CHICAGO — The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced that the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago is the tallest building completed in 2009. The tower, designed by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP and developed by the Trump Organization is now the 7th tallest building in the world, standing at a height of 423 meters/1389 feet, with 98 stories.
“There is much to herald in the new Trump Tower” said Professor Sang Dae Kim, CTBUH Chairman. “It pushes technological boundaries to achieve its great height, making a powerful mark on the Chicago skyline. In doing so, it becomes the tallest building completed in the western hemisphere since the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower was built, also in Chicago, some 35 years ago.”
The other tall buildings completed in 2009 are;
Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago (423m / 1389ft),
Bank of America Tower, New York (365m / 1198ft),
China World Trade Center III, Beijing (330m / 1083ft),
Arraya Center Office Tower, Kuwait City (300m / 984ft),
Aqua, Chicago (262m / 858ft),
Al Fardan Residences, Doha (253m / 830ft),
Shanghai IFC South Tower, Shanghai (250m / 820ft),
RunHua International Building, Wuxi (248m / 814ft),
Hongdu International Plaza, Wuxi (248m / 814ft), and
Xinjiekou Department Store Phase 2, Nanjing (240m / 787ft).
Five buildings that are 200m or taller have opened their doors in Chicago over the past twelve months, whereas no more than three such buildings opened in any other city. Asia however, and in particular China, remains the center of global tall building construction. Over half of all buildings 200m or taller completed in the past twelve months were located in Asia, with 36% being in China alone. This will likely remain the case for the foreseeable future, as the Chinese cities of Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen and Tianjin, amongst others continue to construct some of the tallest buildings in the world.
Despite these successes, tall building construction has not gone unaffected by the global recession as many construction projects around the world are cancelled, delayed or put ‘on-hold’. Compared to 2008, there has been a 28% drop in the total number of buildings 200m or taller completed this year. In 2008, 11 such buildings were completed in the United Arab Emirates, a figure that has fallen to only three in 2009. In addition, there were no buildings from Africa, Australasia, Central America, Europe or South America among the 50 tallest buildings completed in 2009.
Even with these precarious global economic conditions, the CTBUH reports that 2010 promises to be by far the most active in the history of the skyscraper, as the final touches are completed on some of the tallest buildings around the world. Due to a variety of factors, a significant number of buildings which had been expected to complete in 2009 have been delayed, and will now likely open in 2010. The Burj Dubai (now Burj Khalifa) has already been completed as of January 4th, 2010 at 828 meters (2717 ft), and others anticipated in 2010 include Nanjing Greenland Financial Center (450m/1476ft), The Index (Dubai, 328m/1076ft), Wenzhou Trade Center (322m/1056ft), HHHR Tower (Dubai, 317m/1040ft) and Capitol City Moscow Tower (302m/989ft). Standing at 828 meters/2717 feet in height, the Burj Dubai/Khalifa is 61% taller than the world’s previous tallest building—the 509 meter high Taipei 101 in Taiwan.
It is not just height, but the sheer volume of high-rise buildings set to be completed in 2010 that is astonishing. Data produced by the CTBUH suggests that over 100 buildings 200m or taller will be completed worldwide within the next 12 months (as shown on the graph below). This is more than the total number of buildings 200m or taller which are already in existence in New York and Hong Kong combined. From 2012, the CTBUH expects to see a drop in the number of tall buildings completed due to the global recession, until the worldwide economy recovers.
A full graphical list of the Ten Tallest Buildings Completed in 2009, with additional statistics, figures and graphs is available at 2009.ctbuh.org.
As if through serendipity, Thomas Z. Scarangello discovered the allure of engineering early in his life. Not only did the young Brooklyn boy know what he wanted to do, but he found a place where leadership allowed him not only to pursue his passions without any barriers, but also rise to the top.
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