The International Commerce Centre is the tallest building in Hong Kong, spanning 118 floors and reaching heights of 1587.93 ft. The mixed-use building completed in 2010 and is now home to offices, restaurants, and over 300 hotel rooms at the Ritz Carlton Hotel

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Arup and Wong & Ouyang, the International Commerce Centre has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records for providing the largest light and sound show on a single building, covering over 50,000 square metres.

The building attracts both tourists and locals, with the shopping mall based in the basement floors, and has one of the highest swimming pools in the world. The building even houses an observation deck, named Sky100, providing stunning views of Hong Kong.

Built to survive earthquakes measuring up to eight on the Richter scale, the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) took over 10 years to complete, costing 1.2 billion USD.

The SWFC has become a hotspot for financial, cultural and information services. The building spans over 1,500ft and has 101 floors, encompassing restaurants, retail facilities, over 60 office floors and a hotel with over 150 rooms.

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Irie Miyake Architects and Engineers, alongside contractors China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Shanghai Construction Group and developers Mori Building, SWFC is also home to several observation decks, situated on floors 94, 97 and 100, with a sky walk situated on the 100th floor.

Leased by Google, Bayer Group, Winterthur Insurance Group and many more, Taipei 101 is one of the most prestigious buildings in Taiwan. With 101 stories, it is one of the largest construction projects completed in Taiwan, and continues to provide economic growth and attract new talent.

Reaching 508 metres and designed by C. Y. Architects, the building embeds world-class technologies to attract international and local businesses, alongside retail facilities, restaurants, in addition to indoor and outdoor observatories. Constructed to LEED Platinum standard, the building is also one of the most sustainable.

Officially completing last year, the Chow Tai Finance Centre (CTFC) in Guangzhou encompasses an observation deck, hotel, apartments, conferences facilities and retail spaces, with an underground mall and metro station attached. Reaching heights of 1,740 feet and 111 floors, the building houses 95 elevators reaching speeds of over 44 mph.

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the build encompasses a concrete core, with eight columns acting as reinforcements. Terra cotta has been utilised to provide sufficient shading, besides a number of energy efficient features, such as high-efficiency chillers to reduce its environmental footprint. A glass roof and glass façade has also been incorporated within its structure.  

Reaching 1,776ft, the One World Trade Center has become the tallest building in the US. Designed by architect Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the building has 104 stories, with entrances on all four sides and three million rentable square feet for local businesses.

The building has a reinforced concrete base and three-foot-thick reinforced concrete walls within all stairwells and elevator shafts. From the 20th floor, the tower’s edges are chamfered to produce eight isosceles triangles, creating a central octagon. The build encompasses a spire at the top and an observation deck, which is located on the 100th floor. Visitors can also visit cafes, restaurants and event spaces within floors 101-102.

Achieving LEED Gold, the building houses a number of sustainable features, such rainwater harvesting, hydroelectric and wind power. The majority of the building’s interior is even constructed from recyclables and waste products.

Only recently completed this year, the Lotte World Tower has now cemented its place as the fifth tallest building in the world, reaching heights of 555 metres.

Constructed to LEED Gold, the building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and BAUM Architects, encompassing a world-class hotel, retail facilities, sophisticated officetels and entertainment facilities. Locals and tourists can also visit the rooftop café, glass bottomed observation deck and outdoor plaza.

Located in Shenzhen’s growing central business district, the Ping An Finance Centre has over 100 floors, spanning 1,965ft. Completed this year and named after Ping An Insurance, who own the building, the building has been designed in the shape of a prism as it rises, and has been constructed with steel, stone and glass.

Achieving LEED Gold, the building is also home to the largest stainless-steel façade worldwide.

Part of the Abraj Al Bait Complex, the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower spans 1,906ft. With over 70 floors, the building has over a thousand hotel rooms and residential spaces, named Fairmont Residences, in addition to dining, conference, corporate and leisure facilities.

Owned by the government, the building is home to the largest elevated clocks worldwide, and constructed by the Saudi Binladin Group, who are also responsible for the Jeddah Tower (under construction) and the Doha Metro.

One of the most expensive buildings in the world, a mall is situated on the lower levels, in addition to a prayer room, sophisticated transportation networks and viewing deck on the top floor, providing stunning views of the city.

Owned by Shanghai Tower Construction & Development and reaching 2,073ft, Shanghai Tower is one of the most sustainable buildings in China, with 128 storeys. Awarded LEED Platinum, the building is also home to the world’s tallest turbines, creating 10 percent of the building’s electricity.

With two glass facades encompassing over 20,000 panels, the unique building gently twists 120 degrees to counteract strong winds. Designed by Gensler, the mixed-use building is split into nine vertical sections, comprising of retail spaces, office facilities, hotel and cultural spaces, health and leisure facilities, restaurants and green spaces. The tower also houses a number of observation decks.

Retaining its position as the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa reaches 2,716.5ft and encompasses 160 storeys. The building has the highest outdoor observation deck, restaurant and nightclub worldwide. The building is also home to the Armani Hotel Dubai and apartments with swimming pools, in addition to various shops.

Winning a multitude of awards, the Burj Khalifa adopts a modular, Y-shaped design from Islamic architecture. Each wing ensures a reduction in mass and reduction of high winds. Supported through reinforced concrete, over 100,000 tonnes were used within its foundations, along with steel, aluminum and glass.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with contractor Samsung C&T, the building has high quality materials within its interior, such as silver travertine flooring and Venetian stucco walls. A sophisticated cladding system has also been used to ensure the building can withstand the summer climate.

The building’s spire is constructed with over 4,000 tonnes of steel, and is used within communication and broadcasting facilities.