Tallest Buildings In The World: 25 Architectural Marvels Every Architect Must See

The Shard (London, England) | Tallest Buildings In The World

Location: London, England, UK
Architect: Renzo Piano
Height: 309.6 metres (1,016 ft)
Type: 72-storey skyscraper
Floor Area: 398,490 m2 (4,289,300 sq ft)
Completion Year:2012 

Due to the building’s resemblance to a shard of glass sticking out of the earth, the name “The Shard” was coined. To stand out against the London skyline without being overly obtrusive or crude, Renzo Piano set out to create the building. It was planned to use specialised windows with unique glazing that casts a distinctive reflection of light. The coating would reflect various light intensities in ways that would alter how the building appeared during various seasons or times of the day.

A building that is in use continuously combines a variety of uses, including residential, office, and retail. Due to this mix, the tower’s slender and pyramidal shape was chosen: private apartments at the top; restaurants, communal areas, and a hotel positioned in the middle; and big floor plates for offices at the bottom. A public viewing gallery is located on the uppermost levels, 240 metres above street level.

Chrysler Building (New York, New York)

Location: East Side of Manhattan in New York City
Architect(s): William Van Alen
Height: 1,046 feet (319 m)
Type: Art Deco skyscraper
Floor Area: 1,196,958 sq ft (111,201.0 m2)
Completion Year: 1930

One of the best structures in New York City, according to many modern architects, is the Chrysler Building, a prime example of Art Deco design. The Chrysler Building is regarded as a premier illustration of Art Deco construction. Eagles decorate the 61st story’s corners, while radiator caps from 1929 Chryslers are replicated as corner decoration on the 31st floor. In 1976, the structure was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Another well-known feature of the Chrysler Building is its terraced crown. Van Alen’s design of the crown is a cruciform groyne vault built into seven concentric parts with shifting setbacks, mounted up one after another. It is made up of seven radiating terraced arches. Numerous triangular vaulted windows are included in the stainless steel cladding, which is ribbed and riveted in a sunburst pattern to transition into smaller sections of the seven thin setbacks of the tiered crown face. 

One World Trade Center (New York) | Tallest Buildings In The World

Location: Lower Manhattan, New York City
Architect(s): David Childs
Height: 1,792 ft (546.2 m)
Type: Supertall structure
Floor Area: 3,501,274 sq ft (325,279 m2)
Completion Year: 2012

One World Trade Center (WTC) is not just the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere, standing at 1,776 feet. It is without a doubt one of the most difficult projects ever completed in the area, if not the entire country, due to its sheer size, geographic limitations, and operational requirements.

It is a striking emblem that fills the gap in the skyline created by the collapsed towers. One World Trade Center rises skyward in a faceted structure, speaking about the future and promise while the nearby World Trade Center Memorial talks of the past and remembrance. One World Trade Center appears to change shape depending on the angle of lighting and the viewer’s vantage point, going from a platonic solid resembling the original twin towers to an obelisk resembling the Washington Monument. It is a hybrid building with a steel perimeter moment frame surrounding a core of extremely strong concrete. The steel frame adds rigidity and structural redundancy when combined with the substantial concrete shear walls of the core.

The tapered, aerodynamic shape of the tower lowers its exposure to wind loads while also requiring less structural steel. The tower is imposing strength covered in glass, rising a quarter mile into the sky.

Lakhta Center

Location: Lakhta in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Architects: RMJM (until 2011), GORPROJECT
Height: 87-story, 462 meters (1,516 ft)
Type: Neo-futuristic skyscraper
Floor Area: 163,000 m2 (1,750,000 sq ft)
Completion Year: 2019

The Lakhta Center stands out from other buildings in St. Petersburg’s landscape thanks to its eye-catching “barbed” style and elegantly curved façade. The centre is intended for a substantial building that combines office space and public amenities. The organic spire shape of the Tower represents the strength of water, and its unique glass façade enables it to change colour in response to the location of the sun, creating the sense that it is a “living object.”

The tower design is a logical progression from the RMJM concept that was first put forth for the Okhta site. This concept was entirely inspired by the city of St. Petersburg, with its baroque architecture and water-filled canals, and the transformation of water into ice, from soft organic free-form to angular crystalline geometry. The structure’s design combines several cutting-edge energy-saving technologies, such as an “intelligent” glass façade that offers thermal insulation and natural ventilation, as well as specifically created micro-climate air conditioning. The design makes use of the most glass ever put into a high-rise structure. When it is finished, the high-rise tower, which has 86 aboveground and 3 underground floors, will be among the tallest in Russia.

Aqua | Tallest Buildings In The World

Location: Chicago, USA
Architects: Studio Gang Architects
Height: 262 m
Type: Contemporary Skyscraper
Floor Area: 1,990,635 sq ft (184,936.0 m2)
Completion Year: 2009

To capture and reinterpret the human and outdoor interactions that happen more naturally when residing closer to the earth, the Aqua design leverages architecture. Based on factors like views, sunlight, and use, the floor slabs are varied throughout the height of the tower to give it its characteristic shape.

At this time, the requirements for medication storage in the building are not taken into consideration, but it will soon be necessary to install the necessary equipment.

Each floor slab’s design is purposefully sculpted to provide comfortable outdoor terraces, where neighbours can mingle whenever they like as well as views of famous Chicago landmarks by guiding sight lines around corners and through openings between existing structures.

The final design is the culmination of several answers to particular uses, environments, and densities.

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