Humans LOVE building tall things. Throughout history, we’ve competed to build taller and taller structures. Here are the all-time tallest things ever built by humans!
π₯ Current #1: Burj Khalifa, Dubai (UAE)
π Height: 828 meters
ποΈ Completed: 2010
π₯ Has 163 floors
πΏ Has the world’s highest swimming pool (76th floor)
β° Construction took 5+ years and 12,000 workers
π₯ #2 (and coming soon to be #1): Burj Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
π Planned height: 1,008 meters (1 kilometer!)
ποΈ Currently under construction
When complete, will be the FIRST building over 1 kilometer tall!
π₯ #3: Merdeka 118, Malaysia
π Height: 678 meters
ποΈ Completed: 2023
π Designed in a unique diamond shape
π Other Super-Tall Buildings
π’ Shanghai Tower (China): 632 meters
π’ Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower (Saudi Arabia): 601 meters
π’ Ping An Finance Center (China): 599 meters
π’ Lotte World Tower (South Korea): 555 meters
π’ One World Trade Center (USA): 541 meters
The Tallest Structures (Not Buildings)
π‘ KVLY-TV Tower (USA): 628 meters β TV antenna in North Dakota
π¬οΈ Confederation Bridge (Canada): 12.9 km long bridge
π Akashi KaikyΕ Bridge (Japan): Tallest suspension bridge support β 297 meters!
The Tallest Things In Human History
ποΈ Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt: 146 meters β was the tallest building for 3,800 years!
π° Lincoln Cathedral, England: 160 meters β surpassed Pyramid in 1311 CE
π½ Empire State Building, USA: 381 meters β held 1931-1972
π World Trade Center, USA: 417 meters β destroyed in 2001
βοΈ Burj Khalifa, UAE: 828 meters β current champion since 2010
Why Do People Build Tall?
π Status: Cities want famous landmarks
π° Money: Vertical buildings use less land
π Population: Cities are growing β more apartments needed!
π Engineering challenge: Pushing what’s possible
π― Tourism: The Burj Khalifa attracts millions of visitors per year
How Tall Can We Go?
Engineers think structures could theoretically reach 1.6 km tall β but wind, gravity, elevators (yes, elevators!), and cost become major problems.
Right now, the Burj Khalifa needs over 1 hour to evacuate by stairs if the elevators fail!
Future Towers?
Some architects are dreaming of:
π Mile-high towers (1.6 km)
πΈ Space elevators to reach orbit
π Underwater ‘reverse skyscrapers’
Humans never stop reaching higher! π
