Rising 333 meters high, with 72 stories and 480 suites, the Rose Rotana Tower in Dubai heads the list of the tallest ten buildings completed in 2007. The tower, designed by architects Khatib & Alami and developed by the Bonyan International Investment Group, also becomes the world’s tallest single-use hotel building, taking the title from the Shimao International Plaza in Shanghai. Coming in at second on the list is the New York Times Tower at 319 meters high. The building – the third tallest in New York upon completion – was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and FX Fowle Architects and developed by Forest City Ratner Companies. Third on the list is the China International Center Tower B in Guangzhou, whilst fourth is the Naberezhnaya Tower C in Moscow, which at 268 meters high also becomes Europe’s tallest building. All ten tallest buildings constructed in 2007 are outlined in the diagram on the back cover of this journal.Geographically this list reinforces the current trend of the world’s tallest buildings being completed in the Middle East or Asia; four of the list are located in the Middle East, four in Asia, one in North America, and one in Europe. In terms of program, five of the list are office towers, one accommodates solely hotel function and the remaining four are mixed-use buildings. As always, strict criteria have influenced the putting together of this list; buildings are only eligible if they are topped-out, fully-clad and either ‘open for business’ or at least partially occupied.
The current year, 2008, also promises to be an exciting time in terms of high-rise construction. With the 331 meter high Minsheng Bank Building already completed in Wuhan, and buildings such as the Shanghai World Financial Center (492m, Shanghai), Bank of America Tower (366m, New York), Almas Tower (360m, Dubai), China World Trade Center Tower III (330m, Beijing), One Island East (308m, Hong Kong) and the Burj Dubai Lake Hotel (306m, Dubai) already topped out, this year’s ‘tallest 10’ is set to include at least seven ‘super-tall’ buildings (those with a height of 300 meters or more), a feat that is unprecedented in tall building history. However, it is the year 2009 that is expected to be the pinnacle of the current high-rise construction boom, with the CTBUH predicting the completion of some 20 super-tall towers, led by the phenomenal 800m+ Burj Dubai.
Click here to download the full Tallest 10 Buildings Completed in 2007 list.
source: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
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