More than double the height of the Empire State Building and almost three times the size of the Eiffel Tower, Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world (2,716.5 feet — 163 floors — including the antennae).
And, for those not afraid of heights, it might be the place to celebrate Skyscraper Day on Sept. 3.
The day was founded to honor Chicago architect Louis H. Sullivan, known as the “Father of Skyscrapers.” Sullivan designed the 10-story Wainwright Building in St. Louis, which is considered one of the first early skyscrapers, built between 1890 and 1891.
Sullivan’s predecessor, William Le Baron Jenney, designed the 10-story Home Insurance Building. Completed in 1885, it is considered the first skyscraper. Sullivan was Jenney’s protégé.
It wasn’t until 1931 that the Empire State Building (the first building in the world to have more than 100 floors), was completed. It’s not that tall by today’s standards. Standing at 1,250 feet (103 floors), it is the fourth tallest in New York and the 43rd tallest in the world.
If you really want to get high in the sky, the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur is the second tallest after Burj Khalifa at 2,227 feet and 118 floors. The Shanghai Tower comes in third at 2,073 feet.
One of the tallest buildings in the United States is the One World Observatory in New York City, which ranks No. 7 at 1,268 feet and 94 floors. New York’s Central Park Tower, the tallest residential building in the world, comes in at No. 15.
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