flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

And the world's tallest building is…

And the world's tallest building is…


August 11, 2010
This article first appeared in the 200912 issue of BD+C.

At more than 2,600 feet high, the Burj Dubai (right) can still lay claim to the title of world's tallest building—although like all other super-tall buildings, its exact height will have to be recalculated now that the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced a change to its height criteria.

CTBUH is the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World's Tallest Building.” The organization announced that its old rule of measuring height from the sidewalk outside the main entrance does not sufficiently recognize multiuse tall buildings that often have several different entrances at different levels. The new criteria calls for measuring building height from the level of the lowest significant, open-air pedestrian entrance.

“Beginning in 2007, with the knowledge that Burj Dubai would be significantly taller than any structure ever built, the CTBUH Height Committee met to review the criteria by which we recognize and rank the height of buildings,” said Peter Weismantle, chair of the CTBUH Height Committee and director of supertall building technology at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in Chicago. “As one might guess, with the committee being made up of architects, engineers, contractors, developers, building owners, and academics, a variety of opinions and views were expressed. The resulting revisions two years later reflect a general consensus of the committee in recognizing the most recent trends in tall building development around the world.”

In response to the changing designs and forms of tall buildings, the Height Committee also elected to discard its previous “Height to Roof” category. “The roof category just doesn't make sense anymore,” said CTBUH executive director Antony Wood. “In the era of the flat-topped modernist tower, a clearly defined roof could usually be identified, but in today's tall building world—which is increasingly adopting elaborate forms, spires, parapets, and other features at the top of the building—it is becoming difficult to determine a 'roof' at all, even less so to measure to it.”

The new rules haven't dramatically altered the ranking of the world's tallest buildings, although the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai (1,381 feet high) dropped to seventh tallest, having been bumped by the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago (1,389 feet high), which is now the world's sixth-tallest building.

Related Stories

Cultural Facilities | Aug 28, 2019

Seattle’s newest substation doubles as a civic amenity

The Denny Substation includes 44,000 sf of open space that invites local residents and visitors to frequent the complex.

Cultural Facilities | Aug 23, 2019

Snøhetta to design Shanghai Grand Opera House

The Opera House is part of a new urban master plan for Shanghai.

Cultural Facilities | Aug 19, 2019

Tanglewood in the Berkshires is now a year-round facility

It recently debuted three climate-controlled event spaces and an indoor-outdoor café

Cultural Facilities | Jul 15, 2019

Steven Holl Architects and Architecture Acts to design Ostrava Concert Hall in the Czech Republic

Their winning proposal was supported by six of the seven members of the jury.

Cultural Facilities | Jul 11, 2019

BIG’s MÉCA combines three regional art agencies into one loop

The project gives Bordeaux an art-filled public space from the waterfront to the city’s new urban room.

Cultural Facilities | Jul 1, 2019

MAD Architects' proposal for the Yiwu Grand Theater will be built on the Dongyang River

MAD beat out four other proposals for the opportunity to design the theater.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 27, 2019

David Baker Architects wins 2019 HUD 'best in affordable housing' honor

The firm's Williams Terrace project is the first dedicated housing for Charleston, S.C.’s low-income seniors. It's one of four developments to win 2019 AIA/HUD housing awards. 

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 27, 2019

Foster + Partners unveils design of wooden boathouse for Row New York

The project will sit on the banks of the Harlem River in Sherman Creek Park.

Cultural Facilities | May 17, 2019

Mulva Cultural Center builds upon city's arts legacy

Former ConocoPhillips CEO and wife have donated millions for culture and education.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Museums

UT Dallas opens Morphosis-designed Crow Museum of Asian Art

In Richardson, Tex., the University of Texas at Dallas has opened a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Art—the first of multiple buildings that will be part of a 12-acre cultural district. When completed, the arts and performance complex, called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, will include two museums, a performance hall and music building, a grand plaza, and a dedicated parking structure on the Richardson campus.


halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021