Dive Brief:
- A report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat said the number of "megatall" buildings — those taller than 1,968 feet — will double in number from three to seven in the next five years, Dezeen Magazine reported. The CTBUH also reported that more skyscrapers were built in 2015 than in any previous year on record.
- The previous benchmark height was "supertall" for buildings of 984 feet or taller, but there are more than 100 of those buildings now, rendering the "supertall" title increasingly mundane, according to Dezeen.
- The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at more than 2,700 feet, was the first-ever "megatall" skyscraper and is currently the world’s tallest building, followed by the Shanghai Tower (2,073 feet) in Shanghai, China, and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower (1,972 feet) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Dive Insight:
"With supertall skyscrapers more common than ever, many look to the megatall distinction as the new frontier for the world's tallest buildings," the CTBUH said.
While some experts believe that new innovations in material and technology will encourage more megatall development, others predict pushback on the trend.
"More and more opposition groups are forming (against skyscraper developments), and even developers and architects working on skyscrapers appear defensive and even somewhat apologetic," London architect Barbara Weiss told Dezeen. Weiss is part of a campaign to curb skyscraper construction in London.
In fact, the CTBUH has predicted the "era of the megatall" building will be over by 2020, according to Dezeen.
This year will also see a record number of skyscrapers completed. The 1,965-foot Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen, China, will be the world's tallest office building when complete and will also be the fourth tallest building in the world.
Other buildings set for completion are The Goldfin Finance 117, at 1,959 feet, in Tianjn, China, and the 1,820-foot Lotte World Tower in Seoul South Korea.
However, although only in the planning stages, the Basra province of Iraq could soon be home to the tallest building in the world with its 3,780-foot Bride of the Gulf skyscraper. If completed, it would be more than 1,000 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa.
