Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan
The Taipei 101 Building, built in 2004, as of today, is the tallest building in the world. It stands at 1,671 feet (509 m), and is 101 stories high. There is also work underway to install the world's fastest passenger elevator in the world’s tallest building. The elevator runs at a top speed of 1,010 meters per minute when ascending (600 meters per minute on the way down), which works out to 60.6 kilometers per hour.
Petronas Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Petronas Towers stands at 1,483 feet (452m), 88 stories high. The construction of the two towers was completed in 1998. Currently, the Petronas Towers stand as the tallest twin towers in the world.
Petronas Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Until 1998, the world's tallest skyscraper had always been in the United States. This changed once the Petronas Towers of Malaysia were constructed. These twin towers held the title as the world's tallest building until 2004, when the Taipei 101 building surpassed the height of the Petronas Towers by 188 feet.
# 4 Sears Tower, Chicago
The Sears Tower in Chicago stands at 1,450 feet (442m), 108 stories high. Built in 1974, the Sears Tower surpassed the World Trade Center in New York, making it the tallest building in the United States.
# 5 Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, China
The Jin Mao high-rise building in Shanghai soars at 1,380 feet (421m), 88 stories high above the street level, making it the largest and highest observation deck in China. Construction on the Jin Mao Building was completed in 1998.
#6: Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong, China
Two International Finance Centre stands high above the city of Hong Kong at an astonishing height of 1,362 feet (415 m), 88 stories above the ground. Two International Finance Centre, currently the sixth tallest office building in the world, was completed in 2003.
# 7 CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, China
CITIC Plaza, completed in 1997, was briefly the tallest building in China, until the completion of the Jin Mao Building in 1998. The building stands at 1,283 feet (391 m), 80 stories above the ground.
# 8 Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China
The third tallest building in China, and currently the eighth tallest building in the world, Shun Hing Square ascends 1,260 feet (384 m), 69 stories above the ground. Completed in 1996, it currently is the tallest ‘steel’ building in China.
# 9 Empire State Building, New York
One of New York’s biggest tourist attractions, the Empire State Building stands tall in the Big Apple at 1,250 feet (381 m), 102 stories. Built in 1931, the Empire State Building was constructed to be “the tallest structure on earth.” With the construction of the World Trade Center in New York, which stood at 1,368 and 1,362 feet (417 and 415 meters), the Twin Towers emerged as the tallest structure in New York, until the terrorist attacks of 2001. Since then, the Empire State Building is now the tallest building in the New York.
#10 Central Plaza, Hong Kong, China
Central Plaza in Hong Kong rounds off the list of the Top 10 Tallest Buildings in the world. This high-rise structure rises 1,227 feet (374 m), 78 stories above the ground. The highest floor with the pyramidal atrium is the world's highest church. Construction on Central Plaza was completed in 1992.
