All About Construction

Within this decade we will likely witness not only the world’s first kilometer-tall building, but also the completion of a significant number of buildings over 600 meters (around 2,000 feet) – that’s twice the height of the Eiffel Tower. Two years ago, prior to the completion of the Burj Khalifa, this building type did not exist. And yet, by 2020, we can expect at least eight such buildings to exist internationally. The term “supertall” (which refers to a building over 300 meters) is thus no longer adequate to describe these buildings: we are entering the era of the “megatall.” This term is now officially being used by the Council to describe buildings over 600 meters in height, or double the height of a supertall (see Figure 1). Figure 1. Diagram of the predicted World's 20 Tallest in the year 2020 as of Dec 2011 As we started the 21st century, just 11 short years ago, the Petronas Towers held the title of “The World’s Tallest” at 452 meters (1,483 feet) in height. T...

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...