According to an article from Wonderlist, mankind dreams building something that is huge. Evidences can be seen from the Great Pyramid of Giza to the Lighthouse of Alexandria. In addition, the ancient architectures can be proof of evidence. Although the world is dominated by science and technology, architecture boomed in the late 90's. To support the statement, Wonderlist gave the top five tallest building in Asia.
1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Burj Khalifa or also known as Burj Dubai, is a skycrapper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with the height of 2,722 feet with 163 floors, 46 maintenance levels in the spires and two parking levels in the basement. The construction was started on September 21 2004 and ended on January 4, 2010.
In the article from Burj Khalifa, the building holds the record as the tallest building in the world, the tallest free-standing structure in the world, the highest number of stories in the world, the highest occupied floor in the world, the highest outdoor observation deck in the world, the longest travel distance in the world using the elavator and the tallest service elavator in the world.
2. Shanghai Tower, China
Although the building is under construction, Shanghai Tower will be one of the tallest skyscrapers and tallest buildings in China having 2,073 feet in height with a total floor area of 380,000 square meters. The building will finish this year and will have 121 store building and can accommodate 16,000 people on a daily basis. In addition, Four Seasons Hotel will have 320 rooms which will be located between the84th and 110th floors and will claim to be the tallest hotel in the world when completed. Also, the building will have the fastest elevator in the world with a speed of 59 feet per second.
As mentioned in an article from Travel China Guide, the building has 980 foundation piles underground to a depth of 282 feet, and then poured 2.15 million cube feet of concrete to set a 20-feet-thick baseboard for anchoring the main building. In addition, the article described the exterior of the building spirals upward like a snake.
3. Abraj Al Bait, Saudi Arabia
The building is also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower and owned by the government building complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The 1,972 feet building has 120 floors, a large prayer room capable of holding more than 10,000 people, a five-storey shopping mall, a clock tower which is the tallest clock tower in the world, and the largest clock face. The structure is just meters away from the world's largest mosque and Islam's most sacred site, the Masjid al-Haram which houses the Kaaba.
In an article from Fairmont, the building also have 76 floors, 1542 guest room suites and Residences, and 56 elevators.
4. Taipei 101, Taiwan
Also known as Taipei World Financial Center which is located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan has 101 ground floors above ground and five floors underground with 1,667 feet height. The building has an Indoor Observation deck on 89th floor and an Outdoor Observation deck on its 91st floor. In July 2011, the building was awarded LEED Platinum certification as the tallest and largest energy efficient building in the world. Also, the building is designed to withstand typhoon winds up to 216 km/hour, and it can also sustain the strongest earthquakes likely to occur in a 2,500-year cycle.
In the article from Taipei 101, the building has 2,644 square meters with floor space, a ceiling that exceed the height of other office buildings, a spacious lobbies, exhibition chambers and public spaces.
5. Shanghai World Financial Center, China
Shanghai World Financial Center is located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. The 1,614.2 feet building has offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and ground-floor shopping malls. Also, the building was awarded by Asia and Australasia as the Best Tallest Building from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. It also has Park Hyatt Shanghai Hotel between 79th to the 93rd floors.
In an article from Travel China Guide, the buildign was completed in August 28, 2008, being the second tallest skyscraper in mainland China. In addition, the article mentioned that the the building has first class financial centers, showcase monetary talents, cultural and art exhibitions and information from all over the world.
