New tall buildings rising in KL and latest skyline images of the city.

Since I’m back to Kuala Lumpur last November and some visits to the city since then, I have noticed some new tall buildings in the city. Some are still under construction but are already visible from far and making an impact to the city’s skyline due to their massive heights. Some have already topped out due to speedy construction and some have been totally completed and opened. So, there must be addition of few more buildings over 200 metres in height in the city of Kuala Lumpur.

But when I check out any latest list of the tallest buildings in the city online from Skyscraper Center, Emporis, Wikipedia, and other sources, there hasn’t been any much difference which is so not right. The list differs in each websites I browsed and I couldn’t really find one that truly reflect the current statistic of the city’s buildings. That is disappointing. Some new buildings are missing in this list and some others on the other list. They should have an accurate and updated database compiling the correct and latest information on this. I also found out some new buildings are listed there but without much essential data present like its height.

Here below are some of the new buildings in the city that are around or over 200 metres in height and should be apparent in the list of tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur but are not:

Vortex KL Suites and Residences – Emporis stated it to be 235 metres tall and still under construction. But actually this 58-storey tower has been completed. Skyscrapercity put it at 260 metres high but I don’t think that is correct by looking at its picture.

Ritz-Carlton Residences KL – Also called as Berjaya Central Park, it is 48 floors high but there is no height data for this building at all.

Le Nouvel Residences – the taller tower is 49-storey high with Emporis stating a height of 199 metres, just 1 metre short of 200 metres mark.

Elite Pavilion – this one is going to be 230 metres tall and has 50 floors when completed. Its construction pace is noticeably fast and it is going to be topped out this year.

Platinum Suites Tower – Skyscrapercity put this tower at 51 floors high but Emporis states 57 floors and 231 metres tall. I don’t think Emporis’ data on this one is right. I knew its top floor swimming pool level is on 51st floor which is also the tallest swimming pool in the city. It also claims to be the tallest condominium in the city, a title previously hold by The Troika Tower 3 at 204 metres.

From left to right for first picture and from right to left for second picture – Sentral Residences Tower 1 & 2, St. Regis Hotel & Residences and Q Sentral. These new buildings in KL Sentral Development reach around 200 metres in height respectively and has already been completed except for the Sentral Residences Tower 1 & 2 that are still under construction but have already topped out. However, almost none of these buildings are featured in any list out there for the tallest buildings in the city. Emporis stated that Q Sentral is 49 floors and 199 metres high (but no data in Skyscraper Center), both Emporis and Skyscraper Center stated that St. Regis Hotel & Residences is 48 floors and 205 metres high (so I assume that is the correct data), and Skyscraper Center stated that Sentral Residences Tower 1 & 2 to be 52 floors and 200 metres tall each (but no data in Emporis). Weird right?! Conflicting or incomplete data everywhere.

KL Eco City Vogue Suite One – This project is expected to be completed by this year and it has topped out to its final height of 243 metres. Emporis states that it has 60 floors while Skyscraper Center said it has 63 floors. Whatever…! When completed, it is going to be the tallest residential building in the city and the whole Malaysia. This is a bit further away from the city area as it is in Mid Valley region. Now, the 310-metres tall Telekom Tower is not the only skyscraper standing in that Mid Valley region.

Four Seasons Place KL – This one is finally making huge progress after many years of delay in construction. When completed next year, it will be 65 floors high and has a height of 343 metres tall, a much taller companion to the adjacent Petronas Twin Towers (452 metres tall and current world’s tallest twin buildings).

W Hotel & Residences – Emporis states that it has 55 floors and 235 metres tall but Skyscraper Center states that it has 50 floors and is 232 metres tall. Conflicting data again. This skyscraper will be completed this year.

These buildings above are only those buildings in final stage of construction, topped-out or newly completed in KL that is over 200 metres tall respectively. Skyscraper projects that are still in early stage of construction are not included here such as the PNB118 Tower that is going to be the tallest building of the country when completed at 630 metres high. There is still no visible progress of this skyscraper project after so many years. I’m sure it is going to be completed later than the targeted year 2020 deadline.

Some cool latest pictures of Kuala Lumpur city skyline below before I end this post. Click on the images for a larger and more breathtaking sight.

(Images in this post are from Skyscrapercity.com)

One World Trade Center officially opened yesterday as the current world’s third tallest building.

After a lengthy 8 years of construction, the rebuild of the destroyed World Trade Center complex reached another milestone yesterday with the opening of the One World Trade Center building. It is the tallest in the master planning of the area set for rebuild after the 911 tragedy in 2001. Construction started in 2006 for the tower, which was once known as the ‘Freedom Tower’. After topping out in 2012 and spire installed a year later, One World Trade Center is now fully completed and has opened its door to the public yesterday.

Occasionally, I would update construction progress of this tower from time to time in my blog here, just like what I did to other supertall skyscrapers in on-going construction currently like Shanghai Tower, Kingdom Tower, etc. I’m happy that it is now completed, which officially made it to be the third tallest building in the world currently. Skyscraperpage website updated its tallest buildings’ diagrams very quickly. You can view it here: http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=200.

Some technical datas of the tower below:

Height: 541.3 metres (1776 feet) to top of spire. 1776 feet is in reference to the year of United States’ Declaration of Independence.

Height to top of roof: 417 metres. This figure is in reference to the height of the previously destroyed twin towers of the World Trade Center complex.

No. of floors: 94.

Architect: David Childs (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill). Master planning: Daniel Libeskind.

Total floor area: Over 3.5 million square feet.

Here are some few more most recent images of the completed One World Trade Center, standing proudly above the rest in New York City. It is the tallest skyscraper in Western Hemisphere.

 

I am not really amazed by its design. It’s architecture is a bit too simple, and the very long pinnacle on top doesn’t really match to the building in proportion. But I am impressed with its massive height. I also like the clean facade of the building totally covered with glass that enables it to reflect the sky as though it looks invisible or transparent. Still looks good on New York City. The image below is breathtaking.

(Images in this post are from Skyscrapercity forum web page on One World Trade Center topic)

 

Ten tallest buildings in KL (as of 2014).

Kuala Lumpur, besides than its iconic Petronas Twin Towers which still stand today as the world’s tallest twin buildings, the city is also home to plenty of soaring skyscrapers. Currently, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, has 17 buildings above 200 metres high respectively (including topped out or almost completed buildings). That figure does not includes telecommunication tower. Hence, the 421 metres tall KL Tower isn’t counted in. According to The Skyscraper Center from Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Kuala Lumpur is ranked 10th ‘tallest’ city in the world, and 15th in the world by number of buildings exceeding 150 metres height.

The city still has plenty of space, but people loves to build tall buildings anyway. Building skyscrapers is a symbol of strength to a nation’s economy and image to the rest of the world. The last time I wrote about the city’s top ten tallest buildings was on last year, and I’m sure I have to update the list now as it changes every year. That’s a good sign and indication that KL is on course to build tall buildings rapidly, but just not as ambitious as those cities from China or Dubai. The first two in the list never change for many years already, and it’s the Petronas Twin Towers (everybody knew it). But what are the next tallest buildings in the city after the twin towers? Here you go…

1 & 2. Petronas Twin Towers, 452 metres, 88 floors.

3. Telekom Tower, 310 metres, 55 floors.

4. Ilham Baru Tower, 298 metres, 64 floors. (Topped out, will complete next year).

5. Naza Tower 1, 273 metres, 50 floors. (Pending spire installation to reach its full height, will complete next year).

6. Petronas Tower 3, 267 metres, 60 floors.

7. Maybank Tower, 244 metres, 50 floors.

 

8. Vista Tower, 238 metres, 60 floors.

9. Felda Tower, 216 metres, 50 floors.

10. Maxis Tower, 212 metres, 49 floors.

I would like to include seven more (below) that has also surpassed 200 metres in building’s height respectively.

11. AmBank Tower, 210 metres, 50 floors.

12. KKR2 Tower, 210 metres, 37 floors.

13. The Troika Tower 3, 204 metres, 50 floors.

14 & 15. Berjaya Times Square Tower A & B, 203 metres, 48 floors.

16. K Residence, 202 metres, 52 floors.

17. Lot G Office Towers, 200 metres, 42 floors.

In two to three years time, there would be more than 20 buildings with over 200 metres high respectively in the city. Also not to forget the on-going construction of some supertall projects in KL like the KL118 Tower (618 metres, 118 floors) and Four Seasons Place (343 metres, 65 floors). Kuala Lumpur, my home city, has plenty of tall buildings, which made the city a pleasant sight to skyscrapers’ lovers like me.

More statistics regarding the city in terms of skyscrapers can be found here: http://skyscrapercenter.com/city/kuala-lumpur.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

 

Shanghai Tower reached full height in its construction and is now the world’s second tallest building.

To all skyscrapers’ fans, this is a great news. After nearly six years of construction, the Shanghai Tower has finally topped out officially when it reached its full height on its construction early this month. It has topped out a year ago, but only reached its final height when the last part of the roof is secured in place. And its final height now stands at 632 metres (2 073 feet).

If you are still unsure of how high that is, then imagine it’s double the height of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. Only behind Burj Khalifa (828 metres), Shanghai Tower is now the world’s second tallest building. It is also China’s tallest building, and is one of the three buildings in the world (not including TV towers) that stood above 600 metres mark. Looking up to the top of the building may break your neck.

So, what isn’t better than showing here some most recent images of the tower.

 

Spectacular building in a spectacular city. Shanghai Tower’s impressive height made it stood out easily above the rest of the many buildings in Shanghai that are already tall including its neighbours, the Shanghai World Financial Center (492m) and Jin Mao Tower (421m). I’m not only amazed by its height, but also by its free-flowing undulating design as the building’s form rises from the ground to the top. Clean, neat and fluid facade.

Here’s some interesting data regarding Shanghai Tower:

Height, architectural: 632 metres.

Height, to top of roof / tip: 632 metres.

Height, to highest occupied floor: 561 metres. 

Floors above ground: 128.

Floors below ground: 5.

No. of elevators: 106.

Tower’s General Floor Area: 420 000 metre square.

Building function: Hotel, office.

Energy Label: LEED Gold.

Architect: Gensler (Marshall Strabala as Chief Architect)

More data here: http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/shanghai/shanghai-tower/.

Also not to forget that I like how this building addresses multiple ‘green’ / sustainability issues on its design (hence certified as LEED Gold) which should be seen as an example by others. Set to be completed and opened next year, I’m looking forward to visit this building soon. Going up to its observatory which will be the world’s tallest observatory (even taller than the one in Burj Khalifa that is only at about 400m level) would be certainly an overwhelming experience especially the opportunity to view the city’s skyline from this crazy height.

Shanghai Tower is going to be epic when the lighting is on soon. Looking from this angle (image above), the city can still cater for more supertall skyscrapers in near future since its economy is rapidly booming and the escalating interest on building big and tall in China.

(Images in this post are from skyscrapercity.com)

Kuala Lumpur’s Top 10 Tallest Buildings in 2013

It is usual for me to update the list of world’s top 10 tallest buildings for like once in a year. However, I find myself not doing that to another list that I believed I have created quite a long time; top 10 tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur. KL, my home city, is the capital of Malaysia and is the home to world’s tallest twin buildings and other astonishing skyscrapers or highrises. The city which is not too dense allow ‘breathing’ or free spaces for greeneries and also gives opportunity for buildings to rise and soar to the sky prominently.

According to Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Kuala Lumpur is ranked no.10 in the list of world’s tallest urban agglomeration. KL is also ranked no.8 in the famous Diserio’s ranking in the list of world’s best skylines, defeating many other much famous or bigger cities around the world. Besides than that, the city had also achieved quite an impressive ranking in many other similar lists related to tall buildings available in the respective city. So, I’m a bit proud of my own city, eventhough there is still a lot of improvement needed for KL to become truly one of the top. (Click on images below for larger and much stunning view)

In recent years, there are quite a number of prominent developments in the city, with some projected to go beyond 200 metres in height when built which would be a great addition to the magnificent skyline of KL. Hence, I believe I should post up the latest list of top ten tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur in year 2013. The previous list I have previously produced back several years ago should be ignored already. Here it is, the latest list in order: (Before scrolling down, if you are a Malaysian, try to guess which buildings in KL made it to the list as one of the tallest in the city. And check how many you have guess correctly).

1. Petronas Tower 1 – 452 metres. 88 floors. Completed in 1998. Former world’s tallest building to architectural top, and still the current world’s tallest twin buildings together with Petronas Tower 2.

2. Petronas Tower 2 – 452 metres. 88 floors. Completed in 1998. Former world’s tallest building to architectural top, and still the current world’s tallest twin buildings together with Petronas Tower 1.

3. Menara Telekom – 310 metres. 55 floors. Completed in 2001. It was the world’s tallest building constructed in year 2001.

4. Carigali Headquarters Tower – 267 metres. 58 floors. Completed in 2011. Also known as Petronas Tower 3.

5. Menara Maybank – 244 metres. 50 floors. Completed in 1988. It was once the country’s tallest building before the construction of Petronas Twin Towers.

6. Vista Tower – 238 metres. 62 floors. Completed in 1994. Formerly known as Empire Tower.

7. Menara Felda – 216 metres. 50 floors. Completed in 2012.

8. Menara Maxis – 212 metres. 49 floors. Completed in 1998.

9. Menara Am Bank – 210 metres. 50 floors. Completed in 1998.

10. The Troika Tower 3 – 204 metres. 50 floors. Completed in 2010. Current tallest residential building in KL and in Malaysia too.

There are four more buildings that reach over 200 metres in height respectively too that I wish to mention here as an extension to the list. That means now KL had 14 buildings beyond 200 metres in height. Quite impressive, eventhough this doesn’t match to the record of bigger cities like Hong Kong, New York, Shanghai and Dubai.

11. Berjaya Times Square Tower 1 – 203 metres. 48 floors. Completed in 2003.

12. Berjaya Times Square Tower 2 – 203 metres. 48 floors. Completed in 2003.

13. K Residence – 202 metres. 50 floors. Completed in 2008. It was once the tallest residential building in KL before being overtaken by The Troika Tower 3.

14. Lot G Office Tower A – 200 metres. 37 floors. Completed in 2013.

By end of this year, there would be another building joining the list of top 10, kicking The Troika Tower 3 out of the ranking. The building is KKR2 Tower which is projected to be completed by end of this year. The building under construction now is at its final stage and has topped out to its final height of 210 metres. Once built, it would be in the top 10 list, putting the number of buildings in Kuala Lumpur that reach over 200 metres in height to 15 in total.

Also not to miss out is the KL Tower. It is one of the tallest towers (telecommunication and observation) in the world with a height of 421 metres. Currently, it is seventh tallest tower in the world. Together with Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower has been a very prominent landmark in the city.

And that is going to further increase tremendously in the second half of the current decade when Malaysia is getting nearer to Vision 2020 as there are currently many constructions and proposal of future projects underway in the city. Great! Looking forward to see more of not only mere tall buildings, but also fantastically-looking skyscrapers in the city.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

World’s top 10 tallest completed buildings (as of January 2012)

I remembered I have compiled this list before, but that was way back years ago, and I think now it’s appropriate to update the list, since it’s already another new year now. Many new skyscrapers have been built, and some of them made it to the top ten list. Three to four years ago, we have less than 10 buildings in the world that reached over 400 metres height, but now it appears that a total of 15 buildings topped over that figure. Now, without wasting any more time, let’s see the world top ten tallest buildings in order:

10. Kingkey 100

Height: 442 metres, Floors: 100, Location: Shenzhen, China.

9. Willis Tower

Height: 442 metres (527 metre to top of antenna), Floors: 108, Location: Chicago, USA.

8. Nanjing Greenland Financial Center

Height: 450 metres, Floors: 89, Location: Nanjing, China.

7 and 6. Petronas Twin Tower (Tower 1 and 2)

Height: 452 metres, Floors: 88, Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

5. International Commerce Center 

Height: 484 metres, Floors: 108, Location: Hong Kong, China.

4. Shanghai World Financial Center

Height: 492 metres, Floors: 101, Location: Shanghai, China.

3. Taipei 101

Height: 508 metres, Floors: 101, Location: Taipei, Taiwan.

2. Abraj al Bait (Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower)

Height: 601 metres, Floors: 120, Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

1. Burj Khalifa

Height: 828 metres, Floors: 163, Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Also the world’s tallest man-made structure)

Just for an addtional information, the other completed buildings that have reached over 400 metres in height are :

11. Guangzhou International Finance Center (Height: 440 metres, Location: Guangzhou, China)

12. Trump International Hotel and Tower (Height: 423 metres, Location: Chicago, USA)

13. Jin Mao Tower (Height: 421 metres, Location: Shanghai, China)

14. Two International Finance Centre (Height: 415 metres, Location: Hong Kong, China)

15. Al Hamra Tower (Height: 413 metres, Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait)

20 Interesting Facts on Supertall Skyscrapers

1. “Skyscraper” originally was a nautical term referring to a small triangular sail set above the skysail on a sailing ship. It is first applied to buildings of steel frame construction in late 19th century where building highrises began.

2. Supertall skyscraper is defined as a functional and habitable building with height over 300 m, as the number of buildings exceeding such height is considered very low around the world. The change to the height from 300 m to a number much higher (like 400 m) to be placed in ‘supertall’ category would be suggested in near future when more and more supertall skyscrapers are being built.

3. Burj Khalifa which is the current world tallest completed building stands at a height of 828m, which is almost double of the minimum height for a specific building to be placed into top 10 world tallest buildings’ list. (current 10th place goes to Trump International Hotel and Tower at a height of 423m)

4. Despite Burj Khalifa is the tallest building, Shanghai World Financial Center still hold the record of world tallest observation deck at a height of over 470m at 100th floor. Burj Khalifa just took the title of world tallest OUTDOOR observation deck at a height of 452m at 124th floor.

5. Petronas Twin Towers at the height of 452m are still the current world tallest twin buildings despite losing the title of world’s tallest building over 8 years ago to Taipei 101.

6. Taipei 101 stands at a height of 508m, is the first building in the world to reach over 500m, half a kilometre mark, which also becomes the world tallest building from 2003 till 2009, being overtaken by Burj Khalifa.

7. Ten years ago, there are only 4 buildings in the world that measure over 400m. Currently, including the topped out buildings, there is a total of 12 buildings exceeding that height. So, probably ten years later, the number could easily be over 30.

8. Empire State Building took only 410 days (less than 14 months) to build, back over 80 years ago, in 1930s as the world tallest building at a height of 381m. That is the fastest record of construction for a building with such a height and in that particular time when technology and height are the major resistances.

9. Ten years ago, there are only 26 skyscrapers known to be supertall (exceeding 300m). Now, the number is even more than double; 54 with mainly new buildings coming up from Asia (China and Dubai particularly). ‘Rise of the East’.

10. There are only 4 cities in the world with more than 5 buildings exceeding 300m (supertall skyscrapers). The cities are Dubai, Hong Kong, Chicago and New York City.

11. Dubai, United Arab Emirates is currently the city with the most supertall skyscrapers with minimum of 10 buildings in the category. The record would be remained for a long time due to rapid construction activities in Dubai.

12. The first building in history that exceeds 300m (to be called as supertall skyscraper) is Chrysler Building which stands at a height of 319m and is built in 1930, over 80 years ago.

13. The current world tallest concrete building is Trump International Hotel and Tower at Chicago which stands at a height of 423m including its spire, defeating the previous title holder, CITIC Plaza at Guangzhou which is only at 391m.

14. There are currently less than 10 completed buildings around the world with over 100 floors. (To be exact, only 9).

15. The official list in measuring building’s height is based on the measurement to the highest architectural detail that includes spire but not antenna. This is why Petronas Twin Towers obtained the title of world tallest buildings from Sears Tower (now renamed Willis Tower) back in 1997. Willis Tower at that time is still the tallest to top of roof, tallest to top of antenna, and tallest to highest occupied floor.

16. Burj Khalifa does not only hold the record of world tallest building, but also several many others especially the world tallest man made structure.

17. The Western world had hold the record of world tallest building for over a century (since the introduction of steel frame construction that enable highrises), until it is being taken by Asia beginning 1998, and until 2009 by Middle East.

18. The Shard is currently an under-construction building which will be the tallest in European Union with a height of only 310m, the first one in the region to be called as ‘supertall skyscraper’.

19. There are a total of 7 all-hotel buildings which exceed 300m, of which the top 6 tallest are all in Dubai, with the last one at a height of 304m, located at Bangkok, Thailand called as Baiyoke Tower 2.

20. The first building in history that has over 100 floors is Empire State Building, which has a total of 102 floors, built in 1931.

(All the information above may and will vary/change as time progresses…but as of July 2011, the data is correct).