14 DAY TRIAL // Over the course of history, man always tried to erect buildings that stood higher above the ground, requiring a great skill in constructing them, as well as offering a sense of personal satisfaction to all those who worked on the project. From the Great Pyramids of Egypt to the ancient palaces of kings and the modern skyscrapers, buildings evolved until they came to be what they are nowadays. Here are the five tallest structures in the world today.
The fifth place is occupied by the Taipei 101 tower in Taipei, Taiwan, the landmark skyscraper of the area. Its construction took only 6 years to complete, but the new structure, featuring 101 floors above the ground and 5 below it, now dominates the capital of the Republic of China. It has been hailed by critics as one of the most impressive feats of engineering in the world, a trait it shares with most buildings in this list. Currently, its height is at 509.2 meters (1,670.60 feet), from ground to spiral.
The Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois, is the proud occupant of the fourth place on the list of the tallest buildings in the world, with a height of 527 meters (1,730 feet) from the sidewalk to the end of the antenna.
It's currently the third largest building in the Americas, and also one of the three structures to exceed the 500-meter mark. It boasts 108 floors from the street, even though its owners say it has 110, because they also count the roof and the mechanical penthouse as usable spaces.
The second-tallest structure in the Americas, exceeding the Sears Tower by just a few feet, is the Toronto's CN Tower, in Ontario, Canada. Built for communications and observation purposes, the 553.33 meter (1,815.4 foot)-tall structure exceeds its American opponent by 26 meters in height, and is therefore considered to be the second largest structure on the two continents.
Although it lost the world record as the highest freestanding structure, the edifice remains as symbol of the Canadians, in much the same manner that Americans praise the Empire State Building.
The second place on the list is occupied by the KVLY-TV mast, operated by the Fargo station KVLY channel 11, in Blanchard, Traill County, North Dakota, United States. It is the largest man-made structure in the two Americas, ending at a height of precisely 628.8 meters (2,063 feet) above the ground. Its construction took only 30 days to complete, and only an estimated $500,000 were spent on the mast. It was exceeded in height by the Warszawa radio mast in 1974, but regained its position after the East European counterpart collapsed in 1991.
It should come as no surprise that the tallest building in the world, even before completion, is the Burj Dubai tower, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. Though it's estimated to be finished in autumn 2009, it already holds more world records than any other building, including that for the tallest structure – 818 meters (2,684 feet), tallest freestanding structure, and building with most floors (160, as opposed to the 110 in the Sears Tower).
It is truly the most remarkable building to be constructed on the face of the Earth, and stands testament of the fact that humans are indeed the dominant race on our planet. The $4.1 billion project was the most ambitious ever devised, and also had to face the harshest difficulties. Somehow, engineers managed to make it work, and can now enjoy the final moments of construction on this magnificent building.
