List of tallest buildings in Rio de Janeiro

Skyline of Rio de Janeiro Skyline de Rio de Janeiro
Centro in 2024
Tallest building	Rio Sul Center (1982)
Tallest building height	163.1 m (535 ft)
First 150 m+ building	Rio Sul Center (1982)
Number of tall buildings
Taller than 100 m (328 ft)	36 (2025)
Taller than 150 m (492 ft)	2

High-rises nestled among hills, with Corcovado in the background

Rio de Janeiro is the capital and largest city of the state of the same name, and the second largest city in Brazil, with an estimated population of 6,729,894 ^[1] as of 2024. Its metropolitan area is also the second largest in Brazil and the third largest in South America, with a population of 12,022,050. ^[2] Rio de Janeiro has a relatively short skyline for a city of its size; nevertheless, it is the largest skyline in its state. As of 2025, Rio de Janeiro has 36 buildings over 100 meters (328 ft). The tallest building in Rio de Janeiro is the Rio Sul Center, an 48-story office skyscraper with a height of 163 m (535 ft) and completed in 1982. ^[3] It is one of two skyscrapers taller than 150 m (492) ft, the other being the Ventura Corporate Towers.

As Brazil's most populated city in the early 20th century, the city had some of Brazil's earliest high-rises, such as the Art Deco Joseph Gire Building in 1929, and the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, with a habitable clock tower, in 1945. The majority of high-rises above 100 m (328 ft) in the city were built between the 1960s and 1980s; since then, relatively few tall buildings have been completed. Only 5 high-rises that reach a height of 100 m (328 ft) have been built since 1990. The tallest of these are the Ventura Corporate Towers, completed in 2010.

Most of the tallest buildings of Rio de Janeiro are concentrated in the central business district of Centro. However, the city's tallest, Rio Sul Center, is located in Botafogo, in the south of the city. Shorter high-rises can be found in various neighborhoods throughout the rest of the city, including along the coast of the famed Copacabana Beach. In addition to its high-rises, Rio de Janeiro's skyline is also famed for its natural backdrop, particularly the peaks of Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado, above which sits the statute of Christ the Redeemer.

History

1920s–1950s

Praça Mauá, with the Joseph Gire Building on the right

Rio de Janeiro was the capital and most populous city of Brazil during the early 20th century. The city, and the central neighbourhood of Centro, is home to some of Brazil's first high-rises, the most notable of which was the Joseph Gire Building, completed in 1927 on the Praça Mauá. It was the first building in the city to reach a height of 100 m (328 ft). It was the tallest building in all of Brazil and Latin America until it was surpassed by the Martinelli Building in São Paulo in 1929. ^[4] An office building, it initially served as the headquarters of the newspaper A Noite. From 1937 onwards, it was also home to the Rádio Nacional.

The Joseph Gire Building remained the tallest building in Rio de Janeiro until 1945, when a high-rise building located at the then newly rebuilt Central do Brasil train station was completed. The Art Deco office tower served as the seat of the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil. The building was part of major improvement works undertaken by the new authoritarian regime in Brazil, the Estado Novo, which included the construction of new buildings for public institutions and the widening and opening of streets.

1960s–1980s

The Central do Brasil building (left) in 1979

In the 1960s, many high-rise office buildings started to be built in Centro, such as the headquarters of the Banco do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Bank of the State of Rio de Janeiro) and Sede BNH. More office buildings were built during the 1970s and 1980s. Development also spread to the beachfront Botafogo neighbourhood, with Morada do Sol residential complex, consisting of seven buildings above 100 m, completed there in 1967. Nearby, the Rio Sul Center became the tallest building in the city in 1982, and remains the tallest today. The brutalist-style skyscraper ^[5] is part of a commercial complex that contains a shopping mall.

A few more buildings above 100 m were also built further afield. The Windsor Atlantica hotel, built in 1976, is situated on Rio's famous Copacabana beach. Now renamed the Hilton Copacabana Hotel, it remains the tallest building in Copacabana today. ^[6] The upper-middle class neighbourhood of Barra da Tijuca has two notable cylindrical buildings, Torre Ernest Hemingway and Torre Charles Degaulle, built in 1977 and 1990, respectively. Originally conceived in the 1960s as part of an ambitious project of 76 cylindrical buildings by Oscar Niemeyer, only those two buildings were ever completed. ^[7] A third unfinished building, Torre H, will eventually be completed in 2025.

1990s–present

The Ventura Corporate Towers

Since the 1990s, few high-rises above 100 m have been built in Rio de Janeiro. The only office building built in Centro above that height in the 1990s was the Manhattan Tower. The 2000s also saw only one new building above 100 m, Torre Almirante. It was built on the site of the former Andorinha Building, which was destroyed by a fire in 1986. ^[8] The new high-rise incorporates the facade of the destroyed building. The Ventura Corporate Towers were completed in 2010, becoming the city's second tallest building. ^[9] Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox associates, the building among the most significant high-rise projects completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 21st century.

Currently, the tallest building completed during the 2020s is Residential Skylux by Tegra. Notably, it is the first residential high-rise above 100 m in Centro, a predominantly commercial area. The high-rise is part of a potential trend to encourage greater residential density in Rio's central areas. ^[10] On the side of the building is a 75-meter tall mural painted by local artist Bruno Big with 780 liters of paint. ^[11]

Map of tallest buildings

This map shows the location of buildings in Centro in Rio de Janeiro that are taller than 100 m (328 ft). Buildings located outside of Centro are not shown.

260m
283yds

36

35

34

33

32

31

30

29

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

   

Buildings taller than 100 m (328 ft) in Rio de Janeiro. An asterisk (*) next to the name of the building indicates it is located outside the map.

•  1950s and before 
•  1960s 
•  1970s 
•  1980s 
•  1990s 
•  2000s 
•  2010s 
•  2020s 

1

Rio Sul Center*

2

Ventura Corporate Towers

3

Lelio Gama 10

4

Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro

5

Edificio Santos DuMont

6

Centro Candido Mendes

7

Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado

8

Edificio Avenida Central

9

Sede do Banerj

10

Sede BNH

11

Seculo Frontin

12

Banco Centro do Brasil

13

Edificio Bokel

14

Edificio BNDES

15

Morada do Sol VII*

16

Morada do Sol VI*

17

Torre Ernest Hemingway*

18

Torre Charles de Gaulle*

19

Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil

20

Treze de Maio 33

21

Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli

22

Torre Almirante

23

Morada do Sol II*

24

Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana*

25

Edifício Sede do Citibank

26

Morada do Sol V*

27

Morada do Sol III*

28

Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde

29

Manhattan Tower

30

Hotel Nacional*

31

Morada do Sol IV

32

Morada do Sol I*

33

Edifício Sede da Petrobras

34

Residencial Skylux by Tegra

35

Joseph Gire Building

36

Vista Guanabara

Tallest buildings

This lists ranks completed skyscrapers in Rio de Janeiro that stand at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The "Year" column indicates the year of completion.

  Was the tallest building in Rio de Janeiro upon completion

Rank	Building	Image	Coordinates	Height m (ft)	Floors	Year	Purpose	Notes
1	Rio Sul Center		22°57′27″S43°10′34″W / 22.957367°S 43.176186°W / -22.957367; -43.176186 (Rio Sul Center)	163.1 (535)	48	1982	Office	Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro and in Botafogo since 1982. [12] Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1980s
2	Ventura Corporate Towers		22°54′33″S43°10′54″W / 22.909218°S 43.181732°W / -22.909218; -43.181732 (Ventura Corporate Towers)	151.4 (497)	34	2010	Office	Tallest building in Centro. [13] Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 2010s
3	Lelio Gama 105		22°54′35″S43°10′41″W / 22.909613°S 43.178169°W / -22.909613; -43.178169 (Lelio Gama 185)	145.5 (477)	40	1980	Office	[14] Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1980 to 1982
4	Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro	–	22°54′15″S43°10′41″W / 22.904125°S 43.178177°W / -22.904125; -43.178177 (Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro)	145 (476)	43	1976	Office	[15] Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1976 to 1980. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s
5	Edificio Santos DuMont		22°54′38″S43°10′24″W / 22.910589°S 43.173454°W / -22.910589; -43.173454 (Edificio Santos DuMont)	140.8 (462)	45	1975	Office	[16] Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1975 to 1976
6	Centro Candido Mendes		22°54′15″S43°10′31″W / 22.904181°S 43.175282°W / -22.904181; -43.175282 (Centro Candido Mendes)	140 (459)	43	1982	Office	[17]
7	Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado	–	22°54′30″S43°10′34″W / 22.908234°S 43.176083°W / -22.908234; -43.176083 (Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado)	138 (453)	34	1980	Office	[18]
8	Edificio Avenida Central		22°54′25″S43°10′39″W / 22.906944°S 43.177513°W / -22.906944; -43.177513 (Edificio Avenida Central)	136 (446)	34	1961	Office	[19] Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1961 to 1975. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s
9	Sede do Banerj	–	22°54′24″S43°10′35″W / 22.906656°S 43.17635°W / -22.906656; -43.17635 (Sede do Banerj)	136 (446)	34	1965	Office	[20]
10	Sede BNH		22°54′31″S43°10′52″W / 22.908525°S 43.181076°W / -22.908525; -43.181076 (Sede BNH)	135 (443)	30	1968	Office	[21]
11	Seculo Frontin	–	22°54′26″S43°10′35″W / 22.907314°S 43.17638°W / -22.907314; -43.17638 (Seculo Frontin)	131.1 (430)	40	1983	Office	[22]
12	Banco Centro do Brasil	–	22°54′07″S43°10′58″W / 22.901897°S 43.182816°W / -22.901897; -43.182816 (Banco Centro do Brasil)	130 (427)	25	1984	Office	[23]
13	Edifício Bokel	–	22°54′40″S43°10′31″W / 22.911055°S 43.175228°W / -22.911055; -43.175228 (Edificio Bokel)	130 (427)	37	1970	Office	[24]
14	Edifício BNDES		22°54′31″S43°10′48″W / 22.908545°S 43.180004°W / -22.908545; -43.180004 (Edificio BNDES)	128.9 (423)	29	1982	Office	[25]
15	Morada do Sol VII	–	22°57′24″S43°10′42″W / 22.956709°S 43.17828°W / -22.956709; -43.17828 (Morada do Sol VII)	124 (407)	38	1967	Residential	[26] Join-tallest residential building in Rio de Janeiro
16	Morada do Sol VI	–	22°57′26″S43°10′42″W / 22.957153°S 43.178356°W / -22.957153; -43.178356 (Morado do Sol VI)	124 (407)	38	1967	Residential	[27] Join-tallest residential building in Rio de Janeiro
17	Torre Ernest Hemingway	–	23°00′37″S43°19′46″W / 23.010242°S 43.329361°W / -23.010242; -43.329361 (Torre Ernest Hemingway)	122.2 (401)	36	1990	Residential	[28] Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1990s
18	Torre Charles de Gaulle	–	23°00′10″S43°19′41″W / 23.002644°S 43.327965°W / -23.002644; -43.327965 (Torre Charles de Gaulle)	122.2 (401)	36	1977	Residential	[29]
19	Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil		22°54′14″S43°11′28″W / 22.903795°S 43.191113°W / -22.903795; -43.191113 (Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil)	122 (400)	28	1945	Office	[30] Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1945 to 1961. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1940s
20	Treze de Maio 33	–	22°54′33″S43°10′39″W / 22.909088°S 43.177528°W / -22.909088; -43.177528 (Treze de Maio 33)	121.6 (399)	40	1983	Residential	[31]
21	Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli	–	22°54′22″S43°10′40″W / 22.906075°S 43.177776°W / -22.906075; -43.177776 (Edificio Rodolpho De Paoli)	120.3 (395)	36	1970	Office	[32]
22	Torre Almirante		22°54′26″S43°10′30″W / 22.907305°S 43.175137°W / -22.907305; -43.175137 (Torre Almirante)	120 (394)	36	2004	Office	[33] Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 2000s
23	Morada do Sol II	–	22°57′24″S43°10′46″W / 22.95676°S 43.179443°W / -22.95676; -43.179443 (Morada do Sol II)	119.5 (392)	36	1967	Residential	[34]
24	Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana		22°57′52″S43°10′24″W / 22.964479°S 43.173275°W / -22.964479; -43.173275 (Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana)	119.2 (391)	38	1976	Hotel	[35] Formerly known as the Windsor Atlantica Hotel. Tallest hotel building in Rio de Janeiro
25	Edifício Sede do Citibank	–	22°54′21″S43°10′41″W / 22.905935°S 43.178108°W / -22.905935; -43.178108 (Edificio Sede do Citibank)	118 (387)	30	1983	Office	[36]
26	Morada do Sol V	–	22°57′23″S43°10′43″W / 22.956451°S 43.178642°W / -22.956451; -43.178642 (Morada do Sol V)	116.4 (382)	36	1967	Residential	[37]
27	Morada do Sol III	–	22°57′24″S43°10′45″W / 22.956648°S 43.179039°W / -22.956648; -43.179039 (Morada do Sol III)	115.6 (379)	36	1967	Residential	[38]
28	Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde	–	22°54′37″S43°10′22″W / 22.910324°S 43.172688°W / -22.910324; -43.172688 (Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde)	115.2 (378)	30	1979	Office	[39]
29	Manhattan Tower	–	22°54′08″S43°10′42″W / 22.902348°S 43.178425°W / -22.902348; -43.178425 (Manhattan Tower)	114 (374)	33	1992	Office	[40]
30	Hotel Nacional		22°59′52″S43°15′26″W / 22.997829°S 43.257149°W / -22.997829; -43.257149 (Hotel Nacional)	113.7 (373)	34	1972	Hotel	[41] Also known as Hotel Horsa Nacional
31	Morada do Sol IV	–	22°57′23″S43°10′47″W / 22.956415°S 43.179688°W / -22.956415; -43.179688 (Morada do Sol IV)	113.3 (372)	34	1967	Residential	[42]
32	Morada do Sol I	–	22°57′24″S43°10′46″W / 22.95676°S 43.179443°W / -22.95676; -43.179443 (Morada do Sol I)	111.6 (366)	34	1967	Residential	[43]
33	Edifício Sede da Petrobras	–	22°54′35″S43°10′46″W / 22.909651°S 43.179371°W / -22.909651; -43.179371 (Edificio Sede da Petrobras)	110 (361)	24	1974	Office	[44] Also known as Edificio Edise
34	Residencial Skylux by Tegra	–	22°53′58″S43°10′45″W / 22.8994394°S 43.1790472°W / -22.8994394; -43.1790472 (Residencial Skylux by Tegra)	109 (358) [a]	32	2024	Residential	[45]
35	Joseph Gire Building		22°53′50″S43°10′52″W / 22.8971894°S 43.1812272°W / -22.8971894; -43.1812272 (Joseph Gire Building)	102 (335)	22	1929	Office	[46] Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1929 to 1945. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s
36	Vista Guanabara	–	22°53′43″S43°11′13″W / 22.8953586°S 43.1870694°W / -22.8953586; -43.1870694 (Vista Guanabara)	101 (331) [b]	23	2016	Office	[47]

1. Height is an estimate.
2. Height is an estimate.

Tallest under construction or proposed

Under construction

As of 2025, Rio de Janeiro has no buildings under construction that are expected to reach a height of 100 m (328 ft) or greater.

Proposed

The following table ranks proposed and approved skyscrapers in Rio de Janeiro that are expected to be at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, based on standard height measurement.

Building	Height	Floors	Purpose	Notes
Mata Maravilha 1	Unknown	70	Residential	[48]
Mata Maravilha 1	Unknown	70	Residential	[48]
Porto Maravilha Corporate 1	150 m	36	Office	[49]
Porto Maravilha Corporate 2	130 m	31	Office	[50]

Timeline of tallest buildings

Name	Image	Years as tallest	Height (m)	Floors
Joseph Gire Building		1929–1945	102	22
Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil		1945–1961	122	28
Edificio Avenida Central		1961–1975	136	34
Edificio Santos DuMont		1975–1986	140.8	45
Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro	–	1976–1980	145	43
Lelio Gama 105		1980–1982	145.5	40
Rio Sul Center		1982–present	163.1	48

Cityscape

A panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro in 2024

References

1. "2024 Population Estimates". 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-05. 2024 Population estimate tables for Brazilian municipalities
2. "IBGE | Portal do IBGE | IBGE".
3. "Rio Sul Center - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
4. "Primeiro arranha-céu do Brasil, A Noite passará por obra". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
5. Czajkowski, Jorge - Guia da Arquitetura Moderna no Rio de Janeiro, 2000, p. 18
6. "Hotel Windsor Atlantica passará a ser Hilton em maio". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
7. Serra, Victor (2025-03-13). "Antiga 'Torre H', na Barra, se adapta à 'onda' dos estúdios e entregará mais de 400 unidades até o final do ano - Diário do Rio de Janeiro" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-28.
8. "Fantasmobrás: o medo de assombração na Petrobras". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
9. "UFRJ busca recursos com permuta de 11 andares de edifício moderno". Agência Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
10. Fernandes, Raphael (2020-10-28). "Novo residencial no Centro do Rio promete 'revolucionar' região no âmbito habitacional - Diário do Rio de Janeiro" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-28.
11. Silva, Luiz (2023-10-31). "Centro do Rio de Janeiro ganha um dos maiores painéis artísticos verticais do mundo". Super Rádio Tupi (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-28.
12. "Rio Sul Center - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
13. "Ventura Corporate Towers - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
14. "Lelio Gama 105 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
15. "Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
16. "Edificio Santos DuMont - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
17. "Centro Candido Mendes - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
18. "Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
19. "Edificio Avenida Central - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
20. "Sede do Banerj - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
21. "Sede BNH - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
22. "Seculo Frontin - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
23. "Banco Centro do Brasil - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
24. "Edifício Bokel - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
25. "Edifício BNDES - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
26. "Morada do Sol VII - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
27. "Morada do Sol VI - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
28. "Torre Ernest Hemingway - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
29. "Torre Charles de Gaulle - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
30. "Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
31. "Treze de Maio 33 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
32. "Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
33. "Torre Almirante - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
34. "Morada do Sol II - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
35. "Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
36. "Edifício Sede do Citibank - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
37. "Morada do Sol V - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
38. "Morada do Sol III - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
39. "Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
40. "Manhattan Tower - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
41. "Hotel Nacional - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
42. "Morada do Sol IV - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
43. "Morada do Sol I - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
44. "Edifício Sede da Petrobras - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
45. "Residencial Skylux by Tegra - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
46. "Edifício Joseph Gire - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
47. "Vista Guanabara - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
48. Lançamentos-RJ (2025-04-29). "Mata Maravilha: Novo Vale do Silício Verde no Rio de Janeiro". Lançamentos-RJ (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-15.
49. "Porto Maravilha Corporate 1 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
50. "Porto Maravilha Corporate 2 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.

External links

• Rio de Janeiro at SkyscraperPage
• Rio de Janeiro at The Skyscraper Center