Following the completion of 432 Park Avenue in New York City this week, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reported that the world now has 100 supertall (300-meter) skyscrapers. The construction of supertall buildings has increased at an alarming pace in recent years, indicating the global tall building industry's tremendous development. Whereas the first 50 supertalls took 80 years to construct (between 1930 and 2010), the total number of supertalls has doubled in just five years, from 50 to 100. Craigslist portland
While Asia and the Middle East have generated the majority of new supertall skyscrapers, New York has remained an important center for supertall construction in the Americas. With this, the city's seventh, supertall skyscraper, New York now has the world's second-highest number of supertall skyscrapers. Meanwhile, Dubai maintains its lead in the rankings, with 18 points.
The CTBUH announced that 432 Park Avenue was completed on December 23, 2015, since that was when the first owners closed on their homes and the building met CTBUH's final completion requirements, which required that it be at least partially occupied. It is the world's tallest all-residential building, standing at 425.5 meters, and the 14th tallest overall. It stands out not only for its extreme height, but also for its slenderness. The tower typifies the "superslim" typology made possible by developments in lateral resistance technology, with a 1:15slenderness ratio. These structures are especially common in densely populated areas like New York, where limited land supply and skyrocketing luxury residential prices justify their construction.
In the coming years, supertall construction is expected to develop. According to CTBUH info, there are more than 100 supertall skyscrapers that have been completed or are in the process of being completed in the next five to six years. That includes Jeddah Tower, which, when completed, will be the world's tallest building and the first kilometer-high structure.
With supertall skyscrapers becoming more popular, many see megatall buildings (600 meters or more) as the next frontier for the world's tallest structures. Only three megatall buildings have been built around the world, but that number is expected to more than double in the coming years as four more, including Jeddah Tower, are completed.
Shanghai Tower is the world's newest mega skyscraper.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has designated Shanghai Tower as the world's second-tallest building, following its completion in China. The tower was completed in late 2015 and stands at a height of 632 meters, making it the world's third "megatall" (600-meter-plus) structure.
Shanghai Tower's completion is noteworthy in that it knocked Chicago's 442-meter Willis Tower (originally Sears Tower), once the world's tallest building, out of the Top 10 list for the first time since its 1974 completion. Willis Tower was among the Top 10 Tallest Buildings for 41 years before being surpassed by skyscrapers mainly built in Asia and the Middle East. Given the rapid growth of urban centers in these regions and the new heights that contemporary tall buildings are achieving, CTBUH data predicts that Willis Tower will be out of the Top 20 Tallest Buildings in less than five years.
Shanghai Tower, the third of a trio of signature skyscrapers in Shanghai's Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, represents a new model for tall buildings. The new tower rises high above the skyline, its curved façade and spiraling shape symbolizing the dynamic emergence of modern China. It is located near Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center. As compared to a rectangular building of the same height, its twisting shape saves 24 percent in structural wind loading, according to wind tunnel studies. The software of the tower is unusual in that it is divided into nine vertical zones. Each of these "vertical communities" is built around a sky lobby, a light-filled garden atrium that fosters a sense of community and provides tenants and visitors with a diverse program.