The Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the Era of the Megatall ‘The projected world’s tallest 20 skyscrapers in the year 2020 Download POF Press Release Viewipurchase the Tallest 20 in 2020 poster Chicago, December 8 Within this decade we wil kel witness not only the world’s first kilometer tal building, but also the completion ofa significant number of bulidings aver 600 motors (around 2,009 food - that’s twice the hoight ofthe Eifel Tower. Two years ago, prior to tho compotion of tho Burj ‘Khalifa this building type did not exist And yet, by 2020, wo can expect at east eight such buildings to exist Intemational. The term “supertal” (which refers toa building over 300 meters) s thus no longer adequate to describe those buildings: we are entering tho era of the “megatal.” This torm is now offcially being used by the Counc to describe buildings over 600 metors in height, or double the height of 8 supertall (see Figure 1). Figure +. Diagram ofthe predicted World's 20 Tal sar 2020 as of Dee 2011 © CTBUH View Larger ‘As we started the 2st century, just 11 short years ago, the Petronas Towers held the tile of The World's Tallest’ at 452 meters (1,483 feet) in height. Taipei 101 took the tte in 2004, at 508 meters (1,667 feet), Then, atthe end of the decade, the Bur] Knalifa set new standards at £828 meters (2,717 feet) - over half a mile high, Now, with work setto start on-site in January 2012 for Jeddah’s 1,000+ meter Kingdom ‘Tower (see Figure 2), we can expect hat in a mere two decades (2000-2020) the height ofthe "World's Tallest Bullding” wil have more ‘than doubledBerevs View tems Figure 2: The work's fallestis tte change Figure : The use ofthe “Tallest 20 in 202 [nZ0¥0 wih ta compton fe Kingdom Tow Perausview sage \Whatis porhaps the mostintoresing aspect of the study is that tho provious world’s tallost mentioned above now barely make thelist a al Injusttwo decades Petronas wil have gone from tse 27H tallestin te world, and Taipei 701 just scrapes ino the study in 18th place, \Wiien we take into account that new projects notincluded inthis study will surely be announced and bul throughout the next decade, one an predict that withthe exception of te Buy Khalifa and Makkah Royal Clock Tower, all of he tallest 20 buildings inthe year 2020 are not yetbuilt (hough @ number are already under construction, see Figure 3). The tremendous change thatthe tall building industry has sgen in two decades is clearly shown by a juxtaposiion of hee skylines: he tallest 20 buildings n the year 2000, 2010, and 2020 (see Figure 6). 2000 2010 2020 Aveage 157 (72308) Avge 39m (440 F) Asrage 88m (79528) Figure 6: A study ofthe tallest 20 buldings per decade, © CTEUH Iti also useful to understand the tallost 20 in 2020 in the context of global tall building tends. The average height ofthese twenty buildings is prediciod to be 598 motors (7,962 feet). Yet, as we stand at the end of 2011, thore are actully only 61 bulldings currently in existence ‘over 300 meters (he threshold for “superall”, Untl recently, infact. the completion ofa supertall was rather a rare occurrence, with only 15 ‘uperalls completing in the 85 years between the world’s frst such building (New York's Chrysler Bullding, 1930) and 1895. li was only in the mid 19908 that it became common for more than one superal to be added tothe iss annually, with 1995 being the last year when no. superalls were completed. Now, less than wo decades later, the number of supertlls completed annually has entered double digits, ana is setto continue to rise. Meanwhile, the number of megatalls set complete in tre upcoming decade is similar to the number of supertalls Completed in the 808 (see Figure 7).In terms of height. therefore, 600 m seems to be the new 300 mNumber of buildings complered each year KieprctemakGioe | Riminoteagrai mone) Frecid mater olson) ejectdmmbe omega ice) Figure 1: Supetland megatal! bulding competion showing significant project increase, ©CTSUH Role cretcan azure pode the nua’ of supertal snpletion fhaugh 2073, Me fguos fr lowing yrs are Cetmates based on aren ding fends and consininon acta Not only inereasing in height the “Tallest 20 in 2020" also demonstrate a diversity n project lation not previously seen in the worle’s tallest20, The projects are scalared across 15 cies in 7 counties. China, with 10 ofthe 20 projects, clealy stands out as the country most rapidly pursuing te superall fellowed by Korea (3), Sauai Arabia (2), and the UAE (2). Iwe analyze via a larger geographic region, however, the picture becomes even more pronounced. Asia (natincluding the Middle East) accounts for 70% of the buildings (14). The Middle East counts for 25% (5). The only other region to be represented in the study is Nort America, where New York's One World Trade Center isthe only lowerin the western hemisphere to make the study. ifwe consider the Middle East as part of continental Asia, then Asia contains 19 of the 20 projects, certainly adding impetus lo te upcoming CTBUH Sth World Congress which wil take place in Shanghai in ‘September 2012 on the theme of ‘Asia Ascending: Age of tne Sustainable Skyscraper City.” With over 13 blion citzens and a rapidly urbanizing population, China is perhaps the county withthe most obvious reason ‘or building tal The ton Chinese projects show great diversity in locaton, spread across seven cties: Shenznen (2), Shanghai (2), Tianjin (2), Wuhan (1), Guangzhou (1), Dalian (1), and Taipel (1). The tallest of these, Snenzhan's Ping An Finance Center (see Figure 8), is now under construction and scheduled to complete in 2015. Onca compete, the project will provide over 300,000 m2 of ice space and become the county's tallestbuiiding and the worte's tallest offco building. Also in China, the 632-moter (2,073 feel) mixed-use Shanghai Tower (s Figure 9) will complete a suportall cluster in the cily's Pudong area, asitsits alongside the Shanghai World Financal Center and the Jin ‘Mao Building. The Shanghai Tower's unique dual-skin design pcovides atium space containing “gardens inthe sky" betwaon the skins ‘every 12 18 stories, The project began constnicton in 2009 and is scheduled to complete in 2014 {allest building 9 Komn Pedoron Pox korea, @ county witha population about 1/25th that of China but twice as dense by area, contains a somewhat surprising three of tre 20 projects, two of which are located in Seoul. There are many reasons for his dramatic increase in supertall constucton in Korea, a county hathas never had a single bullaing within the word's tallest 20 and is now on the verge of having several. Perhaps the foremost reason is @ general ‘eeling that Korean cites lack tre “conic” or landmark’ buildings ‘hat many world-lass chies contain. Seoul's alos planned bulging isthe 640-meter (2,101 feet) Seoul Light DMC Tower (see Figure 10), located at ie western edge of the city ‘overlooking the Han River. The tower will implement pawer generation strategies to reduce the building's energy usage by around 65%. Seoul s also home fo the naw-under-constucton Lotte World Tower, a 555:meter (1,819 feel) supertall schedule to complete in 2015. Besides these twa significant buldings, the ciy has two adaitonal projects inthe works which have not yet received planning permission, and thus not included inthe 2020 study (the 620-meter Triple One and the 540-meter Hyundai Global Business Center). This, means tat Seoul could potenialy contain as many as four of he tallest 20 builsings n 2020. Where can we expect the next nuclous of tal bullding constuction glabaly? The Signature Tower Jakarta (see Figure 11) perhaps predicts the answer to this question. Indonesia's current tallest building is Wisma 46, completed in 1996 ata height of 262 meters— less than halfthe height ofthe proposed Signature Tower, Much of South and Southeast Asia i fat, including Indonesia, India, ana Vietnamseem ready to become one ofthe next centers of skyscraper construction. Together, the three countries listed above represent nearly @ {uarter afte world's population ar yet contain no supertall buildings and a total of only our buildings over 250 meters. Signature ‘Tower's therefore seen to herald the coming of the supertall o these counties. Excavation forthe projects set to begin during te fst ‘quarter of 2012. Another signifcant project inthis area, Mumba's planned 700-meter India Tower, was not included inthis study as Construction has stopped, and fnal completion is therefore not predictable. However, the presence of hese two possible megatall projects point to te cramatc potential of his area fore ciy’s skyline © SOM vad Peat Satacod Raynot Stonan Sta 7 Five of he Tallest 20 in 2020 projects are located in three counties in the Middle East the United Avab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. These projec include the current word's tallest (Buy Khalifa), the uture world s tallest (kingdom Tower), and what is soon to become the warla's second tallest (Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel. gee Figure 12) Quite abviousy, a motivating factor in all of these projects has been fo push the boundaries of technology and accomplish feats never before imagined. The Bur} Khalifa exemplifis this fact The next decade of supertall bulding constuction will, n ane sense lin te gaps between the record-breaking Bur, Khalifa and Taipei 101, the words tallest bulding unbl January 4, 2010. Thus, 15 ofthe Tallest 20 In 2020 ftinto this 320-meter gap, with only he Kingdom Tower exceeding the height ofthe Sur Khalifa, figure 12 The neat compet Manian Rey Gosh Tower Hol wl be words second mega Having discussed four regionsicountes in the eastem hemisphere where 19 ofthe projects are located, we turn tothe opposite side of ‘he word for he remaining project. One World Trade Centar Tower (see Figure 13), in New York, is setto become the tallest bulging in ‘he westem hemispnere in 2013. In te 2020 study, the project comes in as the world's 12th tallest bulging. The building's final height of 41,776 feet (541 meters) points tothe United State's declaration ofindependence, and birt as @ country. Located near the site ofthe old WTC buildings, the designers faced tremendous challenges in terms of space constraints, secunty concerns, as well as milions of concerned citzens. In the case of One World Trade Center, there were song economic mobvtions to build tal, to provide valued offce space in one of he economic centers ofthe world, as well as sttong emotional motivation lo overcome the vagic events of 9/11© Siuamore, Ownge& Mont aor std The Tallest 20 in 2020 study ultimately underlines @ now well-known fact: the ekyseraper is here to stay. Shorty aftr 911, many predicted the death of tho tll bulding, butas the study shows, skyScrapors aro increasing in number, height, and diversity. Tho over- increasing and rapidly urbanizing global population wll continue to drive cies highor. Not ong ago, bullding height was primarily restricted by stuctura imitations. Inthe late 1800s, Chicago's Monadnock Building ‘demonstrated the maximum height achievable with a masonry structure whl sill providing an economically feasiole space effciency. Over the 18h century, many advances in the Felds of structure, constuction, ane tansporabon (fo name buta few) allowed fora steady inerease in building height. Now, the Femendous heights being achieved globally demonsirate that many ofthe physical constraints that ‘once restricted height nave been broken. The question for humanity is tus no longer "haw high can we build?” but ‘how high should we build?" Witn every increase in height, there are energy implications in the constucbon, maintenance, and occupaton of building ‘Additionally, with adea height comes loss space ofiiency, as sirucural members and service cores increase fo service the incraased height of the bulaing Atwhat pointare the significant benefits of creased densiy provided by building tll overlaken by the energy repercussions of height? This elusive figura is most certainly affected by the technolagies of te day. Halla cantuty ago, a megatall would have been considered possible only within a dream, is now a reali. ls tnol possible that we could soon see the emergence ofa zero-energy magatall? Just ‘as We pushed the structural boundaries of haight, we must new continue to push te boundaries of environmental engineering in order to prograss the tall typology. For, as skyscrapers continue fo multply, ther effet on our cites — visually, urbanisiealy, ana ‘nviconmentally ~continuas to increase exponentially. Ballas incites nis study are ether but under consniton or conser eal proposal, Project thathave commeneadeansinicion, bt wih won Spoctiss wth somerhp ntrests win the viding sevelran lonm a fll potesnonal sean foam propesting fv design boyond tne conceptal age ‘mat plemning consenvega pemisson fy consbuaton (olen ho proces of aoianing such permsslen) aha onsrscton and conphtie.Furtamar this esearch ony conser promt tal aw whine p ‘Sepectue slontcons:tant weome Because othe mtseested nusan erena, a numero promnent projec ner netinuded inthe ety, Nag na 2 Forihe puroae of tm say Taipei nas een conser 9 Conary 4 bata aso ee one of CTE bulking sats det, lick here The Tallest 20 in 2020 profiled: (ck onthe inks below for poet fomation snd mages) us ets 4 Seoul Light ONC Towershad 13: The CTF Guangenou ‘4 Tanya CTE shai Co i] 18: alsa Fong Long Gontershonzhen 20: Shanghal Wor Francia Contor pol News Shanghai/Travel info Committee