This category does not require the structure to be "officially" open, but does require it to be "topped out".
The Petronius Platform stands 610 m (2,000 ft) off the sea floor, leading some, including Guinness World Records 2007, to claim it as the tallest freestanding structure in the world, until surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in 2010. However, it is debated whether underwater height should be counted, in the same manner as height below ground is ignored on buildings. The Troll A platform is 472 m (1,549 ft), without any part of that height being supported by wires. The tension-leg type of oil platform has even greater below-water heights with several examples more than 1,000 m (3,300 ft) deep. However, these platforms are not considered constant structures as the vast majority of their height is made up of the length of the tendons attaching the floating platforms to the sea floor. Despite this, Guinness World Records 2009 listed the Ursa tension leg platform as the tallest structure in the world with a total height of 1,306 m (4,285 ft). Shell's floating production, storage, and offloading oil platform Turritella in the Gulf of Mexico is a moored platform approximately 2,900 m (9,500 ft) tall. [1]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(August 2007) |
Note: The following table is a list of the tallest completed structure in each of the structural categories below.
| Category | Structure | Country | Location | Height (metres) | Height (feet) | Coordinates | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guyed mast | Warsaw Radio Mast |  Poland | Gąbin | 646.38 | 2,121 | 52°22′3.74″N19°48′8.73″E / 52.3677056°N 19.8024250°E | Completed in 1974, collapsed on August 8, 1991 |
| Scientific research tower | BREN Tower |  United States | Nevada Test Site | 462 | 1,516 | 36°46′50.23″N116°14′36.9″W / 36.7806194°N 116.243583°W | Completed in 1962, demolished May 23, 2012 [11] |
| Guyed tubular steel mast | Shushi-Wan Omega Transmitter |  Japan | Tsushima | 389 | 1,276 | 34°36′53″N129°27′13″E / 34.61472°N 129.45361°E | Completed in 1973, dismantled in 1998 |
| Solar updraft tower | Manzanares Solar Chimney |  Spain | Manzanares | 195 | 640 | 39°02′34.45″N3°15′12.21″W / 39.0429028°N 3.2533917°W | Completed in 1982, the tower's guy-wires were not protected against corrosion and failed due to rust and storm winds causing the tower to collapse in 1989. Small-scale experimental model of a solar draft tower, newer proposals if built could become the tallest structure on earth. |
| Wooden structure | Mühlacker Wood Radio Tower |  Germany | Mühlacker | 190 | 623 | 48°56′27.67″N8°51′8.24″E / 48.9410194°N 8.8522889°E | Completed in 1934, destroyed on April 6, 1945, by the Germans to prevent usage by the Allies, replaced by mast radiator |
| Masonry building | Mole Antonelliana |  Italy | Turin | 167.5 | 549.5 | 45°04′8.45″N7°41′35.62″E / 45.0690139°N 7.6932278°E | Spire destroyed by a tornado in 1953 (rebuilt since then) |
| Pre-Industrial era building | Lincoln Cathedral |  United Kingdom | Lincoln | 160 | 524 | 53°14′3.26″N0°32′10.54″W / 53.2342389°N 0.5362611°W | Completed in 1311, spire blown off in 1549 |
| Telescope | Arecibo Telescope |  Puerto Rico | Arecibo, Puerto Rico | 150 | 492 | 18°20′39″N66°45′10″W / 18.34417°N 66.75278°W | Completed in 1963, collapsed on December 1, 2020 |
| Gasometer | Gasometer Zeche Nordstern | Germany | Gelsenkirchen | 147 | 482 | Completed in 1938, damaged at an air raid on May 13, 1940, in such a manner that it was not usable any more and had to be demolished. | |
| Storage silo | Henninger Turm | Germany | Frankfurt | 120 | 394 | 50°05′50.18″N8°41′36.81″E / 50.0972722°N 8.6935583°E | Constructed in 1961, demolished in 2013 |
* "Mixed-use" is defined as having three or more real estate uses (such as retail, office, hotel, etc.) that are physically and functionally integrated in a single property and are mutually supporting. [16]
Among existing structures
The following table is a list of the current tallest structures by each continent (listed by geographic size):
| Continent | Structure | Height | Year [17] | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | Burj Khalifa | 829.8 m (2,722 ft) | 2009 | United Arab Emirates |
| Africa | Benguela-Belize Lobito-Tomboco Platform | 512 m (1,680 ft) | 2008 | Angola |
| North America | Petronius Platform | 640 m (2,100 ft) | 2000 | United States |
| South America | Amazon Tall Tower Observatory | 325 m (1,066 ft) | 2015 | Brazil |
| Europe | Ostankino Tower | 540.1 m (1,772 ft) | 1967 | Russia |
| Australia | Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt | 387 m (1,270 ft) | 1967 | Australia |
| Oceania | VLF transmitter Lualualei | 458 m (1,503 ft) | 1972 | United States (Hawaii) |
Including destroyed structures
The following table is a list of the all time tallest structures by each continent (listed by geographic size):
| Continent | Structure | Height | Year [17] | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | Burj Khalifa | 829.8 m (2,722 ft) | 2009 | United Arab Emirates |
| Africa | Benguela-Belize Lobito-Tomboco Platform | 512 m (1,680 ft) | 2008 | Angola |
| North America | Petronius Platform | 640 m (2,100 ft) | 2000 | United States |
| South America | Omega Tower Trelew | 366 m (1,201 ft) | 1971 | Argentina |
| Europe | Warsaw radio mast | 646 m (2,119 ft) | 1974 | Poland |
| Oceania | VLF Transmitter Woodside | 432 m (1,417 ft) | 1981 | Australia |
| Taller than all past structures (including destroyed structures) |
| Record from | Record held (years) | Name and location | Constructed | Height (metres) | Height (feet) | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 9500 BC [18] | 1,500 | Göbekli Tepe, Türkiye | c. 9500 BC | 5-6 | 18 | 37°13′23″N38°55′21″E / 37.22306°N 38.92250°E | Possibly one of the earliest known temples. |
| c. 8000 BC | 4,000 | Tower of Jericho, West Bank, Palestine | c. 8000 BC | 8.5 | 27.9 | 31°52′19″N35°26′38″E / 31.872041°N 35.443981°E | One of the earliest ever stone monuments. |
| c. 4000 BC | 1,350 | Anu Ziggurat, Uruk, Iraq | c. 4000 BC | 13 | 40 | 31°19′28″N45°38′24.6″E / 31.32444°N 45.640167°E | |
| c. 2650 BC | 40 | Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt | c. 2650 BC | 62.5 | 205 | 29°52′16.53″N31°12′59.59″E / 29.8712583°N 31.2165528°E | First Egyptian pyramid, formed of six stacked mastabas. |
| c. 2610 BC | 5 | Meidum Pyramid, Egypt | c. 2610 BC | 91.65 | 301 | 29°23′17″N31°09′25″E / 29.38806°N 31.15694°E | Shortly after completion Meidum Pyramid collapsed due to bad design/instability and is now 65 m (213 ft). |
| c. 2605 BC | 5 | Bent Pyramid, Dashur, Egypt | c. 2605 BC | 104.71 | 343.5 | 29°47′25″N31°12′33″E / 29.79028°N 31.20917°E | Angle of slope decreased during construction to avoid collapse. |
| c. 2600 BC | 30 | Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt | c. 2600 BC | 105 | 344.5 | 29°48′31.39″N31°12′22.49″E / 29.8087194°N 31.2062472°E | |
| c. 2570 BC | 3,810 | Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt | c. 2570 BC | 146.6 | 481 | 29°58′44.93″N31°08′3.09″E / 29.9791472°N 31.1341917°E | By 1647, the Great Pyramid's height had decreased to 139 m (456 ft) after its top was removed. |
| 1240 | 71 | Old St Paul's Cathedral in London, England | 1087–1666 | 149 | 489 | 51°30′49″N0°5′54″W / 51.51361°N 0.09833°W | The spire was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1561. |
| 1311 | 237 | Lincoln Cathedral in England | 1092–1311 | 160 | 525 | 53°14′3.26″N0°32′10.54″W / 53.2342389°N 0.5362611°W | The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549. While the reputed height of 525 ft (160 m) is accepted by most sources, [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] others consider it doubtful [25] |
| 1549 | 20 (first run) | St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany | 1384–1478 | 151 | 495 | 54°18′36.01″N13°5′14.81″E / 54.3100028°N 13.0874472°E | (See also resumption 1573–1647). Today its church tower has a dome and stands at 104 m (341.2 ft) tall. |
| 1569 | 4 | Beauvais Cathedral in France | 1272–1569 | 153 | 502 | 49°25′57″N2°04′53″E / 49.4326°N 2.0814°E | Spire collapsed in 1573; today, the church stands at a height of 67.2 metres (220.5 ft). |
| 1573 | 94 (prior 20 + new 74) | St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany | 1384–1478 | 151 | 495 | 54°18′36.01″N13°5′14.81″E / 54.3100028°N 13.0874472°E | See also 1549–1569. The church tower's spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1647. Today the tower has a dome and stands at a height of 104 m (341 ft). |
| 1647 | 227 | Strasbourg Cathedral in France | 1439 | 142 | 466 | 48°34′54.22″N7°45′1.48″E / 48.5817278°N 7.7504111°E | By 1647, the Pyramid of Khafre's height had decreased from 143.5 m (471 ft) to 136.4 m (448 ft) after its top was removed. |
| 1874 | 2 | St. Nikolai in Hamburg, Germany | 1846–1874 | 147 | 483 | 53°32′50.94″N9°59′26.12″E / 53.5474833°N 9.9905889°E | The nave was demolished by aerial bombing during World War II; only the spire remains. |
| 1876 | 4 | Cathédrale Notre Dame in Rouen, France | 1202–1876 | 151 | 495 | 49°26′24.54″N1°5′41.85″E / 49.4401500°N 1.0949583°E | |
| 1880 | 4 | Cologne Cathedral in Germany | 1248–1880 | 157.38 | 516 | 50°56′28.08″N6°57′25.73″E / 50.9411333°N 6.9571472°E ; 50°56′29.11″N6°57′25.85″E / 50.9414194°N 6.9571806°E | |
| 1884 | 5 | Washington Monument in Washington D.C., United States | 1884 | 169.29 | 555 | 38°53′22.08″N77°2′6.89″W / 38.8894667°N 77.0352472°W | The world's tallest all-stone structure, as well as the tallest obelisk-form structure. |
| 1889 | 42 | Eiffel Tower in Paris, France | 1887–1889 | 312 | 1,024 | 48°51′29.77″N2°17′40.09″E / 48.8582694°N 2.2944694°E | The addition of a telecommunications tower in the 1950s brought the overall height to 330 m (1,080 ft). |
| 1930 | 1 | Chrysler Building in New York, United States | 1928–1930 | 319 | 1,046 | 40°45′5.78″N73°58′31.52″W / 40.7516056°N 73.9754222°W | |
| 1931 | 23 | Empire State Building in New York, United States | 1930–1931 | 381 | 1,250 | 40°44′54.95″N73°59′8.71″W / 40.7485972°N 73.9857528°W | First building with 100+ stories. The addition of a pinnacle and antennas later increased its overall height to 448.7 m (1,472 ft). This was subsequently lowered to 443.1 m (1,454 ft). |
| 1954 | 2 | Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma (AKA KWTV Transmission Tower), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | 1954 | 480.5 | 1,576 | 35°32′58.59″N97°29′50.27″W / 35.5496083°N 97.4972972°W | |
| 1956 | 3 | KOBR-TV Tower, Caprock, New Mexico, U.S. | 1956 | 490.7 | 1,610 | 33°22′31.31″N103°46′14.3″W / 33.3753639°N 103.770639°W | Collapsed in 1960; rebuilt |
| 1959 | 1 | WGME TV Tower, Raymond, Maine, U.S. | 1959 | 495 | 1,624 | 43°55′28.43″N70°29′26.72″W / 43.9245639°N 70.4907556°W | |
| 1960 | 2 | KFVS TV Mast, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, U.S. | 1960 | 511.1 | 1,677 | 37°25′44.5″N89°30′13.84″W / 37.429028°N 89.5038444°W | |
| 1962 | 1 | WTVM/WRBL-TV & WVRK-FM Tower, Cusseta, Georgia, U.S. | 1962 | 533 | 1,749 | 32°19′25.09″N84°46′45.07″W / 32.3236361°N 84.7791861°W | |
| 1963 | 0 | WIMZ-FM-Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | 1963 | 534.01 | 1,752 | 36°08′05.49″N83°43′28.01″W / 36.1348583°N 83.7244472°W | |
| 1963 | 11 (first run) | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, U.S. | 1963 | 628.8 | 2,063 | 47°20′31.85″N97°17′21.13″W / 47.3421806°N 97.2892028°W | (See also resumption 1991–2000). 75-foot analog antenna was removed from the top of the structure in 2018 in digital repack construction[ citation needed ] |
| 1974 | 17 | Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland | 1974 | 646.4 | 2,121 | 52°22′3.74″N19°48′8.73″E / 52.3677056°N 19.8024250°E | Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991 |
| 1991 | 20 (prior 11 + new 9) | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, U.S. | 1963 | 628.8 | 2,063 | 47°20′31.85″N97°17′21.13″W / 47.3421806°N 97.2892028°W | See also 1963–1974. 75-foot analog antenna was removed from the top of the structure in 2018 in digital repack construction[ citation needed ] |
| 2000 | 7 | Petronius oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico | 1997–2000 | 640 | 2,100 | 29°06′30″N87°56′30″W / 29.10833°N 87.94167°W | Sits on the sea floor with only 75 metres above water, supported by buoyancy. |
| 2007 | present | Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2004–2009 | 829.8 | 2,722 | 25°11′50.0″N55°16′26.6″E / 25.197222°N 55.274056°E |
The overall recordholders (above) are all on dry land, except for the Petronius oil platform, which was the overall recordholder from 2000-2007. During that period the KVLY-TV mast held the record for tallest structure on dry land (after previously being the overall record holder from 1963-1974 and 1991-2000).
As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower survived World War II, it was the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II.
| Record from | Record held (years) | Name and location | Constructed | Height | Coordinates | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| m | ft | ||||||
| 1913 | 7 | Central mast of Eilvese transmitter, Eilvese, Germany | 1913 | 250 | 820 | 52°31′40″N9°24′24″E / 52.52778°N 9.40667°E | Mast was divided in 145 m by an insulator, demolished in 1931 |
| 1920 | 3 | Central masts of Nauen Transmitter Station, Nauen, Germany | 1920 | 260 | 853 | 52°38′56″N12°54′30″E / 52.64889°N 12.90833°E | 2 masts, demolished in 1946 |
| 1923 | 10 | Masts of Ruiselede transmitter, Ruiselede, Belgium | 1923 | 287 | 942 | 51°4′44″N3°20′6.9″E / 51.07889°N 3.335250°E ? | 8 masts, destroyed in 1940 |
| 1933 | 6 | Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary | 1933 | 314 | 1,031 | 47°22′23.45″N19°0′17.21″E / 47.3731806°N 19.0047806°E | Blaw-Knox Tower, insulated against ground, destroyed in 1945; rebuilt |
| 1939 | 7 | Deutschlandsender Herzberg/Elster, Herzberg (Elster), Germany | 1939 | 335 | 1,099 | 51°42′59.76″N13°15′51.5″E / 51.7166000°N 13.264306°E | Insulated against ground, dismantled 1946/1947 |
| 1946 | 2 | Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary | 1946 | 314 | 1,031 | 47°22′23.45″N19°0′17.21″E / 47.3731806°N 19.0047806°E | Blaw-Knox Tower, Insulated against ground, rebuilt after destruction in 1945 |
| 1948 | 1 | WIVB-TV Tower, Colden, New York, U.S. | 1948 | 321.9 | 1,056 | 42°39′33.19″N78°37′33.91″W / 42.6592194°N 78.6260861°W | |
| 1949 | 1 | Longwave transmitter Raszyn, Raszyn, Poland | 1949 | 335 | 1,099 | 52°4′21.72″N20°53′2.15″E / 52.0727000°N 20.8839306°E | Insulated against ground |
| 1950 | 4 | Forestport Tower, Forestport, New York, U.S. | 1950 | 371.25 | 1,218 | 43°26′41.9″N75°5′9.55″W / 43.444972°N 75.0859861°W | Insulated against ground, demolished |
| 1954 | From 1954-2000 guyed masts held the record for tallest structure overall, as seen in the table above. | ||||||
| 1963 | 11 (first run) | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, U.S. | 1963 | 628.8 | 2,063 | 47°20′31.85″N97°17′21.13″W / 47.3421806°N 97.2892028°W | (See also resumption 1991–2018). 75-foot analog antenna was removed from the top of the structure in 2018 in digital repack construction[ citation needed ] |
| 1974 | 17 | Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland | 1974 | 646.4 | 2,121 | 52°22′3.74″N19°48′8.73″E / 52.3677056°N 19.8024250°E | Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991 |
| 1991 | 38 (prior 11 + new 27) | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, U.S. | 1963 | 628.8 | 2,063 | 47°20′31.85″N97°17′21.13″W / 47.3421806°N 97.2892028°W | See also 1963–1974. 75-foot analog antenna was removed from the top of the structure in 2018 in digital repack construction[ citation needed ] |
| 2018 | present | KRDK-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, U.S. | 1997 | 628.0 | 2,060 | 47°16′45.06″N97°20′25.68″W / 47.2791833°N 97.3404667°W | |
Freestanding structures must not be supported by guy wires (like guyed masts or partially guyed towers), or built underground or on the seabed and supported by the sea (such as the Petronius Platform). They include towers, chimneys, and skyscrapers (listed based on their pinnacle height). Until 1954, freestanding structures held the record for tallest structures overall, as seen in the Overall table above. Here are the records for freestanding structures after that point:
| Record from | Record held (years) | Name and location | Constructed | Height (metres) | Height (feet) | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 36 | Empire State Building in New York, United States | 1930–1931 | 381 | 1,250 | 40°44′54.95″N73°59′8.71″W / 40.7485972°N 73.9857528°W | First building with 100+ stories. The addition of a pinnacle and antennas later increased its overall height to 448.7 m (1,472 ft). This was subsequently lowered to 443.1 m (1,454 ft). |
| 1967 | 8 | Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Soviet Union | 1963–1967 | 540 | 1,762 | 55°49′10.94″N37°36′41.79″E / 55.8197056°N 37.6116083°E | Remains the tallest in Europe. Fire in 2000 led to extensive renovation. |
| 1975 | 32 | CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 1973–1976 | 553.33 | 1,815.39 | 43°38′33.22″N79°23′13.41″W / 43.6425611°N 79.3870583°W | The tallest in the Western Hemisphere. |
| 2007 | present | Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2004–2009 | 829.8 | 2,722 | 25°11′50.0″N55°16′26.6″E / 25.197222°N 55.274056°E | Holder of world's tallest freestanding structure. Topped out at 829.8 m (2,722 ft) in 2009. |
Notable mentions include the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, built in the third century BC and estimated between 115–135 m (377–443 ft). It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal structure for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at 122 m (400 ft). These were both the world's tallest or second-tallest non-pyramidal structure 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 del Mangia in Siena, Italy, which is 102 m (335 ft) tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century; and the 97-metre-tall (318 ft) Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, Italy, built between 1109 and 1119.
Towers include observation towers, monuments and other structures not generally considered to be "habitable buildings", they are meant for "regular access by humans, but not for living in or office work", meaning it excludes from this list of continuously habitable buildings and skyscrapers. Radio and TV masts with guy-wires for support are also excluded, since they aren't freestanding.
Bridge towers or pylons, chimneys, transmission towers, and most large statues allow human access for maintenance, but not as part of their normal operation, and are therefore not considered to be towers.
The following is a list of structures that have historically held the title as the tallest towers in the world.
| Record from | Tower | Location | Pinnacle height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 280 BC | Pharos Lighthouse | Alexandria, Egypt | 122 m |
| 1180 | Malmesbury Abbey Tower | Malmesbury, UK | 131.3 m |
| 1240 | From 1240-1930 towers held the record for tallest structure overall, as seen in the Overall table above. | ||
| 1889 | Eiffel Tower | Paris, France | 312.3 m |
| 1956 | KCTV Broadcast Tower | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | 317.6 m |
| 1957 | Eiffel Tower (with addition) | Paris, France | 320.75 m |
| 1958 | Tokyo Tower | Tokyo, Japan | 332.6 m |
| 1967 | Ostankino Tower | Moscow, Russia | 540.1 m |
| 1975 | CN Tower | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 553.33 m |
| 2010 | Canton Tower | Guangzhou, China | 600 m |
| 2011 | Tokyo Skytree | Tokyo, Japan | 634 m |
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an organization that certifies buildings as the "World's Tallest", recognizes a building only if at least 50% of its height is made up of floor plates containing habitable floor area. [2] Structures that do not meet this criterion, such as the CN Tower, are defined as "towers".
Up until the late 1990s, the definition of "tallest building" was not altogether clear. It was generally understood to be the height of the building to the top of its architectural elements including spires, but not including "temporary" structures (such as antennas or flagpoles), which could be added or changed relatively easily without requiring major changes to the building's design. Varying standards have been used by different organizations, so the accepted height of these structures or buildings depends on which standards are accepted. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has changed its definitions over time. Some of the controversy regarding the definitions and assessment of tall structures and buildings has included the following:
Within an accepted definition of a building further controversy has included the following factors:
One historic case involved the building now famous for the Times Square Ball. Known as One Times Square (at 1475 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan), it was the headquarters for The New York Times, which gave Times Square its name. Completed in 1905, it reached a height of 364 feet (111 meters) to its roof, or 420 feet (130 meters) including its rooftop flagpole, which the Times hoped would give it a record high status but because a flagpole is not an integral architectural part of a building, One Times Square was not generally considered to be taller than the 390-foot-high (120 m) Park Row Building in Lower Manhattan, which was therefore still New York's tallest. [26]
A bigger controversy was the rivalry between two New York City skyscrapers built in the Roaring Twenties—the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street. The latter was 927 feet (283 meters) tall, had a shorter pinnacle, and had a much higher top occupied floor (the second category in the 1996 criteria for tallest building). [26] In contrast, the Chrysler Building employed a very long 125-foot (38 m) spire secretly assembled inside the building to claim the title of world's tallest building with a total height of 1,048 feet (319 m), despite having a lower top occupied floor and a shorter height when both buildings' spires are not counted in their heights. [27] Although the architects of record for 40 Wall were H. Craig Severance and Yasuo Matsui, the firm of Shreve & Lamb (who also designed the Empire State Building) served as consulting architects. They wrote a newspaper article claiming that 40 Wall was actually the tallest, since it contained the world's highest usable floor. They pointed out that the observation deck of 40 Wall was nearly 100 feet (30 m) higher than the top floor of the Chrysler, whose surpassing spire was strictly ornamental and essentially inaccessible. [28] Despite the protest, the Chrysler Building was generally accepted as the tallest building in the world for almost a year, until it was surpassed by the Empire State Building's 1,250 feet (380 meters) in 1931.
That was in turn surpassed by the 1,368-foot-high (417 m) Twin Towers of New York's original World Trade Center in 1972, which were in turn surpassed by the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1974. Now called the Willis Tower since 2009, it was 1,451 feet (442 meters) to its flat rooftop, or 1,518 feet (463 meters) including its original antennas. [29] But in 1978 One World Trade Center (commonly known as the North Tower) attained a taller absolute height when it added its 360-foot (110 m) new broadcasting antenna, for a total height of 1,728 feet (526.7 meters). The WTC North Tower maintained this height record (including its antenna) from 1978 until 2000, when the owners of the Willis Tower extended its broadcasting antennae for a total height of 1,729 feet (527.0 meters). [29] Thus the status of the Willis Tower as the "totally" tallest was restored in the face of a new threat looming in the Far East—the "Siamese Twins".
A major controversy erupted upon completion of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. These Twin Towers, at 1,483 feet (452 meters), had a higher architectural height (spires, not antennas), but a lower absolute pinnacle height and a lower top occupied floor than the Willis Tower in Chicago. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, and with antenna masts excluded, the Willis was still considered the tallest at that time. Excluding their spires, which are 9 meters (30 feet) higher than the flat roof of Willis, the Petronas Towers are not taller than Willis. At their convention in Chicago, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) found the Willis Tower (without its antennas) to be the third-tallest building, and the Petronas Towers (with their spires) to be the world's two tallest buildings. [26]
Responding to the ensuing controversy, the CTBUH then revised their criteria and defined four categories in which the world's tallest building can be measured, retaining the old criterion of height to architectural top, and adding three new categories: [26]
The height-to-roof criterion was discontinued because relatively few modern tall buildings possess flat rooftops, making this criterion difficult to determine and measure. [30] The CTBUH has further clarified their definitions of building height, including specific criteria concerning subbasements and ground level entrances (height measured from lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance rather than from a previously undefined "main entrance"), building completion (must be topped out both structurally and architecturally, fully clad, and able to be occupied), condition of the highest occupied floor (must be continuously used by people living or working and be conditioned, thus including observation decks, but not mechanical floors) and other aspects of tall buildings. [30] [31] The height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance.
A different superlative for skyscrapers is their number of floors. The original World Trade Center set that record at 110 in the early 1970s, and this was not surpassed until the Burj Khalifa opened in 2010.
Tall freestanding structures such as the CN Tower, the Ostankino Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower are excluded from these categories because they are not "habitable buildings", which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout. [2]
Here are the world records by category since the CTBUH defined them in 1996:
| World record at the time | Category omitted by CTBUH in 2009 |
| Building | Highest occupied floor | Roof | Architectural top | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 World Trade Center (with its antenna added in 1979) | 386 m (1,268 ft) | 417 m (1,368 ft) | 417 m (1,368 ft) | 526.7 m (1,728 ft) |
| Willis Tower (with its antennas added in 1982) | 413 m (1,354 ft) | 442 m (1,450 ft) | 442 m (1,451 ft) | 520.3 m (1,707 ft) |
| Petronas Towers (completed 1998) | 375 m (1,230 ft) | 405.1 m (1,329 ft) | 451.9 m (1,483 ft) | 451.9 m (1,483 ft) |
| Willis Tower (with its antenna extension in 2000) | 413 m (1,354 ft) | 442 m (1,450 ft) | 442 m (1,451 ft) | 527.0 m (1,729 ft) |
| Taipei 101 (completed 2003) | 438.0 m (1,437 ft) | 449.2 m (1,474 ft) | 508.2 m (1,667 ft) | 509.2 m (1,671 ft) |
| Shanghai World Financial Center (completed 2008) | 474 m (1,555.1 ft) | 487.4 m (1,599.1 ft) | 492 m (1,614.2 ft) | 494.3 m (1,621.7 ft) |
| Burj Khalifa (completed 2010) | 585.4 m (1,921 ft) | 739.4 m (2,426 ft) | 828 m (2,717 ft) | 829.8 m (2,722 ft) |
Timeline of development of world's highest observation deck since inauguration of Eiffel Tower.
| Record from | Record held (years) | Name and location | Constructed | Height above ground | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| m | ft | |||||
| 1889 | 42 | Eiffel Tower, Paris | 1889 | 275 | 902 | Two lower observation decks at 57 and 115 m (187 and 377 ft). |
| 1931 | 42 | Empire State Building, New York City | 1931 | 369 [32] | 1,250 | On the 102nd floor – a second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at 320 m (1,050 ft). |
| 1973 | 1 | 2 World Trade Center, New York City | 1973 | 399.4 | 1,310 | Indoor observatory on the 107th floor of South Tower opened on April 4, 1973. Destroyed on September 11, 2001 |
| 1974 | 1 | Willis Tower, Chicago | 1974 | 412.4 | 1,353 | 103rd floor Skydeck opened on June 22, 1974 |
| 1975 | 1 | 2 World Trade Center, New York City | 1973 | 419.7 | 1,377 | Outdoor observatory on the South Tower rooftop opened on December 15, 1975. Destroyed on September 11, 2001 |
| 1976 | 32 | CN Tower, Toronto | 1976 | 446.5 | 1,464.9 | Two further observation decks at 342 and 346 m (1,122 and 1,135 ft). |
| 2008 | 3 | Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai | 2008 | 474 | 1,555 | Two further observation decks at 423 and 439 m (1,388 and 1,440 ft). |
| 2011 | 3 | Canton Tower, Guangzhou | 2011 | 488 | 1,601 | The rooftop outdoor observation deck opened in December 2011. There are also several other indoor observation decks in the tower, the highest at 433.2 m (1,421 ft). |
| 2014 | 2 | Burj Khalifa, Dubai | 2010 | 555 | 1,821 | Opened on October 15, 2014, on the 148th floor. There is another observation deck at 452.1 m (1,483 ft) on the 124th floor, which has been open since the building was opened to the public. |
| 2015 | present | Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China | 2015 | 562 | 1,841 | Opened on February 2, 2015. |
Higher observation decks have existed on mountain tops or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. The Grand Canyon Skywalk, constructed in 2007, protrudes 21 m (70 ft) over the west rim of the Grand Canyon and is approximately 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above the Colorado River, making it the highest of these types of structures.[ citation needed ]
The tall spire of timber, covered with lead, which originally crowned this tower reached an altitude, it is said, of 525 feet; but this is doubtful. This spire was blown down during a tempest in January 1547–1548.
