Sorrento, Hong Kong

Sorrento is a residential complex on the reclamation in west of Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The complex contains five buildings named Sorrento 1 through to Sorrento 6. In common with many developments in Hong Kong, tower 4 is omitted because the Cantonese number "4" is a homophone for the Cantonese word "death". The tallest tower, Sorrento 1, is 256 metres (841 feet) tall with 75 floors, it is the tallest residential building of Hong Kong, and fifth-tallest residential building in the world. All five buildings of the complex were completed in 2003.Located at Kowloon Station of the MTR, Sorrento comprises five towers with ascending height. Completed in 2003, it was built by the Wharf Estate Development Ltd. and MTR Corporation.All five towers were designed by Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd and follow the same design however reduced in height consecutively with the tallest being Sorrento 1 and the shortest being Sorrento 6. There is a gap between Sorrento 2 and Sorrento 3, where a foot bridge connects the Sorrento residential complex to Kowloon Station and the Elements Mall.There are only two duplexes in the entire complex: Unit 81C and 81D of Sorrento 1.

Rinku Gate Tower Building

The Rinku Gate Tower Building is a 256 metre (840 foot) tall skyscraper located in Rinku Town, Izumisano, Osaka, Japan. The 56 storey building was completed in August 1996 following the design of Nikken Sekkei and Yasui Architects & Engineers.The tower is split into three levels: the first level contains an international conference hall, the second level contains business offices, and the third and slimmer level is the ANA Gate Tower Hotel. The hotel is in a convenient location for travellers, as it anchors the Sky Gate Bridge leading to the Kansai International Airport and is connected to the JR Hanwa Line and Nankai Main Line Rinku Town Station. The 26th floor serves as an observation level which gives views of the ocean, Sky Gate Bridge, and the Ferris wheel of Rinku Town.The building has two underground floors which are used as a 365 space car park.There were a number of proposals for designs to be built on the site; however, the second one was the approved version.The building is the 88th tallest existing building in the world when measured up to the highest architectural point and is the second tallest building in Japan. It shares the same height as the Osaka World Trade Center Building.

U.S. Steel Tower

U.S. Steel Tower is the tallest skyscraper in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the 35th tallest in the United States. Completed in 1970, the tower stretches 64 floors to 841 ft (256 m) and has 2,300,000 square feet (214,000 m²) of leasable space. Its original name was the U.S. Steel Building for many years before it was changed to USX Tower in 1988. The name was finally changed back to the U.S. Steel Tower in January 2002 to reflect U.S. Steel's new corporate identity (USX was the 1990s combined oil/energy/steel conglomerate). Although no longer the owner of the building, U.S. Steel is the largest tenant, occupying more than a half million square feet (46,452 m²) of office space. The building is located at 600 Grant Street, zip code 15219.

Hyperion Tower

The Hyperion Tower, also known as the Mok-dong Hyperion Towers, is a group of three buildings located in Seoul, South Korea, completed in 2003. The tallest building, Tower A, is 69 stories and 256 meters (840 feet) high and is the world's 105th tallest building. The towers are used as residential housing. Below the building is the Hyundai Department store, a chain of high end department stores in South Korea.

Chicago Water Tower

The Chicago Water Tower is a contributing property in the Old Chicago Water Tower District landmark district. It is located at 806 North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. Located adjacent to Loyola University Chicago's downtown campus, the Water Tower serves as the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau Visitor's Welcome Center. Contrary to popular belief the Chicago Water Tower is not the oldest water tower in the world, but is second to the Louisville Water Tower in Louisville, Kentucky.The tower, built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyington from yellowing Joliet limestone, is 154 feet (47 m) tall. Inside was a 138 foot (42 m) high standpipe to hold water. In addition to being used for firefighting, the pressure in the pipe could be regulated to control water surges in the area.The tower gained prominence after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. While some incorrectly believe that the tower was the only building to survive the fire, a few other buildings in the burned district survived along with the tower. But the water tower was the only public building in the burned zone to survive, and is the only one of the surviving structures still standing. In the years since the fire, the tower has become a symbol of old Chicago and of the city's recovery from the fire.Oscar Wilde stated the Water Tower looked like "a castellated monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all over it."In 1918, when Pine Street was widened, the plans were altered in order to give the Water Tower a featured location. The Tower was named an American Water Landmark in 1969.In 2004, the tower was featured in the finale of The Amazing Race 6.

Messeturm

MesseTurm is a skyscraper located in Frankfurt, Germany. Its name translates as "Fair Tower" in German. It is the second tallest building in Germany and the European Union. Messeturm's ground floor area is just 41 x 41 meters (135 x 135 feet). MesseTurm is directly located in the Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds. Design architect was Helmut Jahn.The MesseTurm was the tallest building in Europe from its completion in 1990 until 1997, when it was eclipsed by the Commerzbank Tower also in Frankfurt, then in 2003 by the Triumph-Palace in Moscow. Used as an office building, it is 257 meters (843 feet) tall and has 63 floors.The construction of the building's foundation set a world record for the longest continuous concrete pour. Ninety trucks poured concrete for 78 hours into the 6 meters (20 feet) deep foundation.The pyramid on the very top of the MesseTurm is what makes it most remarkable among other usual skyscrapers. It is 36.3 meters (119.1 ft) high.Its design is similar to the Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia. Frankfurters often call it "The Pencil" due to its shape.The tower uses numerous geometric shapes in its design such as the square footprint which is the main shape used throughout the tower. It then rises to a cylindrical shape which finally completes in a pyramid.It is the only building in Germany with its own postal code (60308). There are 900 parking places in a public parking garage and a direct connection to the subway. The building also appears in the European tileset for the game SimCity 4.

Transamerica Pyramid

The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest and most recognizable skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline .Built on the location of the historic Montgomery Block, it has a structural height of 260 meters (853 feet) and contains 48 floors of retail and office space. Construction began in 1969 and finished in 1972. It is currently ranked as the 98^th tallest building in the world. Transamerica moved their headquarters to the new building from across the street, where they used to be based in another pyramid-shaped building now occupied by the Church of Scientology of San Francisco.Its unique shape is the result of the desire by Transamerica to have a building whose top would be looked up to by the executives on the highest floor of the 555 California Street, which is not only tall but also sits upon a substantially higher elevation. The land use and zoning restrictions for the parcel limited the number of square feet of office that could be built upon the lot, which sits at the northern boundary of the financial district. The pyramid is an innovative solution to this design challenge, and when viewed from the East Bay forms a prominent and unique skyline projection, forming an important element of San Francisco's "signature skyline". Although it no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, it is still strongly associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. The building is evocative of San Francisco and has become one of the many symbols of the city. Designed by architect William Pereira, it faced considerable opposition during its planning and construction, and was sometimes referred to by detractors in derogatory slang.In 1999, Transamerica was acquired by Dutch insurance company AEGON. When the non-insurance operations of Transamerica were later sold to GE Capital, AEGON retained the building as an investment.The building is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two "wings" on opposite sides of the building. The wing to the east of the building contains an elevator shaft, while the wing to the west contains a stairwell and a smoke tower. The top 64.6 meters (212 feet) of the building is the spire. There are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions at the top of this spire forming a virtual observation deck. Four monitors in the lobby, whose direction and zoom can be controlled by visitors, display the cameras' views 24 hours a day. An observation deck on the 27th floor was closed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and replaced by the virtual observation deck. The top of the Transamerica Pyramid is covered with aluminum panels. During the holiday season, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July, a bright, white light is lit on top of the pyramid.The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi from 1972-1974 (surpassing the nearby 555 California Street), at which point it was surpassed by the Aon Center in Los Angeles, which was designed by Pereira's former business partner Charles Luckman.The building is considered to have been the intended target of a foiled terrorist attack, involving the hijacking of airplanes as part of Oplan Bojinka, which was foiled in 1995.

Chase Tower (Amarillo)

Chase Tower is a 374-foot, 31-story building located in Amarillo, Texas, United States. Formerly known as SPS Tower and Bank One Center, it is the tallest building in Amarillo and the West Texas region. The building used to be the home of the Amarillo branch of American National Bank. The building also housed the offices of the city's electric power service provider, Southwestern Public Service (which was later acquired by Xcel Energy). On July 2006, the Chase logo was installed on the Chase Tower. McCartt & Associates, a locally-owned real estate company, took over the leasing of the Chase Tower in early 2006. Since then McCartt has successfully increased the occupancy of the Chase Tower from 60 percent to roughly 80 percent and still climbing. Though the tower was originally built in 1971, it was refurbished in 2007; several upgrades are still underway. Amenities to the Chase Tower are: Onsite security 24 hours per day 365 days per year, an onsite full service bank (Chase Bank), onsite management, onsite ownership, onsite leasing, barber shop, covered reserved parking (additional surface parking available), several ADA compliant restrooms, a private restaurant and club on the 30th and 31st floors (The Amarillo Club) and a common conference room that can hold up to 150 people. Aaron Emerson with McCartt & Associates is the Leasing Agent for the Chase Tower.The Tower has a striking resemblance to the One Financial Plaza Building in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Chase Tower is only about 3 stories taller than its counterpart.

Water Tower Place

Water Tower Place is a large urban, mixed-use development comprising a 758,000 sq ft shopping mall and 74 story skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. The complex is located at 845 North Michigan Avenue, along the Magnificent Mile. It is named after the nearby Chicago Water Tower.

Bocom Financial Towers

The Bocom Financial Towers are two conjoined skyscrapers which reach 265 metres (869 feet) in height. They are located in the Pudong District of Shanghai, China and are split into the North and South Towers. Both towers were designed by ABB Architekten. The North tower is the 64th tallest existing building in the world when measured up to the highest architectural point.An atrium connects the two towers together and reaches a height of 163.4 metres. A swimming pool offering views over all of Shanghai is located on the 48th floor of the North Tower.

Bank of America Corporate Center

The Bank of America Corporate Center is an 871 ft (265 m) skyscraper in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. When completed in 1992, it became and still is the tallest building in North Carolina as well as the tallest building between Philadelphia and Atlanta; it is 60 stories high. It is the 76th tallest building in the world. Designed by Argentine architect César Pelli and HKS Architects, it is the 24th tallest building in the United States and is the most widely known building in the Charlotte skyline.Sometimes locally referred to as the Taj McColl after then North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) chairman Hugh McColl who was responsible for the tower's construction, on a clear day the tower is visible to the naked eye from 35 miles (56 km) away.

SunTrust Plaza

SunTrust Plaza is a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. It is 871 feet (265 m) tall and has 60 stories of office space. Construction was finished in 1992 and it is currently the second-tallest building in Atlanta.

Al Faisaliyah Center

The Al Faisaliyah Center was the first skyscraper constructed in Saudi Arabia, and the second tallest building in the country after the Kingdom Centre. Immediately below it an outside viewing deck; at ground level, there is a shopping center with major world brands. The 4 corner beams of the al faisaliyah centre join at the top above a golden ball. The design is said to be based on that of a ballpoint pen. Inside the golden ball is a luxury restaurant. There is a clear view of Saudi Arabia's other skyscraper, the Kingdom Centre, from the Al Faisaliyah Center and the two buildings create a silhouetted skyline in the evening.The tower was designed by UK based architects Foster and Partners and engineers Buro Happold.The tower is part of a larger complex, the Al Faisaliyah Complex, which consists of a hotel, the tower, and two other buildings.

Renaissance Tower

Renaissance Tower, located at 1201 Elm Street in downtown Dallas, Texas is a 56-story modern-styled skyscraper. Standing at a structural height of 886 feet (270 m), it is the second tallest skyscraper in Dallas. It is also the fifth tallest building in Texas and the 23rd tallest building in the United States. The building was designed by the architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, completed in 1974, and renovated by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in 1986.At the time of completion in 1964, it was the tallest building in Dallas at 710 feet (216 m). In 1985, it was surpassed by Fountain Place and Bank of America Plaza, which became Dallas' tallest building by far. It was also clear that Renaissance Tower would be overtaken by two other buildings under construction (Comerica Bank Tower and JPMorgan Chase Tower). Therefore, in order to regain some status, the building underwent a major renovation in 1986 which re-glassed the exterior of the building and placed several decorative broadcast towers on top, one of which was 176 feet (54 m) tall. This brought the structural height of the building up to 886 ft (270 m), securing its place as the second tallest building in Dallas. (However, if one were to exclude antennas and spires, the Renaissance Tower is currently the fifth tallest building in Dallas.)At the base of the building, there is a glass-pyramid structure that houses an underground food court. The food court connects to other nearby structures with tunnels. Renaissance Tower also currently houses the corporate headquarters of Blockbuster.

The Cullinan Towers

The Cullinan is the name of a residential project located in Union Square. The complex also goes by Kowloon Station Development Package 6 or Union Square Phase 6. The developer of the complex is Sun Hung Kai Properties. Both north and south towers of the The Cullinan complex, called The Cullinan North Tower and The Cullinan South Tower, will be Hong Kong’s tallest residential towers at 68 stories and 270 metres (886 feet). The project on this prime waterfront location will have glass curtainwalls and sweeping views of the Victoria Harbour. The glass facade will give the twin towers a futuristic image in line with the nearby International Commerce Centre.Kowloon Station Development Package 6 was named after the 3,106 carat (621.2 g) Cullinan Diamond found in 1905; the largest diamond in the world. The two largest polished gems from the Cullinan diamond are now mounted on the Sceptre and Cross and Imperial State Crown in the British crown jewels.

Williams Tower

The Williams Tower is a skyscraper located in the Uptown District of Houston. It was designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee, in association with Houston-based Morris-Aubry Architects, and erected in 1983. The tower is among Houston's most visible buildings and can be seen from as far away as Katy, Texas, a city located approximately 30 miles (48 km) west of Houston. The building is the 4th-tallest in Texas and the 23rd-tallest in the United States. When it was built, in 1983, it stood as the tallest skyscraper located outside a city's central business district.

Scotia Plaza

Scotia Plaza is a commercial office complex in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The complex is situated in the financial district of the downtown core, and is generally bordered by Yonge Street on the east, King Street West on the south, Bay Street on the west, and Adelaide Street West on the north.

Scotia Plaza has two main components:

• The historic Bank of Nova Scotia head office building at 44 King Street West, which was designed by architects Mathers and Haldenby (with Beck and Eadie), and built from 1946 to 1951. This 115 m (377 ft) tall, 27 storey building was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act by the City of Toronto in 1975. It was completely renovated with major, historically sensitive architectural design changes including a 14 story high glass atrium connecting the original building to the new, 68 storey structure.

• The modern component, comprising a main building at 68 storeys above ground and 6 storeys below ground, with two smaller extensions at 104 Yonge Street and 11 Adelaide Street West. The extensions incorporate the historic façades of the former Wood Gundy building on Adelaide Street and the Dunfield Building on Yonge Street. Designed by WZMH Architects, the modern structure was constructed between 1985 and 1992. Unlike most high office towers which use steel to bear structural loads and a glass curtain wall as their exterior facade, the 68 story tower was constructed of high strength reinforced concrete. Napoleon Granite, quarried in Sweden, cut and polished in Italy, and then imported to Canada, was used for the exterior and some of the interior surfaces. The main tower at 275 m (902 ft) is Canada's second tallest building and the 21st tallest building in North America.

The ground floor is characterized by the Atrium which contains a large banking hall incorporating architectural features from both the historic and modern components of the complex. This hall includes a 40-metre (131 ft) large, metal structure referred to as the "Circle of the Provinces" which houses the teller services for the Bank of Nova Scotia's main branch.

Essential to this construction project was maintaining the Bank of Nova Scotia's head office and Toronto Main banking Branch functions with minimal disruption throughout the eight year construction work. The Bank's project and construction managers were Goldie-Burgess Ltd., followed by W. Tamm Consulting Limited.

Scotia Plaza is connected to the PATH network, and contains 190,000 m² (2,045,143 sq ft) of office space and 40 retail stores. The complex continues to serve as the head office of Scotiabank.

The construction scenes in Three Men and a Baby were filmed during building construction.

Hong Kong New World Tower

The Hong Kong New World Tower is a 61-floor skyscraper, completed in 2002, located near Huaihai Park in the Luwan District of Shanghai. It is 278 meters high and was built by Bregman and Hamann Architects.

Citigroup Center

The Citigroup Center is one of the tallest skyscrapers in New York City, United States, located at 53rd Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue in midtown Manhattan. The 59-floor, 915-foot (279 m) building is one of the most distinctive and imposing in New York's skyline, with a 45° angled top and a unique stilt-style base. It contains 1.3 million square feet (120,000 m²) of office space, and the 45-degree angle at the top of the building was originally intended to contain solar panels to provide energy (this idea was eventually dropped, however). It was designed by architect Hugh Stubbins Jr. for Citibank, and was completed in 1977. The building is currently owned by Citigroup, and is the tallest building that bears the company's name.

Republic Plaza, Singapore

Republic Plaza is one of the three tallest skyscrapers in Singapore, located at the Southern end of Raffles Place in the Downtown Core, the central business district of Singapore. It shares the title of "tallest building" with the OUB Centre and UOB Plaza One. Built at 280 metres tall, it was completed in 1995, and incorporates earthquake proof features despite the city being relatively far from earthquake zones.The main entrance to the tower is at D'Almeida Street. The building was designed to maximize space. Therefore, a simple square form with chamfered corners at the base was adopted for the design of the tower. The tower tapers as it rises, forming some triangular elements, to reduce buffeting due to strong winds and improve wind loading. As with many other towers, it consists of a central core containing basic functions such as emergency stairways and elevator shafts, wrapped around by lettable office space.

40 Wall Street

40 Wall Street is a 70-story skyscraper originally known as the Bank of Manhattan Trust building, but then became known by the numerical address when its founding tenant merged with the Chase National Bank to form the Chase Manhattan Bank. It later became The Trump Building. The building, located between Nassau Street and William Street in Manhattan, New York City, was completed in 1930 after only 11 months of construction.

Cheung Kong Center

Cheung Kong Center is a skyscraper in Central Hong Kong designed by Cesar Pelli. It stands between the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building and the Bank of China Tower, is 62 storeys tall with height of 283 m (927 feet), and houses several banking firms. As is common in Hong Kong, colored lights on the sides of the building illuminate at night in intricate light shows.The building sits on the combined sites of the former Hong Kong Hilton Hotel, which was demolished in 1995/6, and Beaconsfield House, sold by the Government in 1996. The building has a gross floor area of 1,260,000-square-foot (117,100 m²).The building is the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings. The top floor is used by Cheung Kong's' Chairman, Li Ka Shing, as his residence. Li is often seen escorted and takes a freight elevator operated in attendant mode so that it does not stop on any other floor.It is one of many skyscrapers and giant structures worldwide that have been climbed by Alain Robert, the Frenchman known as "Spiderman".

Columbia Center

The Columbia Center is the tallest skyscraper in the downtown Seattle skyline, as well as the tallest building in the State of Washington. It occupies most of the block bounded by Fourth and Fifth Avenues and Cherry and Columbia Streets. Standing at a height of 937 feet (285 m), it was the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi River when construction was finished; it is currently fourth by that metric, the second tallest building on the West Coast, and the nineteenth tallest building in the United States. It contains 76 stories of office space above ground and seven stories of various use below ground, making it the building with the most stories west of the Mississippi. Construction of this building began in 1982 and finished in 1985. It was designed by Chester L. Lindsey Architects who also designed the Fourth and Blanchard Building in the Belltown neighborhood, and was built by Howard S. Wright Construction Co.The base of the building is clad in Rosa Purino Carnelian granite, giving the building an elegant appearance. The building's structure is composed of three geometric arches, causing the building to appear like three towers standing side by side. The tower was originally designed to be about 1,005 feet (306.5 meters) tall, but federal regulations by the FAA would not allow it to be that tall so close to the nearby Sea-Tac Airport. Prolific Seattle-area developer Martin Selig (b. 1936) used "public amenities," such as retail space and public areas, as "bonuses" to get around building code limitations, such as the height. There is an observation deck on the 73rd floor which offers views of Seattle and environs. The top two floors of the building (75th and 76th) are occupied by the private Columbia Tower Club, which houses a restaurant, bar, library, and meeting rooms. An underground concourse connects the building to the nearby Seattle Municipal Tower and Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza.The tower was originally named the Columbia Center when it was first built. The name was later changed to Columbia Seafirst Center, for Seafirst Bank, and then to the Bank of America Tower, when Seafirst, which had been owned by Bank of America since 1983, was fully integrated into BofA. That name gave it the nickname "BOAT" (Bank of America Tower). In November 2005, the building's name was changed back to the Columbia Center (TCC). However, Bank of America is still has a branch in the building.On June 16, 2004, the 9/11 Commission reported that the original plan for the September 11, 2001, attacks called for the hijacking of ten planes, to be crashed into targets including the "tallest buildings in California and Washington State," which would have been the Columbia Center and the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles.A number of companies and firms rent office space in the tower. The largest include Bank of America, Heller Ehrman LLP, and Amazon.com.Columbia Center plays host to the largest firefighter competition in the world. About 1,300 firefighters from around the world yearly make the trek up 69 floors and 1,311 steps wearing their full firefighter gear. This event benefits the local chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

Millennium Tower (Dubai)

The Millennium Tower is located on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower rises 285 m (935 ft) and has 60 floors. It was completed in 2006. The Millennium Tower contains 301 three-bedroom and 106 two-bedroom apartments. Located beside the tower is a 10-storey carpark with 471 parking bays.

key tower

Key Tower is a skyscraper on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio designed by architect César Pelli. It is the tallest building in both the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio, and the 16th tallest building in the United States. The building reaches 57 stories or 947 ft (289 m) to the top of its spire, and it can be visible for up to twenty miles away. The tower contains about 1.5 million square feet (139,355 m²) of office space.It was originally built as the Society Center but was renamed when Key Bank acquired Society Bank. Society had recently acquired Ameritrust and canceled Ameritrust's plans for an even taller building on Public Square. Key Tower is owned and was developed by the Richard E. Jacobs Group. Key Bank's headquarters occupy most of the tower.When Key Tower was completed in 1991, it became the tallest building between Chicago and New York City. The 975-foot (297 m) Comcast Center in Philadelphia assumed this distinction in 2007. Key Tower is connected to the Marriott at Key Center, built in conjunction with the tower, and the older Society for Savings Building. The Chamber of Commerce Building stood on the tower's site from 1898 to 1955. F-111, James Rosenquist's large pop art painting, hung in the tower's lobby until building owner Richard Jacobs sold it to the Museum of Modern Art in 1996. He replaced it in 1998 with Songs for Sale, a mural by artist David Salle. In October 2005, Key Bank installed four 15-foot (4.6 m) long illuminated logos at the base of the tower's crowning pyramid. Each sign weighs 1,500 pounds (680 kg).

American International Building

The American International Building is a 66-story, 952 foot (290 m) tall building in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was completed in 1932 during the New York skyscraper race, which accounts for its gothic-like spire-topped appearance, a popular architectural style at that time. It was the tallest building in Downtown Manhattan until the 1970s when the World Trade Center was completed. Upon September 11, 2001 it regained the status of the tallest downtown building. It is currently the fifth tallest in New York City, after the Empire State Building, the Bank of America Tower (New York), the Chrysler Building, and the New York Times Building, and the fourteenth tallest in the United States.The building is usually referred to simply as American International. It was previously owned by Cities Service Company and called the Cities Service Building; Cities Service sold it to the American International Group (AIG) when moving company headquarters to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is now owned by AIG and used for that company's world headquarters, although Cities Service still maintains some offices in the building.One of the most famous themes of the limestone-clad tower is a mountain with a snow cap. The building features an open air platform with an enclosed glass observatory above it on the 66th Floor, offering the best view of downtown from any building. Unfortunately, this observatory which was once public is now accessible only to executives and employees of AIG. The tower was originally and famously built with double-decker elevators that served two floors at a time to provide sufficient vertical service for the narrow tower and its limited elevator shafts. Soon afterwards, these elevators were removed because of their low popularity; however, the Citigroup Center adopted this same idea in the 1970s.

SEG Plaza

SEG Plaza is a skyscraper located at the junction of Shennan Boulevard and Hua Qiang Bei in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China. Completed in 2000, it is 292 m high (957 ft) and has 70 stories. It is the 13th tallest in China and the 45th tallest in the world (as of 2007). It has an observation floor at the 69th level which offers views over Shenzhen and northern Hong Kong. It can be reached by using the Shenzhen Metro to Hua Qiang Station.It is the home of the Shenzhen Electronics Group.

311 South Wacker Drive

311 South Wacker Drive in Chicago, USA, is a post-modern 65-story skyscraper completed in 1990. At 961 feet (293 m) tall, it is the sixth tallest building in Chicago and the fourteenth tallest in the United States. Once the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world from 1990-1992, it was surpassed by the Central Plaza in Hong Kong.Referred to informally by some Chicagoans as "The White Castle Building", since the building's crown does resemble the rook found on signs for White Castle, the fast food chain. Other local nicknames include "The Wedding Cake Building" and "The Bart Simpson Building" both of which reference the lighted crown.The lower level of the winter garden was designed to connect via underground passageway to Union Station. The building also contains three levels of underground parking. The building contains both retail and commercial tenants.

Eureka Tower

Eureka Tower is a 91-storey high residential building, located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on June 1, 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on October 11, 2006. The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Australia and was built by Grocon (Grollo Australia). The developer of the tower was Eureka Tower Pty Ltd, a joint venture consisting of Daniel Grollo (Grocon), investor Tab Fried and one of the Tower's architects Nonda Katsalidis. The tower is the world's tallest residential tower up to its highest floor but The Q1 located on the Gold Coast, Australia is officially the world's tallest residential building when counting its spire.

Aspire Tower

The Aspire Tower is a 318 meter (1,050 ft) structure located in the Sports City complex in Doha, Qatar. Designed by architect Hadi Simaan, and AREP and engineer Ove Arup and Partners, Aspire Tower served as the focal point for the 15th Asian Games hosted by Qatar in December 2006. The Aspire Tower is currently the tallest structure in Doha, but it is expected to be surpassed by the Dubai Towers and the Barwa Tower. The tower has also been known as Khalifa Sports Tower or Doha Olympic Tower.The tower was a landmark of the 2006 Asian Games due to its size and proximity to the main venue, the Khalifa International Stadium. The tower housed the Olympic Flame during the games and holds the record for tallest ever Olympic Flame and highest positioning of the Flame, which was visible throughout Doha for the duration of the games. The design employs a concrete core which acts as the primary support. The remainder of the building is a steel structure that cantilevers out from the concrete core. The exterior of the building is covered in a steel mesh which, during the Asian Games, was festively illuminated by vibrant LED lights.The designer, Mr. Simaan, has described the structure as "a celebration of earth and sky" adding that, "the structural steel struts that brace the structure back to the core also act as visual forces which create energy radiating from the center in a centrifugal rise." One of the most interesting features of the tower is the broadcast of videos which was carried out around an 8 meter section of the tower; this was done through the use of Color Kinetics, Inc.'s Chromasic technology.While the exterior of the tower is ready, the interior is expected to be fully completed by November 2007. Upon its completion, Aspire Tower will include a five-star hotel with ballroom/banqueting suite, conference/business center, a lower-level restaurant, gymnasium, franchise spaces, salons, a sports museum, a four-story Presidential suite, and at the buildings' top, a restaurant, bar and observation deck providing panoramic views of Doha. It will also feature a swimming pool cantilevered 80 meters above ground.

Baiyoke Tower II

The Baiyoke Tower II, located on 222 Rajprarop Road in the Ratchathewi district of Bangkok, Thailand, is the country's tallest building ( But soon to be overshadowed by the Ocean One "O1" tower by 63m; scheduled to be built in Pattaya, Thailand by the end of 2009 ). It contains the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia and the third-tallest all-hotel structure in the world, with 673 guest rooms.The building is 304 m (997 ft) tall, or 328 m (1,076 ft) tall if its antenna is included. It has 85 floors, with a public observatory on the 77th floor, a bar called "Roof Top Bar & Music Lounge" on the 83rd floor, and a 360-degree revolving roof deck on the 84th floor. Construction on the building ended in 1997, with the antenna being added two years later, in 1999.The Baiyoke Sky Hotel website itself lists the height without the antenna as 309 m (1,014 ft), but the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Emporis, and SkyscraperPage list it as 304 m (997 ft), with SkyscraperPage stating that this height was supplied by the structural engineering company.

Kingdom Centre

Kingdom Centre in Riyadh is the tallest skyscraper in Saudi Arabia, somewhat resembling a modern bottle opener. With a height of 303 m (992 ft), it is the 24th tallest building in world. The tower is host to the highest mosque in the world. The Kingdom Centre is owned by Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a prince of the Saudi royal family. It is also the headquarters of his holding company: Kingdom Holding Company. The total cost of the project was 2 billion Saudi Arabian Riyals and the contract was taken by Saudi Arabian El Saif and the Italian Impregilo S.P.A. Kingdom Centre is situated in Al-Urubah Road between King Fahd Road and Olaya Street in the growing business district of Olaya in Riyadh. Kingdom Centre was the winner of the 2002 Emporis Skyscraper Award, selected as the "best skyscraper of the world for design". A three-level shopping center, which also won a major design award, fills the east wing. The large opening is illuminated at night in continuously changing colors. Besides the shopping mall, the Centre includes a Four Seasons Hotel and state-of-the-art apartments. The 56 meter long skybridge atop the skyscraper contains a public observation deck and a view of the entire city of Riyadh. The ellipse motif taken from the tower's footprint appears also in the light fixtures, ceiling panels, entrance canopy, wastebins, and furniture. The Shopping Mall contains 170 prestigious stores divided as follows:

Wells Fargo Bank Plaza

The Wells Fargo Bank Plaza, formerly the Allied Bank Plaza and First Interstate Bank Plaza, is located at 1000 Louisiana Street in downtown Houston, Texas (USA).This building is currently the 13th-tallest Building in the United States, and the second tallest building in Texas and Houston, after Houston's JPMorgan Chase Tower.It was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Lloyd Jones Brewer and Associates and supposedly resembles an abstracted dollar sign in plan. The shape creates extreme wind stress, twisting the building violently in storms. In 1983 the building lost a large number of windows during Hurricane Alicia.From street level, the building is 992 feet (302 m) tall and contains 71 floors. It extends four more stories below street level.

Two Prudential Plaza

Two Prudential Plaza is a skyscraper that was built in Chicago in 1990. At 995 feet (303 m) tall, it is the fifth-tallest building in Chicago and the eleventh tallest in the United States. The building was designed by the firm Loebl, Schlossman & Hackl, with Stephen T. Wright as the principal in charge of design. It has also been honored with 8 awards, including winning the Best Structure Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois in 1995. At the time of completion Two Prudential was the world's second tallest reinforced concrete building. Its distinctive shape features stacked chevron setbacks on the north and south sides, a pyramidal peak rotated 45°, and a 80 foot (24 m) spire.The building is attached to One Prudential Plaza (formerly known as the Prudential Building). Without its spire, "2 Pru" barely passes the height of One Prudential Plaza's antennae. Two Prudential Plaza, along with its sister property One Prudential Plaza, was sold in May 2006 for $470 million to BentleyForbes, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm run by C. Frederick Wehba and his son C. Frederick Wehba II.

Rose Tower

The Rose Tower is a 333 metre (1,093 feet), 72-story skyscraper on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Originally, the tower was to be 380 m (1,247 feet) high, but its projected height was reduced in further design modification. Construction began in 2004. On 24 October 2006, the building reached its full height with the addition of the spire. Although the tower was expected to open in April 2008, it still had not opened by May 2008. Once open, it is expected to become the world's tallest hotel. This hotel, known as "Rose Rotana Suites," will surpass both the 321 m (1,053 ft) Burj Al Arab, and the incomplete 330 m (1,083 ft) Ryungyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Ryugyong Hotel

The Ryugyong Hotel is an unfinished concrete skyscraper. It is intended for use as a hotel in Sojang-dong, in the Potong-gang District of Pyongyang, North Korea. The hotel's name comes from one of the historic names for Pyongyang: Ryugyong, or "capital of willows." Its 105 stories rise to a height of 330 m (1,083 ft), and it contains 360,000 m² (3.9 million square feet) of floor space, making it the most prominent feature of the city’s skyline and by far the largest structure in the country. At one time, it would have been the world's tallest hotel. Esquire dubbed it "The Worst Building in the History of Mankind" and noted that the government of North Korea has airbrushed the building out of pictures. Over the years, the skyscraper has earned such nicknames as the "Hotel of Doom," "Phantom Hotel," and "Phantom Pyramid."Construction began in 1987 and ceased in 1992, due to the government's financial difficulties. The unfinished hotel remained untouched until April 2008, when construction resumed after being inactive 16 years.

Nina Tower

Nina Tower is a twin tower of 80-storey and 42-storey high-rise building under construction in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. Currently, the building is topped out, but other work, such as interior finishes have not yet been completed. The original version of this tower was called just Nina Tower and was supposed to be the tallest tower in the world at 518 m or 1,699 ft. However, due to its location near Chek Lap Kok Airport, the height was restricted down to the current 318.8 m or 1,046 ft.The owner Chinachem Group later changed her plan to break it into two towers. The lower is known as Nina Tower, symbolising the late Nina Wang or Kung Yu Sum natively, the owner of Chinachem Group; the higher is Teddy Tower, symbolising her husband Teddy Wang, who was kidnapped and has since disappeared. Despite the different tower names, the whole development project is under the name of Nina Tower.

Shimao International Plaza

Shimao International Plaza is a 333 m (1,093 ft) tall skyscraper of 60 stories in Shanghai's Huangpu District. It was completed in 2005 under the design of Ingenhoven, Overdiek und Partner, East China Architecture and Design Institute.Shimao International Plaza has two spires on its top, which make its total construction height to 333.3 metres. The building is used for offices, while the top 48 floors house the five-star, ultra-luxurious Le Royal Méridien Shanghai hotel. The building also includes a 9 floor shopping mall.Shanghai Shimao Group bought the original developer of the tower, Wan Xiang Group, in 2001 and the name of the building was changed.

Tuntex Sky Tower

Tuntex Sky Tower, is an 85-floor skyscraper located in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Situated in the downtown Ling Ya district the structure is 347.5 m (1,140 ft) high. An antenna pushes the building height to 378 m (1,240 ft). The building was constructed from 1994 to 1997. It is the tallest in Kaohsiung, and was the tallest in Taiwan until the completion of Taipei 101. It replaced the Shin Kong Life Tower (244.2 m (801 ft)) as the tallest building in Taiwan when it was completed in 1993.The tower has an unusual 'prong' design with two separate 39-floor sections, these merge into a single central tower rising to a spire. This unique design leaves a substantial space below the central part of the tower. The design was inspired by the Chinese character Kao, meaning "tall," and also the first character in the city's name.The building is owned by the Tuntex Group (Chien-Tai is a subsidiary) and is mainly offices, but includes residential space, a department store and the Splendor Kaohsiung hotel occupies the 37th to 70th floors. The observation deck is fed by high speed elevator, capable of speeds of 10.17 m (33 ft) per second (36.6 km/h, 22.7 mi/h).The building was designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum. John W. Milton was Project Director on behalf of Turner International Inc (New York, N.Y.), a subsidiary of Turner Construction.

Central Plaza, Hong Kong

Central Plaza is the second tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. With a height of 374 m (1,227 ft), Central Plaza is only surpassed by 2 IFC (415 m / 1,362 ft) in Central. The building is located at 18 Harbour Road, in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island. It used to be the tallest building in Asia from 1992 to 1996, until the Shun Hing Square in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China, was built. The 78-storey building was completed in August 1995. The building surpassed the Bank of China Tower as the tallest building in Hong Kong until the completion of 2IFC.Central Plaza was also the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world, until it was surpassed by CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou. The building uses a triangular floor plan. On the top of the tower is a four-bar neon clock that indicates the time by displaying different colors in 15 minute intervals, blinking at the change of the quarter.An anemometer is installed on the tip of the building's mast; the anemometer sits at 378 m (1,240 ft) above sea level. The mast has a height of 102 m (335 ft). It also houses the world's highest church--Hong Kong City Church.

Shun Hing Square

Shun Hing Square is a supertall skyscraper in Shenzhen, China. Designed by K.Y. Cheung Design Associates, it has a structural height of 384 m (1,260 ft) and has 69 stories. It was completed in 1996 and for one year (from 1996 till 1997), it was the tallest building in China until Guangzhou's CITIC Plaza was completed. It now ranks fourth in China and ninth worldwide in the high-rise ranking.There is five story shopping arcade at the base and an observation level on the top floor, named the 'Meridian View Centre'. It also consists of offices and apartments.

CITIC Plaza

CITIC Plaza is an 80-story skyscraper built in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Its structural height is 391 m (1,283 ft) including two tall antenna-like spires on the top. Completed in 1997, it is the tallest concrete building in the world. Currently, it ranks as the fourth tallest building in China, seventh in Asia, and eighth worldwide. Located in the growing and expanding Tianhe District, it is part of a complex of the same name which also consists of two 38-story residential buildings. Its proximity includes a new train station, a new metro station, and the Tianhe Sports Center, where the 6th National Games was held.

International Finance Centre

International Finance Centre is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District.A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, it consists of two skyscrapers, the ifc mall, and the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the tallest building in Hong Kong, usurping the place once occupied by Central Plaza. It is the third-tallest building in the Greater China region and the seventh-tallest office building in the world, based on structural heights; by roof height, only the Shanghai World Financial Center, Taipei 101 and Sears Tower exceed it. The International Commerce Centre, currently under construction above the MTR Kowloon station and scheduled for completion in 2010, will usurp 2IFC's various titles. The Airport Express Hong Kong Station is directly beneath it.

Jin Mao Tower

The Jin Mao Tower is an 88-story landmark supertall skyscraper in the Lujiazui area of the Pudong district of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It contains offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel. Until 2007 it was the tallest building in the PRC, the fifth tallest in the world by roof height and the seventh tallest by pinnacle height. Along with the Oriental Pearl Tower, it is a centerpiece of the Pudong skyline. It was surpassed on September 14, 2007 by the Shanghai World Financial Center.

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st Streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is the largest privately held complex of its kind in the world, and an international symbol of modernist architectural style blended with capitalism.

Wainwright Building

The Wainwright Building is a 10-story red-brick landmark office building in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Built in 1891 and designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, it is among the first skyscrapers in the world. Sullivan used a steel frame and applied his intricate terra cotta ornament in vertical bands to emphasize the height of the building. The ornamentation for the building is adopted from Notre-Dame de Reims in France.After a period of neglect, the building now houses Missouri state offices and is well maintained.It's named for local financier Ellis Wainwright; Sullivan also designed the Wainwright Tomb in St. Louis's Bellefontaine Cemetery for his wife Charlotte Dickson Wainwright.

Richard j. Daley Center

The Richard J. Daley Center, also known by its courtyard Daley Plaza and named after longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, is the premier civic center of the City of Chicago in Illinois. Situated on Randolph and Washington Streets between Dearborn and Clark Streets, the Richard J. Daley Center is considered one of Chicago's architectural highlights. The main building was designed in the international architectural style by Jacques Brownson of the firm C. F. Murphy Associates and completed in 1965. At the time it was the tallest building in Chicago, but only held this title for four years until the John Hancock Center was completed. The 648-foot, thirty-one story building features Cor-Ten, a self-weathering steel. Cor-Ten was designed to rust, actually strengthening the structure and giving the building its distinctive red and brown color. The Daley Center has 30 floors, and is the tallest building in the world with fewer than 40 stories (a typical 648-foot building would have 50-60 stories).

Lake Point Tower

Lake Point Tower is a high-rise residential building located on a promontory of the Lake Michigan lakefront in downtown Chicago, just north of the Chicago River at 505 North Lake Shore Drive. It rises somewhat apart from the urban cluster of downtown Chicago in a composition that sets off and punctuates the skyline. The building is also the only skyscraper east of Lake Shore Drive

John Hancock Tower

Three different buildings in Boston, Massachusetts, have been known as the "John Hancock Building". All were built by the John Hancock Insurance companies. References to the John Hancock building usually refer to the 60-story, sleek glass building on Clarendon Street.

Flatiron Building

The Flatiron Building, which when constructed was called the Fuller Building, was one of the tallest buildings in New York City upon its completion in 1902 and is considered one of the first skyscrapers. The building, at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, sits on a triangular island block at 23rd Street, Fifth Avenue, and Broadway, anchoring the south (downtown) end of Madison Square.The neighborhood around the building is called the Flatiron District after its signature building.