At 527.7 meters in height, the 108-story Citic Tower office building in Beijing tops the list of 143 tall buildings (200 meters or greater in height) that were completed in 2018. The number was slightly off last year's pace, when 147 tall projects opened worldwide, but 2018 saw a record-high "supertall" skyscrapers open their doors. Eighteen towers measuring at least 300 meters in height opened this year, up from the previous record of 15 in 2017, according to a new report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
China continues to dominate the tall buildings landscape. The nation is home to 11 of the 18 new supertalls and 88 of the 143 new tall buildings worldwide. At 61.5% of the global total, this is a record for China, up from 54.4% in 2017.
The U.S. is home to three of the new supertalls (and 13 tall building completions overall):
- Comcast Technology Center, Philadelphia: 341.7 meters, 59 floors, hotel/office
- 3 World Trade Center, New York City: 328.9 meters, 69 floors, office
- Salesforce Tower, San Francisco: 326.1 meters, 61 floors, office
SEE ALSO: The world’s tallest buildings with dampers
Rounding out the top five are United Arab Emirates (10 completions, one supertall), Indonesia (five completions, zero supertall), and Malaysia (seven completions, one supertall).
More findings from the "CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2018" report:
- The total number of 200-meter-and-higher buildings in the world is now 1,478, a 141% increase from 614, in 2010.
- The total number of 300-meter-and-higher buildings worldwide is now 144, up from 126 in 2017, a figure that represents an 89% increase over five years. In 2013, there were 76 buildings 300 meters or higher worldwide; in 2000, only 26.
- Nineteen cities worldwide got a new tallest building, all but five of which were in Asia. The new heights being reached in Southeast Asia are likely indicative of improving economic conditions in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, which are experiencing growth in industrial production, foreign direct investment, and tourism, among other inputs.
- Residential functions made up 31.5% of completed buildings with a total of 45 buildings, maintaining a similar share from 2017, which saw 47 buildings completed and a 32% share.
- The average height of 200-meter-plus buildings completed in 2018 was 247 meters, a slight increase over the 244-meter figure for 2017. The average height of the World’s 100 Tallest Buildings grew again, to 381 meters, from 372 meters in 2017.
- Prediction for 2019: between 120 and 150 buildings of 200 meters or greater height will be completed.
1. Citic Tower, Beijing, China: 108 stories, 528 meters, 1,731 feet
2. Vincom Landmark 81, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: 81 stories, 461 meters, 1,513 feet
3. Changsha IFS Tower T1, Changsha, China: 94 stories, 452 meters, 1,483 feet
4. China Resources Tower, Shenzhen, China: 67 stories, 393 meters, 1,288 feet
5. Nanning Logan Century 1, Nanning, China: 82 stories, 381 meters, 1,251 feet
6. Hanking Center Tower, Shenzhen, China: 73 stories, 350 meters, 1,148 feet
7. Four Seasons Place, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 65 stories, 343 meters, 1,124 feet
8. Comcast Technology Center, Philadelphia: 59 stories, 342 meters, 1,121 feet
9. One Shenzhen Bay Tower 7, Shenzhen, China: 71 stories, 341 meters, 1,120 feet
10. Suning Plaza Tower 1, Zhenjiang, China: 75 stories, 338 meters, 1,109 feet
11. DAMAC Heights, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 88 stories, 335 meters, 1,099 feet
12. 3 World Trade Center, New York City: 69 stories, 329 meters, 1,079 feet
13. Baoneng Center, Shenzhen, China: 65 stories, 327 meters, 1,074 feet
14. Salesforce Tower, San Francisco: 61 stories, 326 meters, 1,070 feet
15. Magnolias Waterfront Residences Tower 1, Bangkok, Thailand: 70 stories, 315 meters, 1,033 feet
15. Changsha IFS Tower T2, Changsha, China: 63 stories, 315 meters, 1,033 feet
17. Honglou Times Square, Lanzhou, China: 56 stories, 313 meters, 1,027 feet
18. Guangfa Securities Headquarters, Guangzhou, China: 59 stories, 308 meters, 1,010 feet
19. Huaxun Center, Shenzhen, China: 70 stories, 286 meters, 938 feet
20. The Address Residence - Fountain Views I, Dubai, UAE: 70 stories, 283 meters, 929 feet
Download the CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2018 report.
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2010
Condominium and retail building offers luxury and elegance
The 58-story Austonian in Austin, Texas, is the tallest residential building in the western U.S. Benchmark Development, along with Ziegler Cooper Architects and Balfour Beatty (GC), created the 850,000-sf tower with 178 residences, retail space, a 6,000-sf fitness center, and a 10th-floor outdoor area with a 75-foot saltwater lap pool and spa, private cabanas, outdoor kitchens, and pet exercise and grooming areas.
| Dec 17, 2010
Luxury condos built for privacy
A new luxury condominium tower in Los Angeles, The Carlyle has 24 floors with 78 units. Each of the four units on each floor has a private elevator foyer. The top three floors house six 5,000-sf penthouses that offer residents both indoor and outdoor living space. KMD Architects designed the 310,000-sf structure, and Elad Properties was project developer.
| Dec 17, 2010
Vietnam business center will combine office and residential space
The 300,000-sm VietinBank Business Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, designed by Foster + Partners, will have two commercial towers: the first, a 68-story, 362-meter office tower for the international headquarters of VietinBank; the second, a five-star hotel, spa, and serviced apartments. A seven-story podium with conference facilities, retail space, restaurants, and rooftop garden will connect the two towers. Eco-friendly features include using recycled heat from the center’s power plant to provide hot water, and installing water features and plants to improve indoor air quality. Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor.
| Nov 16, 2010
CityCenter’s new Harmon Hotel targeted for demolition
MGM Resorts officials want to demolish the unopened 27-story Harmon Hotel—one of the main components of its brand new $8.5 billion CityCenter development in Las Vegas. In 2008, inspectors found structural work on the Harmon didn’t match building plans submitted to the county, with construction issues focused on improperly placed steel reinforcing bar. In January 2009, MGM scrapped the building’s 200 condo units on the upper floors and stopped the tower at 27 stories, focusing on the Harmon having just 400 hotel rooms. With the Lord Norman Foster-designed building mired in litigation, construction has since been halted on the interior, and the blue-glass tower is essentially a 27-story empty shell.
| Nov 3, 2010
Rotating atriums give Riyadh’s first Hilton an unusual twist
Goettsch Partners, in collaboration with Omrania & Associates (architect of record) and David Wrenn Interiors (interior designer), is serving as design architect for the five-star, 900-key Hilton Riyadh.
| Oct 13, 2010
Modern office design accentuates skyline views
Intercontinental|Exchange, a Chicago-based financial firm, hired design/engineering firm Epstein to create a modern, new 31st-floor headquarters.
| Oct 13, 2010
HQ renovations aim for modern look
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects’ renovations to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s New York City headquarters will feature a reworked reception lobby with back-painted glass, silk-screened logos, and a video wall.
| Oct 12, 2010
Guardian Building, Detroit, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
