Great architectural feats are a staple of the great civilizations in history. From the legendary Tower of Babel to the Acropolis and the Taj Mahal, great architectural works have always left their mark on history. Modern civilization is no different, as it seems like every few years a new building is being built, vying to be the biggest or tallest in the world. The largest buildings built today are so massive that they dwarf the largest structures of the past, thanks to the cumulative pace of architectural innovation. This is our list of the largest buildings in the world.
World Center of the New Century
Opened in June 2013, the New Century Global Center in Chengdu (China) is the new owner of the world’s largest building by surface area. To get an idea of ​​how massive this structure is, consider that it’s big enough to house 20 Sydney Opera Houses and is three times the square footage of the Pentagon.
Within its walls are numerous offices, conference rooms, a huge shopping mall, two 1,000-room hotels, an ice skating rink, a 14-screen IMAX theater, and even an artificial seaside town, complete with an artificial beach and the largest generator. of artificial waves in the world. An artificial sun ensures that it is always daytime in this replica of paradise.
Burj Khalifa
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is by far the tallest building in the world. With a height of 2,716.5 feet, it dwarfs the world’s second-tallest building by more than 700 feet. Not surprisingly, it also has the world’s highest number of floors, the highest occupied floor, the highest observation deck, and the longest-haul elevator.
Abraj Al-Bait
This colossal complex of buildings in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, boasts a number of prestigious architectural titles. It is the third largest building in the world by its surface. Meanwhile, its clock tower, the Royal Hotel Mecca Clock Tower, is the second tallest building in the world, behind only Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. It combines size and height like no other structure in the world.
One World Trade Center
This recently completed architectural marvel in New York City was built to take the place of the World Trade Center. One World Trade Center (formerly called the Freedom Tower) is not only the tallest structure in the city, it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third tallest in the world.
The building touches the sky with its 3,000 meters, a height that symbolizes the year of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
Taipei 101
The world record holder for the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010, Taipei 101, located in Taiwan, is now the fourth tallest at 1,670 feet. Although it has been surpassed in height, the building can claim a number of prestigious awards, including Newsweek’s 7 New Wonders of the World, Discovery’s 7 Engineering Wonders, and is the Guinness World Record holder for the elevator. fastest passenger car in the world.
Most notable, however, is the claim that Taipei 101 is the world’s largest green building. It received LEED Platinum certification in 2011, making it the tallest and largest building in the world to achieve that rank.
Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3
The largest airport hub in the Middle East, Dubai International Airport also boasts the largest airport terminal in the world. Terminal 3 is not only huge by airport standards, it is also the second largest building in the world by area, capable of handling up to 43 million passengers a year.
Petronas Towers
These beautiful twin towers, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were the tallest buildings in the world between 1998 and 2004. Although they have since been surpassed by six others, they are still the tallest twin building in the world. The bridge that connects the two towers is the highest double-decker bridge in the world.
Shanghai Tower
Although still under construction, the Shanghai Tower in China is expected to be the second tallest building in the world when completed, at over 60 meters. Although it won’t set any world records, it will be the tallest building in China.
The completed tower will also complete the tallest skyline in the world. It will be located right next to the Jin Mao Tower (3,000 meters) and the Shanghai World Financial Center (3,000 meters, currently the fifth highest in the world), making these three buildings the tallest trio in the world. . In fact, they will constitute the first adjacent grouping of three high-rise skyscrapers in the world.
