All About Construction

The Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest tower  in the world, with 2716.5-feet of aluminum and steel, and its 26,000 hand-cut glass panels. The Burj Khalifa blows away the next-nearest skyscraper, which is Taiwan's 1670-foot Taipei 101, and the building has even surpassed ultra-tall, ground-cable-supported radio antennas.  Architects' vertical leapfrogging, however, isn't likely to stop at the Burj Khalifa. While the tower will be a tough one to beat, it is likely to remain at the pinnacle for only about another half-dozen years. Developers around the world have proposed numerous new skyscrapers. Some projects have leapt off the drawing boards, though plans for many record-breaking towers have been scuttled because of the global economic spasms of the past couple years. (The original name of the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Dubai, was changed at the last minute to recognize United Arab Emirates president Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who as emir of Abu Dhabi gave struggling...

Skyscrapers are getting bigger, as cities race to break the record for the tallest tower. But in the future, they may become cities themselves, helping mitigate urban sprawl. You have just closed the door behind you and your dog is already jumping up your leg, demanding you take him for a walk. Normally this would mean a short journey in the lift or a few flights of the stairs. Not so if your apartment is in one of the world’s new super-tall buildings, where you might be hundreds of metres above ground. It’s no walk in the park to take a walk in the park. You might think today’s skyscrapers are tall, but they are likely to be dwarfed by concepts and future designs pushing human construction higher and higher. In May this year,  One World Trade Center  was topped out and has become the world’s third-tallest building at 541m, restoring New York’s skyline and placing it back on the map of super tall buildings.   The mantle of world’s tallest building is now hel...