Click here to see the Second Edition of the CTBUH Tallest 20 in 2020, January 2009.

There can be no denying that we are currently experiencing a boom in tall building construction like never before. Even considering the golden age of the skyscraper in New York in the 1920s and 30s, we are most likely undergoing the greatest development of high-rise buildings ever, certainly from a global perspective. In light of this trend, recent research by the CTBUH has anticipated what the tallest buildings in the world may be in a decade or so – what will be the Tallest 20 in 2020? Strict criteria have influenced the putting together of this list; buildings included in the research are either built, under construction or considered real proposals. A real proposal can be considered such if it has a developer and full professional design team who are currently progressing the design beyond the conceptual stage. Furthermore the research only considers projects that are within the public domain – there may well be other proposed buildings that would make the list, but are for client / project confidentiality reasons not yet publicised.

The most startling feature of the Tallest 20 in 2020 (shown above) is that we can see in little more than a decade, the world’s current tallest building – Taipei 101 – actually stands at 14th, while the Petronas Towers, currently 2nd and 3rd,  will be 20th. Furthermore iconic buildings such as the Sears Tower and Empire StateBuilding, the latter of which has been in the tallest 10 for over 70 years, are nowhere to be seen. In fact, only one building on the list – The Petronas Towers – was completed prior to the collapse of the WorldTrade Center in 2001. The likely prospect of further mega-tall projects developing over the next few years may exaggerate these statistics further.

Geographically and programmatically too this list also provokes interest. Twenty years ago, if you had predicted the next world’s tallest building, it could be confidently assumed that it would be located in North America, be of steel construction and office program. Today almost the exact opposite is true – the world’s tallest proposals are currently located in Asia, are concrete construction and house residential or mixed-use functions. Certainly the Tallest 20 in 2020 reinforces this idea; of the buildings shown, nine will be in Asia, eight in the Middle East, two in North America and one in Europe. In terms of program, only three of the buildings solely accommodate office function, two of which are already complete.

The ambition of the world’s tallest buildings has never been just about commercial return on a plot of land, but also the creation of an architectural icon that is recognisable around the world. Here too, we are experiencing a significant change in focus, with the latest generation of mega-tall buildings designed to promote and represent the vitality of the city they are located in to a global audience. This shift from corporate to city (or even government) ambition is reflected in the very titles of these new tallest proposals. Whereas once we had icons such as the Sears Tower or ChryslerBuilding, we now have the Burj Dubai, Russia Tower and Shanghai World Trade Centre. In fact of the twenty buildings set to be the world’s tallest in 2020, eight are in some way named after the city or country they are located in.

It is not only the tallest 20 buildings that are set to change in the coming years, but also the number of super-tall buildings (those with a height of 300 metres or more) that are undergoing a significant transformation. As of October 2007, there are 35 completed tall buildings in the world that are 300 metres or above in height. At the same time there are over 55 such buildings currently under construction. As with the Tallest 20 in 2020, these new super-tall buildings are predominantly located in Asia and the Middle East, but notably also in newly emerging skyscraper cities such as Moscow, Panama City, Kuwait City, Chongqing and Santiago. In fact, recent research by the CTBUH suggests there will be in advance of 130 of these super-tall buildings completed by 2020; this means in little more than a decade we will have almost quadrupled our stock, and with more and more new proposals developing each month, the likelihood is this figure will continue to grow.  

In the wake of 9/11, many questions were asked of the high-rise typology; is it a viable proposition for our future cities? Should we continue to build tall following the collapse of the WorldTrade CenterTowers?  Judging by the unprecedented levels of tall building activity today, the answer is surely a resounding yes. It seems the vast quantities of research that has – and continues to be – undertaken in a quest to improve tall buildings post 9/11 has reassured Governments, city authorities, financers and developers of the benefits of this typology. Within the next two years, the Burj Dubai is set to be completed at over 800 metres in height, some 300 meters taller than the world’s current tallest, Taipei 101. With new high-rise proposals continually striving for these massive heights, the dizzying realisation of a mile-high tower is perhaps not that far away.

Click here to download the full Tallest 20 in 2020 list.

By Philip Oldfield
Research Coordinator
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
November, 2007