Skyscrapers: American International Building

Few people know of the American International Building -one of New York's tallest skyscrapers. Yet as well as being one of the foremost Gothic skyscrapers in New York the American International Building (AIB, for short) underwent fierce competition in the early 1930s to gain the title of New York's tallest with the Chrysler Building (only for both to be outdone by the Empire State Building, which was completed in record time. The AIB was the last skyscraper in New York to be completed before the Second World War, and was the tallest in downtown Manhattan until the completion of the World Trade Center in the 1970s. Since 9/11, it has regained that title.


The AIB is 290 metres tall, or 952 feet, and contains 66 floors, with 36 elevators. It was one of the first buildings in the world that was built with double-decker elevators, but due to low popularity these were scraped by the building's owners. Although originally owned by the Cities Service Company, the building is now owned by AIG and is in the process of being sold again.

Skyscrapers: International Finance Centre, Hong Kong

Currently Hong Kong's tallest building, the International Finance Centre tops out at over 415 metres next to Hong Kong's waterfront. Properly called 2IFC (the original 1IFC was completed in 1998), the tower is the fourth tallest in the world.

Completed in 2003, the IFC consists of 88 floors, nearly 186,000 square metres of floor space, and is topped off by a structure deliberately built to resemble fingers pointing out to the sky, as though planning to grab it.

Along with office space, IFC also contains retail space in a mall sprawled out on the ground, and a five star hotel (the Four Seasons) is part of the complex. IFC is expected will be overtaken as Hong Kong's tallest by the International Commerce Centre, which will be completed next year.

Skyscrapers: Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab, Dubai's first mega-project stands 321 above the Persian Gulf -literally- on a small island 280 metres from the coast, linked by a bridge. It is the world's second-tallest hotel.

Construction of the Burj Al Arab began in 1994, and was completed five years later in 1999, at a cost of US$650 million. The atrium of the hotel is 180 metres tall (which may make you a bit dizzy if you're looking down!)

The Burj Al Arab is considered the world's only seven star hotel, with guests receiving complimentary butlers and chaffeur-driven Bentleys during their stays, as well as an underwater restaurant and complete views over the city and Gulf. Suites start at US$1,000 per night and the most expensive suite costs a whooping US$28,000 a night. Similarly, the largest suite is 780 square metres large -that's over three times the size of a four-bedroom, two-storey middle class home!

Skyscrapers: Gateway Arch

Although not technically a skyscraper, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis is one of the most iconic American structures. Standing 192 metres above the Mississippi River, The Gateway Arch is one of the best examples of post-war architecture.

At the top of the Arch is a small viewing platform over St. Louis and the surrounding countryside, which can only be access through a "tram" (or more accurately, a small pod) running to the viewing platform from underground.

The arch was constructed between 1963 and 1965, and was designed in 1947. It is a designated National Historical Landmark.

Skyscrapers: Comcast Center

The Comcast Center is the tallest building in Philadelphia. Completed in early 2008, the Comcast Center rises 297 meters over the skyscrapers of Center City, 10 meters taller than 1 Liberty Place, the second tallest building in the city. It contains 57 floors, and 118,000 square metres of floor space.



In an effort to improve Philadelphia's sporting record, a statue of William Penn was constructed at the top of the tower; the "curse of William Penn" states that unless a statue of William Penn is the highest object in the city (as was the case until 1987 with the Philadelphia City Hall), Philadelphia will not win any sporting championship. The statue was built, and the World Series a few months afterwards was won by Philadelphia. Perhaps it's not a curse, so much as a dampner on morale.

Skyscrapers: Columbia Center

With an imposing presence in the city, the Columbia Center rises 285 metres (937ft) above the streets of downtown Seattle, in Washington State. The Columbia Center encompasses 76 floors, the 73rd of which contains an observation deck, and over 140,000 square metres of floor space.

When opened in 1984, the building was originally called the Columbia Center. It then changed to Columbia Seafirst Center, then Bank of America Tower in 1999. It changed again in 2005 back to its original name. Until the completion of LA's US Bank Tower (or Library Tower) in 1993, it was the tallest American building west of the Mississippi.

Skyscrapers: Jin Mao Tower

The Jin Mao Tower (excuse the word "Mao") is one of China's tallest buildings. Located in the Pudong district of Shanghai along with the very recently completed Shanghai World Financial Centre, the tower rises 421 metres above the city, making for an amazing spectacle.

The Jin Mao Tower is 93 storeys high, containing 278,707 sq metres of floor space, much of which is occupied by the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, which is famous for its 115 metre high atrium. The tower is also used as an office building and a shopping mall.

The Jin Mao Tower, keeping with Chinese belief that the number "8" brings good luck, was officially opened on August 28, 1998, and celebrated its tenth birthday a few months ago.

Skyscrapers: Trump Tower Chicago

The Trump Tower is Donald Trump's latest residential project, located on the north side of the Chicago River, in the heart of Chicago. The skyscraper rises to 415 metres above the streets of the city, making it the second tallest tower in Chicago when completed later this year.

The Trump Tower contains 96 floors, and when it opens will break the world record for highest apartments above the ground, on the 89th floor. The tower will contain 242,000 square metres of floor space, mostly taken up by condominiums, a luxury hotel, retail space, and a parking garage on the lower floors well hidden by the glass.

The Trump Tower was originally touted by Donald Trump as the future world's tallest building in 2001, but the heightened terrorist threat after 9/11 meant that the building was scaled down several hundred feet (and the plans were, like those of every other skyscraper in North America, put on hold). The building's construction has been managed by Bill Rancic, the first winner of Trump's popular TV show "The Apprentice".

Skyscrapers: Freedom Tower

To take the place of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Freedom Tower will soar 541 metres (that's 1776 feet; which is no coincidence) above New York's Lower Manhattan skyline.


After much faltering and bureaucratic inefficiency, the Freedom Tower (or 1 World Trade Center) broke ground in 2006 -five years after 9/11- and is expected to be completed in 2012 or 2013. Designed by world-famous architect Daniel Libeskind, the Freedom Tower will contain 241,000 square metres of office space, spread out over 114 floors. At the top floor of the tower, an observation deck will be put in place to allow visitors to the city to look out over Manhattan and the surrounding area (which may be useful if you plan to go to New York next decade!)

Skyscrapers: Chicago Spire

Designed like a giant screw by architect Santiago Calatrava (who also did Sweden's Turning Torso), the Chicago Spire is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world currently under construction. To be 609 metres (or exactly 2000ft) high, the Chicago Spire is being built next to the Chicago River, near the edge of Lake Michigan. It is a residential project, with 1,193 self-contained units, spread out over its 150 floors.

The Chicago Spire started construction in 2007 and is expected to be completed in 2012. The tower will be over 150 metres taller than Chicago's next tallest, the Sears Tower, and will have a total of 81,470 sq metres of floor area.

Although primarily residential, there will also be some office space and room for a hotel in the tower. Each of the floors rotates about 2 degrees out from the one below it, resulting in a graceful screw shape. When built it will be easily the tallest residential tower in the world, overtaking Q1 and the Eureka Tower, both in Australia.

Skyscrapers: Bank of China Tower

The Bank of China Tower is one of Hong Kong's biggest buildings. At 367 metres (1205 feet) to the top of the antenna, the building soars over Hong Kong's skyline.



Topped out on August 8, 1988, completed in 1989 and opened in 1990, the building was designed by world-famous architect I.M. Pei, and is world-renowned for making a bold architectural statement, standing out from other building at the time of its conception (1982). The diagonal white lines (that are supposed to hint at bamboo sticks) making their way up the building symbolize prosperity and livelihood in traditional Chinese culture.

The building was the tallest structure in Hong Kong until the completion of Central Park in 1992, and was the first skyscraper outside of America to reach its height.

Skyscrapers-Eureka Tower

The Eureka Tower, which looks like a giant thermometer, opened in Melbourne's Southbank area late in 2006. It is 300 metres tall, which makes it the tallest skyscraper (to the roof) in the Southern Hemisphere and the second tallest residential building in the world, after Q1 on the Gold Coast.

The Eureka tower has 91 stories, and an obeservation deck on the 88th floor, 282 metres up -about 100 metres higher than that on the SkyTower. It cost A$500,000,000 to build, and was built by the company Grocon, who were also planning to build the now extinct Grollo Tower, in Melbourne's Docklands area. Floors 11-80 are occupied by multiple apartments, with floors 81-87 occupied by just one apartment each.

An interesting fact about the tower is that it is named after the Eureka Rebellion, which occured during the gold rush in Victoria in 1854. It's gold-coloured crown represents the Gold Rush, and a red stripe at the top represents the rebellion.

Skyscrapers-Eiffel Tower

Situated by the River Seine in the heart of Paris, the Eiffel Tower symbolizes the ingenuity and technological progress that was being made in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Over 500,000,000 (!) people have visited the tower since its completion in 1889 -which makes it 118 years old, with over 6.7 million people visiting the Tower in 2006 alone.

Designed by Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in France, 115 metres higher than the second tallest, Tour Montparnasse. The Eiffel Tower was built for the Paris World's Fair, held in the same year as the Tower's completion, to celebrate the French Revolution. Like so many other famous structures, a lot of criticism was directed at it for some time. Eventually, the Tower caught on and became the world-famous structure it is today.

The Eiffel Tower weighs 10,000 tons. Although it doesn't have any "floors" in the conventional skyscraper sense, the tower sports a restaurant, and two observation areas. The Tower took only two years and two months to finish.

Skyscrapers-Canary Wharf Tower

Situated in the heart of London's once derelict docklands, stands what is currently Britain's tallest building. The Canary Wharf Tower, or One Canada Square, is 235 metres high with 50 floors filling that space. The building was completed in 1991, during the renovation of the Docklands which made it one of London's most popular attractions and living areas.



The Canary Wharf Tower has an iconic, 11-ton pyramid at the top, which serves as a beacon for planes in the area. The whole tower contains 130,130 squares metres of office space.

In London's current building boom which is seeing significant changes to the London skyline/s taking place, the Canary Wharf Tower will be overtaken by the London Bridge Tower (the "Shard of Glass") by the end of this decade, with several new towers in the City supposed to overtake it as well. But the Canary Wharf Tower is still expected to be the largest, and most iconic of the towers of the Docklands.

Skyscrapers -Chrysler Building

Arguably New York's most beautiful skyscraper, the Chrysler Building was completed in 1930, at the start of the Great Depression. It is built in the Art Deco Style, which produced many beautiful skyscrapers in New York and Chicago during the 1920s and 1930s. The Chrysler Building has a unique "crown", and gargoyles which look down upon the city from over 200 metres in the air.

The Chrysler Building is 319 metres high, which made it the tallest building in the world for two year until another New York masterpiece, the Empire State Building, overtook in 1931. Currently, after the World Trade Centre attacks, it is the third tallest building in New York, surpassed by the Empire State Building and the Bank of America Tower. It is 77 metres high., with 32 elevators, and 111,201 square metres of floor space. The Chrysler Building is synonymous with Manhattan and its skyscrapers, and appears regularly in art, film, and on TV.

Skyscrapers - Petronas Towers

Aah, the Petronas Towers. Named for the Malaysian petroleum company Petronas, the main occupier of the buildings, these two interesting structures once held the title of the World's Tallest Building, overtaking Chicago's Sears Tower in 1998, and being overtook by Taipei 101 in 2003. Situated in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, the Petronas Towers are smartly designed to blend modern efficiency and comfort with a design based on Malaysia's Muslim heritage. They are linked by a skybridge over 200 metres in the air, which is used both as an attraction for tourists and as an escape route in emergencies.
The buildings themselves are very modern, with over 32,000 windows between them. They both reach the height of 452 metres, with 88 floors to occupy that space. There are 395,000 square metres of floor space between them, and 78 elevators. The buildings are a symbol of Malaysian business success, and are hard to miss on the fast-growing skyline of Kuala Lumpur.

For speed and efficiency of construction, the two towers were built by two different contractors, which instigated a "height war", to see who could finish quicker. The plan worked. If only that were done on all towers around the world (there has been about as much progress on the Freedom Tower in New York as there was before 9/11).

Skyscrapers-Library Tower

The Library Tower (or US Bank Tower) is the tallest building in Los Angeles, and the tallest along North America's West Coast. Completed in 1989, the tower was so named in order to save the Los Angeles Library, which had severe financial difficulties at the time, from having to close.

The Library Tower is 310 metres high, with 73 floors all the way to the top. It has over 120,000 square metres of floor space, with 24 elevators.

The tower is best known for dominating the LA skyline, getting blown up in the movie "Independence Day", its shiny gold-coated facade, and for the distinctive "crown" at its peak, with the US Bank signage looking out over Los Angeles. Recently, a terrorist plot to destroy the Library Tower, similar to the plot to destroy the World Trade Center, was foiled. If it had succeeded, not only the Library Tower would've been destroyed but a good deal of the LA downtown would've been destroyed too, due to its small area.

Skyscrapers -Sears Tower

The Sears Tower has been America's tallest building for 33 years. And at 442 metres, it's no small competitor -the Petronas Towers only beat it out by 10 metres. It has 108 floors, and from its observation deck 412 metres up, four states can be seen for some 80 kilometres from the tower. It has 108 elevators, for different levels up the tower.

The Sears Tower will be Chicago's tallest until the Chicago Spire is completed early next decade, which will be 158 metres taller, at a whooping 600 metres in height. This will also make it the tallest in the US. Other tall towers in the US currently planned are the Freedom Tower at 541 metres, and Crown Las Vegas at 512 metres. The Sears Tower, however, will still be the quintessential Chicago skyscraper. After all, the Chicago Spire will be a condominium building, not such a symbol of the city's endeavour, like the Sears.

The Greatness of Man's Mind in His Buildings

Man's mind, when put to use, can be a marvelous thing. We witnessed this today with the Burj Dubai overtaking Taipei 101 as the World's Tallest Building. Although it is now officially the tallest, it still has around 200-300 metres left before topping out, at about 800 metres (the official height is being kept a secret).

The greatness of the mind when put to use can produce incredible feats of engineering. This has been seen throughout the ages, from the Pyramids and the Sphinx of Ancient Egypt, to the Colosseum during Rome's heyday, the great Cathedrals of the Middle Ages, the bridges and tunnels of the Victorians and recently skyscrapers soaring several hundred metres into the air.

But these aren't just "big box" buildings, or brutalist 1960's commercial commieblocks; man's great buildings are also feats of engineering and aesthetics. They are designed to be look good and feel the same way. They are true feats of man's mind. (to the point, I think we all know why Howard Roark's career was an architect!)

Keep up the good work, architects of the future-and don't return to the 1960s!

Skyscrapers-Empire State Building

Ahhh, the beautiful Empire State Building. The ESB is the quintessential skyscraper; the American Society of Civil Engineers has called it "one of the seven wonders of the modern world". And it's no surprise.

The ESB was completed in the record time of just over 1 year starting from March 17, 1930 and endind on May 1, 1931, during the Great Depression. It was officially opened with a push of a button from Herbert Hoover, turning on the lights.
The ESB is 381 metres tall from the ground to the roof, and 449 metres tall if you include the antenna. It has 101 storeys, and an observation deck on the 86th floor. The tower features 254,000 square metres of floor space. As the ESB was built during the Depression, much of this went unoccupied. The ESB was the World's Tallest Building until the World Trade Centre came along in the 1970's. However, after the collapse of the WTC, the ESB was once again reigning king in New York's skyline.
Just before WWII ended, a plane accidentally flew into the ESB on July 28, 1945. The plane, a B-25 Mitchell Bomber crashed between the 79th and 80th floors.
The ESB has 73 elevators and 6500 windows. The structure has also been in countless movies and TV series, the latest of which has been NZ Director Peter Jackson's re-do of King Kong.