No other structure has had a more transformative impact on our cities than the skyscraper.
From their birth in the United States in the 1880s to their domination across Asia in the
2000s, our shift to a more urbanised society has seen these structures rise on every continent.
But while our cities used to gradually evolve, the rate at which we now build skyscrapers
is transforming skylines before our eyes.
Travelling to each of the six inhabited continents, we’ve looked at the cities which will undergo
the greatest skyline transformations over the next five years.
With so much currently uncertain, we’ve assessed each city based on the number of
projects it currently has under construction - as well as future projects that form part
of economic recovery plans with a high chance of becoming reality.
Though New York City currently has more skyscrapers under construction than Toronto, the Big Apple’s
already crowded skyline makes any overall change harder to notice.
While Canada’s largest city already boasts an impressive skyline with 67 skyscrapers
- and the iconic CN Tower - Toronto is in the midst of a skyscraper boom with 30 new
schemes under construction.
With a recent report claiming that Toronto has overtaken Chicago to become the fourth-largest
city on the continent, it’s not surprising that residential towers make up a large proportion
of these new developments.
At 306-metres, “The One” is arguably the most notable - and is on track to become the
tallest building in the country when it competes in 2022.
With the Canadian economy already bouncing back and with Toronto weathering the pandemic
better than other North American cities of similar size, the city’s skyscraper boom
looks set to continue well into the 2020s.
With more skyscrapers under construction than the rest of Australia combined, no other city
in the region is set to transform more dramatically over the coming years than Melbourne.
Currently in the midst of a decade-long construction boom, the skyline has already changed considerably
and is set to continue evolving up to 2025
- as the 23 skyscrapers currently under construction reach completion.
Despite the city recently returning to lockdown, the Victorian government’s fast-tracked
approvals process has seen a slate of new towers approved to help kickstart the economy.
Having secured the green light in April 2020, developers behind the 354-metre Green Spine
have renewed confidence in the local market, announcing plans to start construction in
2021 and for the twisting supertall to dominate the skyline by 2025.
With 80 skyscrapers currently progressing on site - more than any other city at any
time in history - Shenzhen has pulled ahead of Dubai and is about to dramatically transform.
Despite the city’s tallest building - the Ping An Finance Center - completing in 2017,
Shenzhen still has 11 supertall towers under construction - that’s more than in the entirety
of the United States.
But while the next five years will be a period of great change for the city, a recent notice
from the Chinese government significantly restricted the construction of tall buildings
- and when this current crop of projects completes, the skyline of Shenzhen, like all Chinese
cities, is likely to remain unchanged for decades to come.
Despite Europe’s historic reluctance to build tall buildings, the 21st-century has
seen more cities embrace the skyscraper.
While London has typically consisted of two major financial cores and an assortment of
isolated towers, recent developments focusing on residential projects have seen several
“mini-skylines” pop up across the British capital.
With a further 17 buildings over 150 metres already under construction and a host of smaller
high-rise projects set to line the Thames in the coming years, London will look quick
different by 2025.
Though there are no buildings taller than 150 metres currently under construction in
Lagos, Africa’s largest city will still undergo the greatest skyline transformation
on the continent in the next five years.
With the 25-square-kilometre Eko Atlantic now more than half complete, work has begun
on the first batch of buildings on the newly reclaimed land.
Set to contain 10 districts for commercial, residential and entertainment purposes the
coming years will see Lagos take on a completely new feel as it transforms into Africa’s
commercial gateway.
While the resort city of Balneário Camboriú currently has more skyscrapers underway
than the Brazilian city of Goiania - like with New York, it’s hard for these new projects
to make much impact on an already crowded skyline.
Despite a population of more than 2.4 million people, Goiania has just two skyscrapers - and
only broke away from the mid-rise buildings typical of many Brazilian cities in 2018.
Goiania is now going vertical and with five more skyscrapers under construction, the city’s
skyline will be transformed in the years ahead.
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