A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least 100 meters (330 ft) or 150 meters (490 ft) in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise buildings. Historically, the term first referred to buildings with between 10 and 20 stories when these types of buildings began to be constructed in the 1880s. Skyscrapers may host offices, hotels, residential spaces, and retail spaces.
The Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower in the Shiba-koen district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, built in 1958. At 332.9 meters (1,092 ft), it was the tallest tower in Japan until the construction of Tokyo Skytree in 2012. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations.
The X-Seed 4000 was a concept for a megatall skyscraper. Its proposed 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) height, 6-kilometre-wide (3.7 mi) sea-base, and 800-floor capacity could accommodate 500,000-1,000,000 inhabitants. This structure would have been composed of over 3,000,000 tons of steel.
The Torre Latinoamericana is a skyscraper in downtown Mexico City. Its central location, height, and history make it one of the city's most important landmarks. It is widely recognized internationally as an engineering and architectural landmark since it was the world's first major skyscraper successfully built on highly active seismic zone. The skyscraper notably withstood the 8.1 magnitude 1985 Mexico City earthquake without damage, whereas several other structures in the downtown area were damaged.
Nikken Sekkei (日建設計) is an architectural, planning and engineering firm from Japan, with headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Today (2019), Nikken Sekkei ranks as the second largest architectural practice in the world.
The tallest building in the world, as of 2024, is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The title of "world's tallest building" has been held by various buildings in modern times, including the Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln, England, and the Empire State Building and the original World Trade Center, both in New York City.
The Ping An Finance Center is a 115-storey, 599.1 m (1,966 ft) supertall skyscraper in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The building was commissioned by Ping An Insurance and designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. It was completed in 2017, and is the tallest building in Shenzhen, the 2nd tallest building in China and the 5th tallest building in the world. It also broke the record of having the highest observation deck in a building at 562 m (1,844 ft). It is the second largest skyscraper in the world by floor area after Azabudai Hills Main Tower in Tokyo, Japan.
Stadthaus is a nine-storey residential building in Hackney, London. At nine stories, it is thought to be the second tallest timber residential structure in the world, after the Forte apartment complex in Melbourne, Australia. It was designed in collaboration between architects Waugh Thistleton, structural engineers Techniker, and timber panel manufacturer KLH.
Freedom Tower is a skyscraper located in front of the Diana Fountain roundabout at Paseo de la Reforma 439, Colonia, Cuauhtémoc, Delegación Cuauhtémoc in Mexico City. Its construction began in November 2004 and completed in January 2008. The tower started operating in June of that same year. The building has a commercial area on the third floor, and a seven-level underground parking garage with a capacity for 2,000 cars.
Signature Tower was a proposed skyscraper in Jakarta, Indonesia. The proposed height is 638 m (2,093 ft).
Tianjin CTF Finance Center is a super-tall skyscraper located in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area central business district of Binhai, Tianjin, China. Construction started in 2013 and was completed in 2019. At 1,739 ft (530 m), and with 97 floors, the tower is the second-tallest building in Municipal Tianjin after Goldin Finance 117, the eighth-tallest building in the world, and the tallest building in the world with fewer than 100 floors. It is located in the outer district of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. Tianjin CTF Finance Center is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in collaboration with Ronald Lu & Partners.
A plyscraper, or timber tower is a skyscraper made of wood. They may alternatively be known as mass timber buildings.
The Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower (アークヒルズ仙石山森タワー) is a 206.7 m (678 ft) mixed-use skyscraper in Roppongi, Minato ward, Tokyo. The building was designed by Irie Miyake Architects and Engineers and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; Mori Building Company was the developer, while the construction process was managed by Obayashi Corporation. Construction of the tower started in 2009 and was completed in 2012.
Carbon12 is a wooden building in Portland, Oregon's Eliot neighborhood, in the United States. The eight-story structure built with Oregon-made cross-laminated timber (CLT) became the tallest wood building in the United States upon its completion.
Mjøstårnet is an 18-storey mixed-use building in Brumunddal, Norway, completed in March 2019. At the time of completion, it was officially the world's tallest wooden building, at 85.4 m (280 ft) tall, before being surpassed by Ascent MKE in August 2022. Mjøstårnet translates as "the tower of lake Mjøsa". The building is named after Norway's biggest lake, which is 100 km away from Oslo.
Sumitomo Forestry is a Japanese logging and processing company. It is also engaged in the construction of houses made of wooden materials. The company is included in the Sumitomo Group keiretsu.
Brock Commons Tallwood House is an 18-storey student residence at the Point Grey Campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. At the time it was opened, it was the tallest mass timber structure in the world.
Ascent MKE is a mass timber hybrid high-rise apartment building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 284-foot, 25-story high-rise is the world's tallest mass timber structure, edging out Norway's Mjøstårnet. It features 259 luxury apartments, retail space, an elevated pool with operable window walls, and a sky-deck.
Japan