are further plans to push the tower into even greater heights as most investments will go into making this structure the tallest tower in the world.

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.

Near Fuento el Fresno in Spain, the construction of a 750 metre tall solar tower is planned. If it will be built as planned, it will be nearly twice as tall as nowaday's tallest structure in the European Union, the Belmont TV Mast.

Burj Dubai in Dubai, UAE is a 808 m (2,651 ft) skyscraper currently under construction 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.

The proposed Center of India Tower in Katangi, India would be a 677 m (2,222 ft) skyscraper with 224 stories. It has been planned to be built in 2008. Upon completion, the building will have the largest gross floor area in the world; approx. 30 million sq. feet. ^[2]

The 610 m 2000 ft tower tentatively named 400 North Lake Shore Drive and formerly Fordham Spire would surpass the Sears Tower as the tallest tower in Chicago as well as North America. The building would have 124 stories as well as a top floor height of 1570 ft. The project was given new life when Garrett Kelleher, executive chairman of Shelbourne Development Ltd & the Shelbourne Group acquired the land in July 2006 with plans to fully fund the developement of the project. The building is planned to break ground sometime in early 2007 with completion expected in late 2010.

The 492 m (1,614 ft; roof height) Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, People's Republic of China has proposed completion in 2008, 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 2009. 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. This would make it the tallest building under categories 1 and 4 by the CTBUH, if no other record-breakers have been built by its completion date (currently at 2011).

Kpt tower Karachi Port Trust is taking on a Rs. 20 billion project, the Port Tower Complex, is said to be 593 metres (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.

The new Guangdong TV Tower at Guangzhou, People's Republic of China may also become one of the world's tallest structures.

Construction was scheduled to begin in 2006 on the now cancelled Strait of Messina Bridge. The bridge would have become the largest suspension bridge as well as the tallest. The proposed height of the two towers at 382.6 metres, is taller than the current record holder, the Millau Viaduct in France (341 metres).

There are some plans for a 609.6 metre high free-standing TV tower at Bayonne, New Jersey.

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 would have been by far the tallest building in the world. The Russian Civil War stopped the project from continuing, due to lack of resources 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	[3]
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Sargent	609.6 metres	USA	Sargent, Texas	[4]
Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Winnie	609.6 metres	USA	Winnie, Texas	[5]
American Media Services Tower Agate	609.5 metres	USA	Agate, Colorado	[6]
Vertical Properties Tower Busterville	609.5 metres	USA	Busterville, Texas	[7], [8]
Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Stowell	609.3 metres	USA	Stowell, Texas	[9]
Pegasus Broadcasting Tower	609 metres	USA	Metcalf, Georgia	[10]
SpectraSite Tower Raymond	608.8 metres	USA	Raymond, Mississippi	[11]
Beasley Tower	608.7 metres	USA	Immokalee, Florida	[12]
KKDD-FM Tower	608.1 metres	USA	HOYT, Colorado	[13]
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Devers	607.7 metres	USA	Devers, Texas	[14]
Wiliam Smith Tower Walker	607 metres	USA	Walker, Iowa	[15]
CBC Real Estate Tower Auburn	606.4 metres	USA	Auburn, North Carolina	[16]
Gray TV Tower Grifton	605 metres	USA	Grifton, North Carolina	[17]
KELO TV Tower	605 metres	USA	Rowena, South Dakota	[18][19]
Pappas Telecasting Tower Plymouth County 2	603.5 metres	USA	Plymouth County, Iowa	[20]
Hearst-Argyle Tower, Sacramento	609.7 metres	USA	Sacramento County, California	[21][22]

Towers/Skyscrapers

TV tower of Djakarta [23].

External links