Skyscrapers are impressive engineering feats that are often the most visible buildings
in a city by virtue of their height.
From Chicago and New York – where they first appeared in the late nineteenth century – skyscrapers
have spread across the world, often going hand-in-hand with rapid development and growth in areas where
land is at a premium.
But while some cities have built the occasional tower, others have truly embraced building
tall. Here, we countdown the five cities with the most skyscrapers.
There are two heights commonly used to define the skyscrapers – 100 metres (or 328 feet)
and 150 metres (or 492 feet).
Given that the height of skyscrapers is continuing to rise, we have chosen the higher of the
two definitions to shape our list.
We kick off with the first of two cities in China, and a total of four in Asia, to have
made our list.
Like many Chinese cities, Shanghai has seen rapid development over the last 30 years.
Although the first tower over 150 metres – the Jin Jiang Hotel – was not built until 1988,
the city is now home to an incredible 141 skyscrapers.
This mass of high rises includes the Shanghai Tower, which at 632 metres is the second tallest
building in the world. With 11 further skyscrapers currently under construction expect to see
Shanghai continuing to climb this list.
With 145 skyscrapers, Tokyo just edges Shanghai and becomes the second Asian city to make
our countdown.
Another late starter, Japan’s Building Standard Law restricted the height of buildings to
a maximum of 31 meters (or 102 feet) until 1963. Shortly after this law was dismissed
in 1968, the first 36-storey modern office skyscraper,
was completed.
The building, the tallest in Asia at the time, ushered in a new wave of high rise construction
and skyscrapers have flourished in the city ever since.
In recent years no city has seen more of a construction boom than Dubai. The incredible
rate of development is clearly demonstrated by the fact the first skyscraper to be built
in the city was completed less than 20 years ago in 1999.
This building, the distinctive Burj Al Arab, paved the way for an unprecedented wave of
skyscraper construction in the emirate.
Since this date, the city has built an average of 10 skyscrapers a year including of course,
the Burj Khalifa, which at 828 metres (or 2,717 feet), is the world’s tallest building.
This spate of development has shot Dubai up our list to third place with a staggering
176 skyscrapers. The city also looks set to improve its ranking in the near future, with
a further 44 towers currently under construction.
Taking second place is the sole North American representative, and the only city outside
of Asia to make our countdown.
With 10 towers to have held the title of “world’s tallest building” at some
point, New York is a city synonymous with the skyscraper.
Since the 187 metre (or 614 foot) Singer Building was completed in 1908, New York remained the
city with the most skyscrapers for around 100 years, before being overtaken in the 2000s.
New York is now home to 257 skyscrapers, the highest of which, is the 541 metre, 1776 foot
One World Trade Centre.
Topping our list, with 60 skyscrapers more than any other city, is Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s unique location – bounded by a harbour and steep mountains – puts
suitable land at a premium and creates a potent environment for the development of skyscrapers.
The building of Jardine House in 1973, the city’s first skyscraper, kicked off a trend
that has continued at pace to this day.
Construction peaked in 2003 when an astonishing 57 skyscrapers were completed in the city
in a single year.
This rapid spate of building in the early 2000s lead to Hong Kong overtaking New York
as the city with the most skyscrapers and today there are an incredible 317 structures
in the city.
To put these numbers in context its worth looking at the position of some other global cities...
…Chicago, home of the first skyscraper, is sixth on the global list with 119 structures...
…Melbourne leads the way in Australasia with 40 skyscrapers but ranks 26th globally…
…and with 17 skyscrapers London comes in 54th on the list.
If you enjoyed this video and would like to get more from the definitive video channel
for construction, subscribe to The B1M.