While 2013 didn't see the completion of a mega tower like Burj Khalifa, it was a near-record-setting year in terms of the number of super-tall skyscrapers completed.
Led by the 82-story, 1,166-foot JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai Tower 2, a total of 73 buildings of 200 meters or greater height were built in 2013. It was the second-busiest year ever, behind only 2011, when 81 super-tall projects opened, according to a report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
Last year also saw the completion of nine 300-meter-plus towers. In fact, nearly half (47%) the world's 77 300-meter-plus skyscrapers were completed during the past four years.
The top 10 skyscrapers completed in 2013 are:
1. JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai Tower 2, Dubai, UAE (82 stories, 355 meters, 1,166 feet)
2. Mercury City Tower, Moscow, Russia (75, 339, 1,112)
3. Modern Media Center, Changzhou, China (57, 332, 1,089)
4. Al Yaqoub Tower, Dubai, UAE (69, 328, 1,076)
5. The Landmark, Abu Dhabi, UAE (72, 324, 1,063)
5. Deji Plaza, Nanjing, China (62, 324, 1,063)
7. Cayan Tower, Dubai, UAE (73, 307, 1,008)
8. East Pacific Center Tower A, Shenzhen, China (85, 306, 1,004)
8. The Shard, London, UK (73, 306, 1,004)
10. Dongguan TBA Tower Dongguan, China (68, 289, 948)
See the full list
Tall buildings 200 meters or taller completed each year from 1960 to 2014 © CTBUH (click image to enlarge)
Other milestones from 2013, according to the CTBUH report:
• Across the globe, the sum of heights of all 200-meter-plus buildings completed globally in 2013 was 17,662 meters – also the second-ranked in history, behind the 2011 record of 21,642 meters.
• Of the 73 buildings completed in 2013, 12 – or 16 percent – entered the list of 100 Tallest Buildings in the World.
• For the sixth year running, China had the most 200-meter-plus completions of any nation, at 37 – located across 22 cities.
• Three of the five tallest buildings completed are in the United Arab Emirates, for the second year in a row.
• The city of Goyang, Korea, has debuted on the world skyscraper stage with eight 200-meter-plus buildings completing in 2013.
• Europe has two of the 10 tallest buildings completed in a given year for the first time since 1953.
• Panama added two buildings over 200 meters, bringing the small Central American nation’s count up to 19. It had none as recently as 2008.
• Of the 73 buildings over 200 meters completed in 2013, only one, 1717 Broadway in New York, was in the U.S.
For the full report, visit: http://www.ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/HeightStatistics/AnnualBuildingReview/Trendsof2013/tabid/6105/language/en-US/Default.aspx
The tallest building completed each year since the year 2000. © CTBUH (click image to enlarge)
© CTBUH (click image to enlarge)
© CTBUH (click image to enlarge)
Related Stories
| Oct 10, 2013
Behind the scenes at the U40 Summit: See the $5,000 U40 Vision competition in progress [slideshow]
Sixty-five up-and-coming AEC leaders are battling for $5,000 in prizes today at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco.
| Oct 10, 2013
Arthur Gensler to architects: Don't give away your ideas
The founder of Gensler advises dozens of up-and-coming AEC professionals at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco.
| Oct 9, 2013
From power plant to office: Ambler Boiler House conversion
The shell of a 19th-century industrial plant is converted into three levels of modern office space.
| Oct 7, 2013
10 award-winning metal building projects
The FDNY Fireboat Firehouse in New York and the Cirrus Logic Building in Austin, Texas, are among nine projects named winners of the 2013 Chairman’s Award by the Metal Construction Association for outstanding design and construction.
| Oct 7, 2013
Progressive steel joist and metal decking design [AIA course]
This three-part course takes a building owner’s perspective on the range of cost and performance improvements that are possible when using a more design-analytical and collaborative approach to steel joist and metal decking construction.
Sponsored | | Oct 7, 2013
Bridging the digital divide between the BIM haves and have nots
There's no doubt that BIM is the future of design. But for many firms, finding a bridge to access rich model data and share it with those typically left on the sidelines can be the difference between winning a bid or not.
| Oct 7, 2013
How to streamline your operations
The average U.S. office worker generates two pounds of paper each day, according to the EPA. Ninety percent of that trash is made up of printed materials: marketing reports, project drafts, copy machine mistakes, and unwanted mail. Here are a few ways AEC firms can streamline their management processes.
| Oct 7, 2013
Reimagining the metal shipping container
With origins tracing back to the mid-1950s, the modern metal shipping container continues to serve as a secure, practical vessel for transporting valuable materials. However, these reusable steel boxes have recently garnered considerable attention from architects and constructors as attractive building materials.
| Oct 4, 2013
Sydney to get world's tallest 'living' façade
The One Central Park Tower development consists of two, 380-foot-tall towers covered in a series of living walls and vertical gardens that will extend the full height of the buildings.
| Oct 4, 2013
Nifty video shows planned development of La Sagrada Familia basilica
After 144 years, construction on Gaudi's iconic Barcelona edifice is picking up speed, with a projected end date of 2026.
