World's tallest structures
There is much debate as to the ranking of the World's tallest structures, chiefly depending on the criteria used for selecting the structures admissible to the list.In particular, there is debate about whether:
- guy-wire-supported structures can be counted
- only habitable height counts
- roof-top antennass can be counted towards height of inhabitable buildings
- observation galleries on antenna towers make them into inhabitable buildings
- structures under construction can be included in the list
- structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included
The tallest currently-standing structure is the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, at 629m (2,063 feet). It is a transmission antenna, consisting of a bare metal structure supported by guy-wires. There was once a taller such mast, a radio mast near Warsaw, Poland at 645m (2,115 feet), but it collapsed in 1991.
The Petronius Platform stands 610m (2,100 feet) tall, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the world. However, as this oil and natural gas platform is partially supported by buoyancy, some critics feel the below-water height should not be accounted for. The CN Tower stands 553.33m (1,815 feet) tall, making it the tallest freestanding structure on land.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has defined four categories in which the "world's tallest building" can be measured:
As of October 17, 2003, Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan leads in the first category with 508m (1,667ft), and in the third category with 448m (1,470ft). The first was formerly held by the Petronas Towers with 452m (1,483 feet). The second category is held by the Sears Tower, with 435m (1,431 feet): when Taipei 101 is occupied in 2004, it will claim this category with an occupied floor at 438 m (1,437 ft). The third category was formerly held by the Sears Tower with 442m (1,445 feet).
The Sears Tower in Chicago also leads in the fourth category with 529m (1736ft), previously held by New York City's World Trade Center until its destruction in 2001; its antenna included, it measured 536m (1,758 feet). The World Trade Center became the world's tallest buildings to be demolished - indeed, it entered the record books twice on September 11, 2001, in that category, replacing the Singer Building, which once stood a block from the WTC site.
The CN Tower is excluded from these categories because it is not a "habitable building", which is defined as a frame structure made with floors and walls throughout.
A Solar tower that has been proposed in Australia would be 1 km (0.62 miles) tall. Engineering feasibility has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of consulting engineers, and construction is a matter of financial viability.
The International Financial Center in Shanghai, China is proposed for completion in 2007.
The World's tallest structures (of any sort)
The World's tallest structures (not supported by guy-ropes)
The World's tallest habitable buildings
The height is measured from the sidewalk level of the main entrance.Proposed Structures
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