Jawaan!

skyscrapers dotting the Asian skyline are growing taller! The huge demand for office and residential spaces are triggering a skyscraper boom with 16 of the world’s tallest buildings being located in Asia.

1. Burj Dubai

Currently under construction the tower has reached a height of 604.9 metres (1984.9 feet), with 159 floors as of February 2008 (according to the Burj Dubai offical website) surpassing the tallest building, Taipei 101. Officially, Taipei is still the tallest as Burj is yet to be opened.

The final projected height of Burj Dubai is being kept a secret due to competition from other buildings under construction. It is likely to rise to a height of around 2,296 ft when completed.

Burj Dubai will then be taller than 1,902 ft International Business Centre in Seoul, scheduled to be completed later this year, and three other Korean skyscrapers: Incheon Tower (likely to be 2,012 ft), Lotte Super Tower (1,820 ft) and Lotte World II (1,680 ft).

Designed by Adrian Smith and developed by Emaar Properties, the total budget for the Burj Dubai project is about $4.1 billion.

2 Taipei 101, Taiwan

The Taipei Towers with 101 floors is 508 metres (1,667 feet) high. It cost a whopping $1.8 billion to build the tower. Officially it is still the highest tower in the world.

Built in 2004, the building was designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and constructed by KTRT Joint Venture. Taipei 101 is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquake tremors.

The tower’s design specifications are based on the number ’8′, a lucky number in traditional Chinese culture. The design and planning of the tower was carried out by a Feng Shui master. The elevators in the building are the fastest in the world, rising at 1008 metres per minute (60.48 km/hour) and descending at 610 m/min (36.6 km/hour).

This is one of the few buildings in the world equipped with double-deck elevators. The Taiwan Stock Exchange is housed in this building.

2 & 3. Petronas Twin Towers), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

With a height of 452 metres (1,483 feet) and 88 floors, the Petronas Twin Towers, are in the second and third position. Both are 88 stories tall and has 78 elevators each.

The towers are the world’s tallest twin buildings.

Completed in 1998, they are connected on the 41st and 42nd floors by a sky bridge, which was designed as a safety corridor. The skybridge constructed by Kukdong Engineering & Construction between the two towers is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.

Petronas Towers, designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli, has a beautiful blend of Islamic art, design and architecture.

4. Sears Tower, Chicago, US

The Sears Towers is the fourth tallest building in the world. With a height of 442 metres (1,451 feet) and 108 floors, it was completed in 1974.

The tower is designed by architect Bruce Graham.

It was the tallest building in the US for over three decades. It was built at a cost of $150 million. The tower has 104 elevators.

Situated in Chicago, Illinois it was built by Sears, Roebuck and Company. It took three years to build the tower.

5. Jinmao Building, Shanghai, China

Jinmao Tower is the fifth tallest tower in the world at a height of 421 metres (1,381 feet) and 88 floors. Built in 1999, it is now the tallest building in China. The Jinmao Tower soon will be surpassed by the 492-metre-high Shanghai World Financial Center, which will open this year.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Jinmao Tower has 61 elevators and is a typhoon resistant building.

It houses offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel. Jin Mao Building is owned by the China Jin Mao Group.

It has a daily maintenance cost of $121,000. The tower’s design specifications are based on the number ’8′, a lucky number in Chinese culture.

The 88 floors are divided into 16 segments, each of which is 1/8th shorter than the 16-story base.

6. Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong

The tallest building in Hong Kong, at 415 metres (1,362 feet) and 88 floors, is the world’s sixth tallest tower.

Two International Finance Centre was designed by Cesar Pelli, the Argentinean architect who designed the Petronas Towers in Malaysia.

Built in 2003, the International Finance Centre is commercial establishment on the waterfront of Hong Kong.

It consists of two towers, the ITF mall, and the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel. Tower 2 is the tallest building in Hong Kong.

The complex was built entirely on reclaimed land. Both the 1st International Finance Centre (1IFC) and 2IFC were designed by Cesar Pelli. 1IFC resembles the Goldman Sachs Tower in Jersey City, a tower also designed by Pelli.

The 2IFC was built at a cost of HK$ 19.5 billion.

7. CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, China

China’s CITIC Plaza standing at a height of 391 metres (1,283 feet) including twin spires and 80 floors, was Asia’s tallest until the Petronas Towers were built in 1998.

It is near a train station and the Tianhe Sports Centre.

Built in 1996, Citic plaza is in Tianhe District, part of a complex which also consists of two 38-story residential buildings

8. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China

The eighth tallest building is 384 metres (1,260 feet) tall and has 69 floors. It has houses offices, retail and residential homes.

Built in 1996, it was designed by K Y Cheung Design Associates. It was completed in 1996 and for one year till 1997, it was the tallest building in China until Citic Plaza was built.

It is now the fourth tallest in China. There is five storey shopping arcade at the base and an observation level on the top floor, named the ‘Meridian View Centre’. It also consists of offices and apartments.

9.Empire State Building, New York

The famous Empire State building in New York was built in less than one year. It stands at a height of 381 metres (1,250 feet) with 102 floors.

It was built in 1931 and completed during the Great Depression, it was once called the ‘Empty State Building’ due to the high vacancy rate. The Empire State Building was built at a whopping cost of $40,948,900.

The building was designed by Gregory Johnson and his architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, which made the building drawings in just two weeks. It was the world’s tallest building for a record 41 years, from 1931 to 1972.

It was surpassed by the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1972. After the September 11, 2001 attacks on World Trade Center, the Empire State Building again became the tallest building in New York City.

The building has 6,500 windows, 73 elevators and 1,860 steps from street level to the 102nd floor. It has a total floor area of approximately 2,768,591 square feet.

About 20,000 employees work in the building each day, making the Empire State Building the second largest single office complex in America.

An observatory located on the 86th floor, 1,050 feet (320 metres ) offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion. The building is one of New York City’s main tourist attractions.

10. Central Plaza, Hong Kong, China

The Central Plaza is the tenth tallest building in the world. Standing tall at a height of 374 metres (1,227 feet) and 78 floors, it is a business nerve centre.

Built in 1992, the Central Plaza was the tallest building in Asia for four years and remains Hong Kong’s second tallest after Two International Finance Centre.

The complex has a pyramid on the roof where the world’s highest church is located. Central Plaza was also the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world, until it was surpassed by Citic Plaza.

The building uses a triangular floor plan. On the top of the tower is a four-bar neon clock that indicates the time by displaying different colors in 15 minute intervals.