10 tallest buildings under construction or in development around the world

Frank Lloyd Wright once proposed The Illinois, a mile-high skyscraper set on the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, a towering giant of a building powered by atomic elevators. It’s clear symbol of the current race to raise skylines around the world that Wright’s vision from the ’50s, yet to be realized, is coming closer and closer to reality.

Developments in building technology and a surfeit of construction projects in Asia makes the title of tallest building more temporary than ever; none of the buildings on this list of the ten tallest in waiting are in North America, and seven of them eclipse the height of One World Trade Center. This list contains the tallest under construction based on data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. There are many others on the drawing board, but this is meant to showcase the projects likely to be completed.

 Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

 Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Jeddah Tower (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: 3,281 feet, estimated completion 2020)

An architect whose career highlights include the Hancock Center and Burj Khalifa, Smith designed the Jeddah Tower to be the next iteration of the Burj, a shard of steel and glass that, in its triangular shape, recalls a palm about to spread its fronds. The centerpiece of a new suburb, this skyscraper will shatter records, offer sightseers a perch on the 157th story (site of a proposed helipad), and even showcase an entirely new type of elevator, speedy double-decker cabins swept between floors by a new carbon fiber cord. Perhaps more incredible is that building was meant to be a mile high, but engineers discovered that the surrounding geology unsuitable to support such a structure.

Wuhan Greenland Center (Wuhan, China: 2,087 feet, estimated completion 2018)

Another project being overseen by the firm of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, this in-the-works tower in central China offers a unique, curved profile, a tripod shape that tapers and forms a dome to reduce wind resistance. The entire structure, from the grand lobbies to the corners fashioned in curved glass, present a fluid profile, reducing the building’s material footprint. To add an additional air of exclusivity, the summit of this multi-use super tall will include a private member’s club.

 Fender Katsalidis Architects

 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

Merdeka PNB118 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 2,067 feet, estimated completion 2020)

Property developers are hoping this crystalline tower becomes as much of a catalyst for the city as César Pelli’s Petronas Towers, still the tallest twin structures in the world. This is a massive project for Australian firm Fender Katsalidis Architects, which has been attached to a series of tall towers in Melbourne.

Ping An Finance Center (Shenzhen, China: 1,965 feet, estimated completion 2017) Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, this huge stone-and-glass tower was being assembled at the prodigious rate of a floor every four days during peak construction periods. Initially expected to be completed in 2016, the topped out tower has been delayed until this year. The building has become a centerpiece of the city’s central business district, as well as a lure for daredevil stunts; it’s already been scaled, with the ascent captured on GoPro.

Arup

 Atkins

Goldin Finance 117 (Tianjin, China: 1,957 feet: estimated completion 2018)

Baoneng Shenyang Global Financial Center (Shenyeng, China: 1,864 feet, estimated completion 2018)

Nicknamed the Pearl of the North, the 111-story, mixed-use skyscraper will feature a circular inset towards the apex as well as a luxury auto showroom towards the top floor and a smaller sister tower, both designed by Atkins.

Kohn Pedersen Fox

 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Lotte World Tower (Seoul, South Korea: 1,819, estimated completion 2017)

Despite a rocky construction process that’s seen a string of accidents galvanize the Korean media, this Seoul landmark is still on course to finish next fall. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the building, a cone of pale-colored glass, is supported by a grid of steel and concrete core.

Tianjin CTF Finance Centre (Tianjin, China: 1,739 feet, estimated completion 2018)

As if to underscore the rate at which China is building supertalls, this is the second project for the city of Tianjin on this list. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to meet LEED Gold standards, this gently sloping tower features a crystallized facade that accentuates the curves of the building’s frame. There’s rhyme and reason to those subtle bends and arches: along with strategically placed vents, the shape reduces “vortex shedding,” which sharply decreases the wind forces impacting the tower.

 Farrells

China Zun Tower (Beijing, China: 1,732 feet, estimated completion 2018)

Modeled after a ceremonial “zun” vessel, a bronze or ceramic design meant to hold wine, this gently curving tower will soon rise over the new extension of Beijing’s central business district. Designed by the international architecture firm Farrells, with engineering help by Arup, the unique, concave tower, split between office space, private club and an observation deck, provides additional high-rent space on the top floors and a dramatic lobby entrance on the ground floor. In addition to claiming the title of China’s tallest building, the Zun will also be the tallest structure in a high seismic zone when its finished, relying on steel-concrete composite braces and a solid concrete core for stability.

Skyfame Center Landmark Tower (Nanning, China: 1,732 feet, estimated completion 2021)

Also known as the Tianyu Tower, this 108-story project hasn’t released many official details, despite being on the CTBUH list. Some commenters on an older Skyscraper City discussion page where this photo was sourced have noted the building is named after the developer.