Towers and skyscrapers are increasingly becoming the most important structures in highly urbanized areas (they will accommodate three-quarters of the world's population in the next hundred years). It's difficult to think of a designer who doesn't design skyscrapers nowadays.
One year, ten skyscrapers of the future
The skyscrapers of the future will extend social life from the streets to the sky. Modern buildings, tall buildings where whole new communities can form. It is not a ranking with the 10 tallest skyscrapers in the world, it would have been banal. It is a ranking of the 10 "wow" projects that started this year which is coming to an end. Towers in the world that will represent tomorrow.
111 West 57th street, New York
October 2019, the thin skyscraper near Central Park in New York it reached its maximum height of 435 meters. Designed by the signature “111 west 57th street”, this edgy and iconic skyscraper expresses a historic and metropolitan character, but is equipped with all the latest technologies and pushes the limits of engineering and manufacturing. In realizing the monumental project, the developers and designers showed great attention to the philosophy behind New York's classic tall skyscrapers, achieving a harmonious integration with the urban context. The Big Apple will increasingly be the city with "cool" skyscrapers.
Torre Lee Soho, Beijing
Skyscrapers China – November 2019, the Leeza SOHO tower, designed by zaha hadid architects (ZHA), was inaugurated in China. It is the building with the tallest atrium in the world.
The project will feature Beijing's new business "City", a growing financial and transportation hub between the city center and the international airport. The new district is an integral part of the Chinese capital's multimodal urban plan to encourage growth without affecting existing infrastructure networks. As part of the master plan, the 45-story tower (a 172.800 square meter building) offers small and medium-sized businesses advanced, flexible and efficient office space.
Burj Jumeira, Dubai
New skyscraper Dubai – February 2019, the works and plans for “Burj Jumeira” are revealed, a tower designed by SOM for Dubai, already home to the tallest skyscraper in the world. The base of the tower corresponds to the fingerprint of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of the emirate of Dubai. This structure, an outdoor social space, is planned to host cultural and artistic events and will include numerous furnishings, fountains and a terraced outdoor amphitheater. The first batch of homes will be delivered in 2023. How tall is the Dubai skyscraper? At a rough estimate… no, I'm joking, obviously I know: 550 metres. The tallest tower in the world, also in Dubai, is distant. But this is more characteristic.
The "Dubai tallest skyscraper in the world" equation is destined to be pulverized. Not already in height (from the Jeddah Tower to the Sky Mile Tower there will be larger buildings in the world that will surpass it in height. In the future the tallest skyscraper in the world could be... underground! The first experiments (an EartHscraper that "sinks" into the underground for over 300 meters) will be followed by projects of the future that will produce entire vertical cities. How much will they be adopted? And when? Better to close the parenthesis and stay focused on the tallest skyscrapers in the world under construction.
Ranking the tallest skyscrapers in the world
The tallest skyscraper in the world is (for now) the Burj Khalifa of Dubai, completed in 2009, with its 829 metres. Among the tallest skyscrapers in the world (and tallest) of the Burj Jumeira there are many famous buildings in the world. Even the Shanghai Tower, second with 632 meters, is the unsuspected Abraj Al Bait, in Mecca, third with its 601 meters. For those who were wondering what the tallest skyscraper in the world under construction is and how high is the Jeddah Tower, also called Kingdom Tower, in Saudi Arabia: 1000 crazy meters! To reach the upper floors of the tallest building in the world there will be elevators capable of running like a scooter, 36 kilometers per hour.
Skyscrapers in Italy
Tall but not very tall. The "Italian skyscrapers" playlist and the related images of the most impressive buildings in the Bel Paese reveal surprises. First of all, there are many towers higher than 100 meters. Two recently built Milanese buildings stand out above all. The Unicredit Tower with its 209 meters and the Allianz Tower of the Citylife project. In my Naples, the Business Center reigns supreme, with several buildings all above 100 metres. It will also surprise you to know that the first Italian skyscraper is already 80 years old: the 1940 Torre Piacentini in Genoa.
Easth 34, fluid tower, New York
April 2019: MAD Architects, the firm led by Ma Yansong, launches an alternative vision for the skyscrapers of New York's future with "East 34th". Unlike other towers in the city which typically express distinct and imposing contours, MAD's design expresses a continuous colored glass façade that slowly fades into a thin and fluid “transparent cap”, reachable with futuristic elevators. This makes it quite original and different from other skyscrapers in the USA, right? the project is also part of a permanent collection exhibition on modern mega skyscrapers at the Pompidou Center in Paris. Nice to know that the tallest skyscrapers in the world are also objects of art.
CITIC, Beijing
Chinese skyscrapers – March 2019, with a total height of 528 meters the “CITIC Tower” opened its doors. It may not be among the tallest buildings in the world, but it is the tallest building in Beijing, the fourth tallest in China and the eighth tallest in the world. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), the skyscraper draws inspiration from the “zun”, a ritual vessel originating from China of the Bronze Age. “KPF's goal for the CITIC tower was to respect the harmony of the historic capital while offering creative and contemporary architecture,” says Li Lei, design director, KPF.
Raffles City, Chongqing
September 2019, After eight years of planning and construction, the city of Chongqing is preparing to embrace the newcomer. Embedded in Yuzhong, a densely developed district of the Chinese city, the mixed-use complex combines office, residential, hotel, retail and recreational facilities. The friendliest of the skyscrapers of the future sits at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, a historically significant site that once housed the city's most important gate and imperial entrance. Today, Chongqing is one of the fastest growing and densest cities in the world. It has a metropolitan population of over 30 million. And it will have some of the most beautiful skyscrapers in the world.
The twin towers of Taipei in an interactive version
January 2019, the MVRDV studio presented its proposal for the Taipei twin towers which could create an Asian “Time Square”. The design of the towers, one of the future skyscraper projects that most intrigues me, is characterized by a “stack of blocks” that generates a vertical urban neighborhood. Tall buildings, not very tall, with a multimedia vocation. Each tile serves as an interactive display, and it may not be like the Dubai Tower, but the whole offers a vibrant and charismatic impact that restores Taipei Central Station area as the city's premier location for retail, work and tourism.
Tower at 'Islands', Cyprus
October 2019, french architecture firm hamonic + masson & associés has presented a visionary residential tower concept to capture the atmosphere and beauty of cyprus. designed to dominate the glittering Mediterranean skyline of the southern coastal city of Limassol, the tower introduces a unique proposition for an expressive structural system and a new type of dwelling. influenced by natural geometries such as the floral corolla, the tower rises from nature with soaring columns that bloom into outdoor pools and planted green areas, each connected directly to a single unit.
The tallest skyscraper in Western Europe, Denmark
Tallest building in Europe – September 2019, Dorte Mandrup has obtained the land for the construction of what will be the tallest skyscraper in Europe. It will be built in a rural Danish area, almost as an example of how much old Europe still has to say in terms of expansion and skyscrapers of the future. It will surpass the Shard, the currently tallest building, which is located in the heart of London at almost 310 meters high.
The “Shipwreck Tower”, Prague
Skyscrapers Europe – October 2019, plans are revealed for a 135-meter high tower in Prague, designed in part by the sculptor David Černern, reminiscent of a vertical shipwreck ship about to sink. Vaguely reminiscent of a vertical forest project in Croatia. It could become the tallest building in the Czech Republic: it contains residences, offices and a large public library on the lower floors. Located in the Novov Butovice neighborhood of Prague, the “tallest tower” will also include an observation deck at its top, with great views of the city and surrounding areas.
Skyscrapers Italy – There's really little to talk about here, guys. The skyscrapers under construction in Milan are beautiful and important (Libeskind of all people is certainly not the latest studio to arrive) but in terms of height compared to the towers in Dubai there is still a lot to work on.
A small comparison between the skyscrapers in the world can be seen from this interesting video. Show the true scale of world famous buildings. Check it out here:
