10 Most Fascinating Skyscrapers in the World

Admiring the view from a great height and surveying the surroundings: this can be done in many countries around the world, as skyscrapers compete to be just a little taller – the times when the Eiffel Tower broke the world record are long gone, and construction today is much more intensive. Here are 10 skyscrapers that dominate not only due to their height but also because they are interesting from the standpoint of appearance or architectural concept.

Shanghai World Financial Center

This Chinese skyscraper, whose construction began in 1997 and was completed in 2008, stands 492 meters tall. To a person with a witty mind, the building resembles a bottle opener, and now the skyscraper's unofficial nickname is 'The Bottle Opener.' Offices, hotels, restaurants, and three magnificent views of Shanghai – all this is offered by the Shanghai World Financial Center. As with other similar buildings in Shanghai, the owner is China, not, for example, a private company.

Lakhta Center

The Russian Federation also has its representative in the ranking of the tallest skyscrapers. Built between 2012 and 2018, Lakhta Center is the tallest in Europe and can confidently compete with Arab or American skyscrapers. At 462 meters and 87 floors, the complex includes a medical center, restaurants, sports facilities, a children's play area, offices, and, of course, a restaurant with a view of the entire 'Northern Venice.' In shape, Lakhta Center was meant to resemble a flickering flame, and looking at the visualization, this was certainly achieved. Upon completion, this skyscraper surpassed the Federation Tower – another Russian skyscraper, this time located in Moscow.

Shanghai Tower

A giant of East Asia, owned by the Chinese state, with construction costing approximately two and a half billion US dollars. The Shanghai Tower has 128 floors and an area of 380,000 square meters. It serves not only as a parking facility but also leases space to a number of companies and hotels, and houses an observatory. It is the second tallest building in the world (632 meters) and, of course, the unequivocal number one building in China. It was completed in 2015 after a long seven years, with great attention paid to ecology – proof is right on the roof, where you'll find a clever wind power plant as an additional energy source for the building. The initial model of the Shanghai Tower dates back to 1993, but it underwent a number of changes, and construction finally began in the new millennium.

Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago

This building, worth over 800 million dollars, is located on Wabash Avenue in Chicago and is a reminder of the wealth of the 45th US President, Donald Trump. At the same time, it is the third tallest building in the USA (423 meters), with 92 floors and an area of nearly a quarter of a million square meters. It features five hundred luxury apartments, hotel rooms, restaurants, spacious parking, and a spa center. The skyscraper was built between 2005 and 2009, with 27 elevators ensuring busy traffic between floors. When Donald Trump unveiled plans for the building in 2001, it was intended to be the tallest building in the world, but after the terrorist attacks on the WTC, the project was reduced by several floors to avoid the risk of a similar strike.

Taipei 101

The eleventh tallest building in the world, standing on a truly solid foundation and equipped with a high-speed elevator reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. Height: 509 meters, 101 floors, plus another five below ground. 412,000 square meters and a grand opening at the end of 2004 – these are other figures and features of the Taipei 101 skyscraper. It houses hundreds of restaurants, shops, and clubs, an entertainment and shopping center.

Petronas Towers

A very famous building designed by Argentine architect César Pelli. Everything here is in the spirit of 21st-century postmodernism; construction began in 1992 and was completed four years later. The two large towers are connected by a skybridge at a height of 170 meters. From 1998 to 2004, they were the tallest skyscrapers in the world, but today they are only in the lower part of the top thirty. Nearly 400,000 square meters of floor space is immense, and eighty elevators ensure ideal, unobstructed movement between floors. The Petronas Towers are the dominant landmark of Kuala Lumpur and all of Malaysia.

Abraj Al-Bait

This is not a single classic skyscraper but a large complex housing not only a luxury hotel but also a museum dedicated to Islamic culture. Abraj Al-Bait, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, was built between 2007 and 2012, currently has 120 floors, and covers 310,000 square meters. A shopping mall, a lunar observatory, a forty-meter clock tower facade, plus the view from 558 meters – all this is part of this skyscraper, designed in a postmodern style and somewhat reminiscent of one of the greatest symbols of Great Britain.

Empire State Building

Andy Warhol made an art film about the building, but the Empire State Building is famous for many other reasons. Its 102 floors, used primarily for offices, occupy a substantial area of 257,000 square meters. This skyscraper was the tallest in the world for nearly two generations, as it was built in 1931, but its title was taken by the WTC in the seventies. The Empire State Building belongs to New York as much as Charles Bridge belongs to Prague. It has several dozen elevators, and an expensive renovation is currently underway, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. It is a direct symbol of Art Deco, a cultural style that was very modern at the time of its construction.

Burj Khalifa

The United Arab Emirates can be proud of the Burj Khalifa, which stands 828 meters tall, with a building area approaching half a million square meters. The tower was built between 2004 and 2010. It serves as an administrative center but also houses hotel apartments. The Burj Khalifa is located in Dubai, with thousands of workers, predominantly of Asian origin, involved in its construction. The result: hundreds of luxury apartments, a swimming pool, a hotel, a range of shopping and office centers, restaurants, and observation decks.

One World Trade Center

Construction of the skyscraper began in 2006, and it opened more than eight years later, with the cost rising to nearly four billion US dollars. One World Trade Center stands 541 meters tall, covers 325,000 square meters, has 94 floors above ground and another five below. It is located near the site of the former World Trade Center, the skyscrapers destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 2001. The skyscraper is serviced by 73 elevators.