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
| Feb 3, 2014
Gehry wins bid to design Berlin's tallest tower [slideshow]
The architect's "rotating cubes" scheme for the 300-unit residential tower beat out design submissions by eight other prominent firms, including Adjaye Associates and David Chipperfield Architects.
| Jan 31, 2014
Trump Hotel Collections announces luxury hotel for Rio de Janeiro
The 13-story, 171-guestroom Trump Rio will be Trump Hotel Collection’s first property in South America and the only luxury hotel in the neighborhood when it opens in 2016.
| Jan 30, 2014
See how architects at NBBJ are using computational design to calculate the best views on projects [video]
In an ideal world, every office employee would have a beautiful view from his or her desk. While no one can make that happen in real life, computational design can help architects maximize views from every angle.
| Jan 29, 2014
Richard Meier unveils 'urban courtyard' scheme for Mexico City towers
A grand atrium, reaching some 30 stories, highlights the contemporary, bright-white design scheme unveiled this week by Richard Meier & Partners for a new mixed-use development in Mexico City.
| Jan 28, 2014
2014 predictions for skyscraper construction: More twisting towers, mega-tall projects, and 'superslim' designs
Experts from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat release their 2014 construction forecast for the worldwide high-rise industry.
| Jan 23, 2014
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed Federation of Korean Industries tower opens in Seoul [slideshow]
The 50-story tower features a unique, angled building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) exterior designed to maximize the amount of energy collected.
| Jan 21, 2014
Comcast to build second Philadelphia skyscraper, with Norman Foster-designed tower [slideshow]
The British architect last week unveiled his scheme for the $1.2 billion, 59-story Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, planned adjacent to the Comcast Center.
| Jan 21, 2014
2013: The year of the super-tall skyscraper
Last year was the second-busiest ever in terms of 200-meter-plus building completions, with 73 towers, according to a report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jan 3, 2014
World’s tallest vegetated façade to sprout in Sri Lanka [slideshow]
Set to open in late 2015, the 46-story Clearpoint Residences condo tower will feature planted terraces circling the entire structure.
| Dec 31, 2013
BD+C's top 10 stories of 2013
The world's tallest twisting tower and the rise of augmented reality technology in construction were among the 10 most popular articles posted on Building Design+Construction's website, BDCnetwork.com.
