World's tallest buildings

World's tallest buildings

Looking for new places to check out during your summer vacation? How about the world's tallest buildings – including this skyscraper, which French daredevil Alain Robert recently scaled, despite a bad case of vertigo.

Burj Khalifa

Completed in 2010 in a Middle Eastern city the Burj Khalifa took six years to build and employed thousands of skilled construction workers. While you could take one of the elevators to the top you could also take the stairs.

Taipei 101

Taiwan's tallest building held the world record from 2004 to 2010. It's specially built to withstand two natural phenomena that might otherwise cause severe damage.

Shanghai World Financial Center

The tallest building in China boasts the highest observation deck in the world. A fire broke out during construction, but more damaging was a design element that looked like the Japanese flag

International Commerce Centre

Located in Hong Kong, this gargantuan structure opened earlier this year. The hotel lobby is at a dizzying height and its Presidential Suite on the 117th floor is astoundingly big.

Petronas Towers

Kuala Lumpur's tallest structures, the highest twin buildings in the world, were the absolute tallest from 1998 to 2004. A bomb hoax in 2001 echoed the destruction of America's most famous twin buildings the day before.

Nanjing Greenland Financial Center

Designed by the same American architectural firm that crafted the world's tallest building, this behemoth in Nanjing is the third largest building in China. Its view of a famous river is worth the trip to the 72nd-floor observation deck.

Willis Tower

This Chicago landmark is the tallest building in the U.S., and was the tallest in the world for 25 years. In 2009 its name was changed from that of a well-known retailer to its current moniker.

Guangzhou International Finance Center

The fourth-largest building in China, this imposing structure was designed by a London architectural firm.

Trump International Hotel & Tower

A complete novice was hired to manage the construction of the second-tallest building in both Chicago and the U.S. Donald Trump intended for it to be the highest in the world until this tragic event occurred.

Jin Mao Building

This monolith resides in China's largest city. It features the world's highest swimming pool and the planet's longest laundry chute.

Two International Finance Centre

The sixth-tallest building in China is the second-highest in this bustling city.

CITIC Plaza

China's seventh-tallest building was finished in 1996 and is located in "the City of Flowers."

Shun Hing Square

With its spectacular turquoise-and-silver color scheme, this gorgeous building soars above one of China's fastest-growing cities.

Empire State Building

The oldest of the world's tallest buildings, New York City's iconic Art Deco tower was built in 1931 and was the planet's tallest building for 42 years.

Central Plaza

One of several giant skyscrapers in Hong Kong, the Central Plaza was the tallest in Asia from 1992 to 1996. It is now the third-largest skyscraper in the city.

Bank of China Tower

A Hong Kong landmark, this unusual building sparked controversy when it opened in 1989.

Bank of America Tower

It's the second-tallest building on an American urban island. Environmentalists have called it one of the "greenest" skyscrapers on Earth.

Almas Tower

This building's Arabic name is a tip-off to the primary business that goes on within. It is built on its own island in an extremely wealthy city.

Emirates Tower One

One of many cloud-kissing structures in this desert city, it's the third-tallest in that region of the world.