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 17, 2013
Pakistan to get world's tallest tower in $45 billion deal
Newly signed mega deal will fund construction of several massive developments in Karachi, including a mixed-use tower that will dwarf the Burj Khalifa.
| Feb 13, 2013
'Vegetative tower' apartments to revive NYC site
A Manhattan site formerly slated for development with a "tower of cubes"—a now-defunct project by Santiago Calatrava—will be revived with a 998-foot, 300,000-sf apartment building by Morali Architects.
| Jul 9, 2012
Modular Construction Delivers Model for New York Housing in Record Time
A 65-unit supportive housing facility in Brooklyn, N.Y., was completed in record time using modular construction with six stories set in just 12 days.
| Jul 2, 2012
San Francisco lays claim to the greenest building in North America
The 13-floor building can hold around 900 people, but consumes 60% less water and 32% less energy than most buildings of its kind.
| Jun 13, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti founding principals receive CTBUH Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal
This is the first time the CTBUH Board of Trustees has awarded the prize to two individuals jointly.
| Jun 8, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions provides consulting for renovation at Tufts School of Dental Medicine
Project receives LEED Gold certification.
| Jun 6, 2012
KPF designs tower for Yongsan IBD
The master plan, created by Studio Daniel Libeskind, is a dynamic urban environment containing contributions from 19 different architects practicing in diverse locations around the globe.
| Jun 6, 2012
SOM urges Chicago tenants to partner with landlords to cut energy use
Tenants can exceed building energy challenge targets recently announced by Mayor Emanuel.
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| May 29, 2012
Reconstruction Awards Entry Information
Download a PDF of the Entry Information at the bottom of this page.
