2017: Skyscraper History's Tallest, Highest- Volume, and Most

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Title: 2017: Skyscraper History’s Tallest, Highest- Volume, and Most Geographically Diverse Year

Authors:

Subjects: Architectural/Design Building Case Study

Publication Date: 2018

Original Publication: CTBUH Journal 2018 Issue I

Paper Type: 1. Book chapter/Part chapter 2. Journal paper 3. Conference proceeding 4. Unpublished conference paper 5. Magazine article 6. Unpublished

Abstract This 2017 Tall Building Year in Review / Tall Buildings in Numbers data analysis report shows that more buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed in 2017 than in any other year, with a total of 144 completions. Notably, 2017 was also the most geographically diverse year in terms of the number of cities and countries that completed 200-meter-plus buildings, with 69 cities across 23 countries represented in the data, up from 54 cities across 18 countries in 2016. The report covers other statistical highlights of 2017 and predicts completions for 2018.

Note: Please refer to Tall Buildings in Numbers – The Global Tall Building Picture: Impact of 2017 in conjunction with this paper, pages 52–53

Keywords: 2017, Completions, Height, Statistics, Skyscrapers, Urbanization

More buildings of 200 meters’ height or added together – was 35,145 meters, making densification, as more than one million greater were completed in 2017 than in any 2017 the “tallest year ever.” people on our planet urbanize each week. other year, with a total of 144 completions, Thirteen cities saw their first 200-meter-plus marking the fourth consecutive record- Notably, 2017 was also the most high-rise completion in 2017, in addition to breaking year (see Figure 2). This is an geographically diverse year in terms of the the 28 cities and eight countries that saw increase of 95% from 2013, when only 74 number of cities and countries that their tallest building completed this year. buildings of 200 meters or more were completed 200-meter-plus buildings, with completed. The total number of 200-meter 69 cities across 23 countries represented in Once again, for the 10th time in a row, China buildings in the world is now 1,319, an the data, up from 54 cities across 18 completed the greatest number of increase of 12.3% from 2016, and a 402% countries in 2016. High-rise construction is 200-meter-plus buildings in 2017 (see Figure increase from 2000, when only 263 existed. no longer confined to a select few financial 3), with 76 completions for 53% of the total. The total sum of heights – that is, if the and business centers, but rather is Although this is a slight decrease from 2016, heights of all completions in 2017 were becoming the accepted global model for when China completed 83 such buildings,

Figure 1. Tallest in 2017: Ping An Finance Center, Shenzhen, 599 meters. © Tim Griffith for KPF

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150

Buildings 200 Meters or Taller Completed Each Year from 1960 to 2018 144 140

130 130 127

1,478 1,500 120 1,448 1,400 115

1,319 1,300 110

Total Number of 200-meter-plus Buildings in 1,200 Existence at Decade’s end from 1920 to 2018 102 1,100 100

1,000

900 90

800

700 81 80 609 600 74 73 500 70 69

400

Number of buildings 200 m+ completed each year 300 60 263 73

200 146 126 146 138 52 100 50 71 28 50 24 47 2 6 11 11 15 5 11 3 3 1 0 1920 1930 1940 19501960 1970 1980 19902000 2010 2017 2018

32 31 31 30 27

23 22 20 20 19 18 17 17 15 15 15 14 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 10 8 8 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2011 2013 2014 2015 2008 2012 2016 2017 2018 2010

Notes: Number of 200 m+ buildings Projected number of 200 m+ buildings 1. We can predict 2018 building completions with some accuracy due to projects now in advanced Number of supertalls (300 m+) Projected number of supertalls (300 m+) construction. A range is given to indicate the challenging factors in predicting building completion dates. Number of megatalls (600 m+) Projected number of megatalls (600 m+) 2. Totals after 2001 take into account the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2. Figure 2. Number of 200-meter-plus buildings completed each year from 1960 to 2017, with projections through 2018. or 65% of the global total, China is still by far buildings of any country, with 10 buildings share (see Figure 6 and 11). The top two the world leader in skyscraper construction. finished in 2017. cities, Shenzhen and Nanning, are in China, In fact, the city with the most 200-meter- with Jakarta, Indonesia and Chengdu, China, plus building completions, Shenzhen, China, tied for third place with five completions finished 12 buildings, or 8.3% of the year’s Key Worldwide Market Snapshots of 2017 each (see Figure 4). global total, and more than any other country on the list, except China (see Figures Asia (Not including Middle East) Surprisingly, Pyongyang, North Korea, tied 3 and 4). This is the second year that While 2017 may have been the most for sixth place with four buildings of 200 Shenzhen was the city with the most geographically diverse year for 200-meter- meters or greater completed in 2017, after 200-meter-plus completions in the world. plus building completions, Asia retained its having completed no buildings over 200 It’s the third year in a row in which the tallest status as the world’s skyscraper epicenter, meters in 2016. building to complete in that year is in China. completing 109 buildings of at least 200 That building, Ping An Finance Center, also meters in height, representing 76% of the Seoul, South Korea completed three happens to be in Shenzhen (see Figure 1). total. This marks a small decline from the 200-meter-plus buildings, including Lotte The United States completed the second- 83% share it held in 2016, and is in line with World Tower, a 555-meter mixed-use greatest number of 200-meter-plus China’s slight decline in total completion building – the city’s first “supertall”, or

CTBUH Journal | 2018 Issue I CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2017 | 45 45 2017 Completions: 200 m+ Buildings by Country

80 19,000 18,802 Total Number (Total = 144) 76 Sum of Heights (Total = 35,146 m) Total Number of Countries = 23

30 Note: Two or fewer tall buildings 200 m+ in height were also completed during 3,000 ) (m 2017 in these countries: Australia, Israel, Japan, Panama, Saudi Arabia, s ht Singapore, Thailand, Colombia, Kenya, Mexico, Qatar, Sri Lanka Heig

2,339 building of 300 meters or higher (see Case of er m Study, page 12 and Figure 5).

1,940 Su

mb 20 2,000 Nu

1,342 Mumbai completed its new tallest building 1,165 1,101 (as well as India’s), One Avighna Park, at 266 10 1,064 10 920 884 1,000 meters. Two other 200-meter-plus buildings 7 702 700 5 5 completed in the coastal city in 2017. 4 4 4 4 3 3

0 0 China USA South Korea Canada Indonesia UAE Turkey North Korea Malaysia India Philippines Sri Lanka also completed its new tallest building, the Grand Hyatt Colombo, which Figure 3. Buildings 200 meters or taller completed in 2017 by country. rises to 230 meters.

Middle East and Africa 14 3,500 The Middle East had nine completions in 3,300 Total Number (Total = 144) Sum of Heights (Total = 35,146 m) 2017, representing 6.3% of the global total, 12 12 Total Number of Cities = 69 3,000 down from 10 completions in 2016 (see

Note: Two or fewer tall buildings 200 m+ in height were also completed during 2017 in Figure 6). Dubai saw three completions in these cities: Nanchang, Bangkok, Chicago, Chongqing, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Hefei, 2017, and all were supertall – the tallest of 10 Melbourne, Nanjing, Panama City, Riyadh, Shenyang, Singapore, Tokyo, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, 2,500 Abu Dhabi, Baoji, Beijing, Calgary, Cartagena, Colombo, Dalian, Doha, Foshan, Fuzhou, which, Marina 101, now holds the title of Giv'atayim, Hong Kong, Houston, Huizhou, Izmir, Johor Bahru, Lanzhou, Lianyungang, Liuzhou, Los Angeles, Nairobi, Nantong, Philadelphia, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Sanya, 18th tallest building in the world at 425 8 Seattle, Suzhou, Tel Aviv, Tianjin, Xiamen, Xuzhou, Yantai, Yinchuan, Zhanjiang, Zhuhai 2,000 meters (see Figure 7). Dubai also completed

7 ) (m the third, fourth, and fifth-tallest buildings of 1,655 s ht er 1,500 the year. A fourth building in Abu Dhabi mb 6 Heig

Nu of

5 5 m brings the United Arab Emirates’ total to four. Su 1,137 1,101

1,064 Israel and Saudi Arabia tied with two 1,034 1,032

4 4 4 986 4 4 4

4 955 1,000 920 918 906

848 200-meter-plus completions, with Qatar 814 3 3 3 3 3 792 3 3 3 700 702 664 marking one. 2 500 Africa completed its second 200-meter-plus building, Britam Tower, which is both Kenya’s 0 0 a u n Seoul and its capital Nairobi’s first (see Figure 8). Jakart Wuhan Busa Dubai Makati Nanning Toronto Istanbul Mumbai Shenzhen Chengd Changsha Shanghai Pyongyang Hangzhou New York City Kuala Lumpur Due to rapid population growth, we expect Figure 4. Buildings 200 meters or taller completed in 2017 by city. to see more completions in Africa in the coming years.

North America (includes Central America) North America more than doubled its 2016 record with 15 tall building completions in 2017, for a global share of 10.4% (see Figure 6). This was reflected both in the United States, which saw 10 completions in 2017, and Canada, which completed five buildings of 200 meters or greater height. Toronto alone notably represented 80% of Canada’s tall building completions this year, as the city experiences an ongoing boom in high-rise construction. While not yet completed, Toronto’s first supertall – named The One – broke ground in late 2017. Toronto rose significantly in this year’s rankings compared to 2016, with four completions, up from zero.

Figure 5. Second-Tallest in 2017: Lotte World Tower, Seoul, 555 meters. © Tim Griffith for KPF

46 | CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2017 CTBUH Journal | 2018 Issue I 83

6983

22 2237 20 20 20

16 14 14 13 Yearly 200-meter-plus Tall Building Completions,12 By Region/Country 11 25

8 22 22 83 6 6 6 20 20 20 4 3 3 2 16 1 1 76 China 14 14 13 12 11

8 69 6 6 6 4 65 3 3 2 1 1 China 83

37 8

5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 Europe 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

22 22 8 20 20 5 20 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 16 2 Europe 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14 14 37 13 12 Figure 7. Third-Tallest in 2017: Marina 101, 11 Dubai, 425 meters. © Lester Ali 8 23 6 6 6 In the United States, New York completed 4 3 3 2 25 four 200-meter-plus buildings, while two 1 1 17 China 2215 22 completed in Chicago. Los Angeles 20 20 20 12 completed one building of 200-plus-meters, 11 China Current Total: 579 10 10 16 9 the Wilshire Grand Center (see Figure 9), 8 8 23 8 14 7 14 13 which is now the city’s tallest at 335 meters. 12 11 3 3 2 17 1 1 1 8 15 MexicoM completediddle its Easttallest building, Torre 6 6 6 12 KOI, a 279-meter mixed-use tower in San 4 11 3 3 10 10 2 9 Pedro Garza Garcia, just south of Monterrey 1 1 8 8 8 China 7 (see Figure 10). This marks the second year in a row that Mexico has crowned a new tallest 3 3 2 1 1 1 building.Middle Meanwhile, PanamaEast City added two completions to its disproportionately Middle East Current Total: 149 large collection of high-rises, about 65% of which are residential. 8 15

5 4 4 4 11 11 3 3 3 South America 2 9 9 2 2 Europe 1 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 7 Only one tall building of 200 meters or 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 greater completed in 2017 in South 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 America – the Hotel Estelar Bocagrande in 11 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 15 North America Cartagena, Colombia, at 202 meters. This is 11 11 an increase for the continent, however, North America Current9 Total: 210 9 8 8 7 8 which had no such completions in 2016. 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 Europe 11 1 11 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 1 1 1 2 NorEuropeth America 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23 Europe doubled its 2016 output with four buildings of at least 200 meters in height, all Europe Current Total: 48 17 of which were in Turkey – three in Istanbul 15 and one in Izmir (see Figure 6). This is big Figure 6. Number of 200-meter-plus tall buildings completed by region/country since 1960. 12 9 9 9 11 8 10 10 7 9 8 87 8 7 7 6 CTBUH Journal | 2018 Issue5 I 5 5 5 5 CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2017 | 47 4 4 44 4 4 47 3 3 3 3 3 3 33 3 3 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 11 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 MUSAiddle East 23

9 9 9 8 7 17 7 7 156 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 44 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 12 3 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 11 2 2 2 11 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 10 USA 9 8 8 8 7

3 3 2 1 1 1 Middle East 15

11 11 9 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 11 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 North America

9 9 9 8 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 44 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 11 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 USA

9 9 9 8 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 44 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 11 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 USA Figure 8. 135th-Tallest in 2017: Britam Tower, Nairobi, Figure 10. 27th-Tallest in 2017: Torre KOI, San Pedro Garza Garcia, 279 meters. © IDEI 200 meters. © Johan Smith data showed a large shift from all-office and “Supertall” Completions mixed-use function to all-residential towers A total of 15 supertalls (buildings of 300 (see Figure 12). Buildings with all-residential meters or higher) were completed in 2017, functions spiked to 49 completions, or 34% tying with 2015, the first year to break this of the total, up from just 19, or 15% of the record. The total number of supertall total last year. At the same time, all-office buildings worldwide is now 126, up from 111 building completions fell to 56, or 39% of the in 2016. This fact is even more extraordinary, total, compared to 67, or 52% of completions considering that much of the activity has in 2016. Of all the pure-office buildings been in the past few years. The 2017 figure completed, 44, or 78.6%, were in China. represents a 66% increase in just four years. In 2013, there were 76 buildings 300 meters Completions by Material or higher; in 2000, only 26. Of the 144 buildings of 200 meters or greater height completed in 2017, 74, or 51%, used concrete as the main structural material; The World’s 100 Tallest Buildings: while 64, or 44%, used a composite of steel Impact of 2017 (refer to pages 52–53) and concrete (see Figure 13). The significant use of concrete can be attributed to a The geographical profile of the World’s 100 combination of concrete’s relative ubiquity Tallest Buildings did not sustain as much and lower cost in many regions, as well as its change over the past year as that of the Figure 9. Sixth-Tallest in 2017: Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles, 335 meters. © AC Martin comparative simplicity in construction, overall 200-meter-plus population. Of the which would increase its appeal in regions 100 World’s Tallest Buildings, 54 were in Asia, news for Turkey, which had zero such with lower-skilled labor pools. a figure unchanged from 2016. Twenty-six completions in 2016. Skyland Towers, at 284 were in the Middle East, up from 24 the meters, became Istanbul’s tallest and In 2017, two buildings had all-steel previous year. North America has 15 of the Europe’s seventh-tallest buildings. construction, consistent with the 2016 figure. buildings on the list. Europe’s figure dropped As of this writing, there were only seventeen from five in 2016 to four in 2017. Australia and Oceania 200-meter-plus buildings currently under Two tall buildings of 200 meters or greater construction that employed all-steel Mixed-use continues to dominate the completed in this region in 2017, down structural systems. functional mix of the tallest 100 buildings, from three in 2016. Both were in Melbourne, with 46 buildings, an increase from 41 in Australia, and both were residential. As was Average Height 2016. Meanwhile, office functions take a emphasized during the 2017 CTBUH The average height of 200-meter-plus slightly lower share in 2017, with 38 buildings, Conference (see Journal 2017, Issue IV), buildings completed in 2017 was 244 meters, down from 40 in 2016 and equal to the 2015 Australia is amidst a building boom and is up from 238 meters in 2016. The average figure. Residential and hotel functions have rapidly becoming one of the world’s most height of the World’s 100 Tallest Buildings shrunk as a proportion once again, with 11 urbanized nations. continues to climb, hitting 372 meters in 2017, and five buildings, respectively, down from 12 up from 363 meters in 2016. Meanwhile, the and seven in 2016. Completions by Function average height of the 20 tallest 200 meter- The functional share of tall buildings in plus completions in 2017 has hit a new As in previous recent years, composite 2017 proved to be among the most record high of 348 meters, up from 316 construction, in which a combination of interesting discoveries in the study, as the meters in 2016. steel and concrete components is used in

48 | CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2017 CTBUH Journal | 2018 Issue I Australia – 2 Africa – 1 (1.4%) (0.7%) Cental America – 3 South (2.1%) America – 1 Hotel – 1 Mixed – 4 All-Steel – 2 Europe – 4 (0.7%) (0.7%) (2.8%) (1.4%) (2.8%) Middle East – 9 (6.3%)

North America – 15 (10.4%) Mixed-Use – 38 (26.4%) Oﬃce – 56 (38.9%)

Composite – 64 Concrete – 74 Asia – 109 (44.4%) (51.4%) (75.7%)

Residential – 49 (34%)

Figure 11. Buildings 200 meters or taller completed in Figure 12. Buildings 200 meters or taller completed in Figure 13. Buildings 200 meters or taller completed in 2017 by region. 2017 by function. 2017 by structural material.

Figure 14. 59th-Tallest in 2017: 50 West, New York Figure 15. 35th-Tallest in 2017: Raffles City Hangzhou Tower 1, Hangzhou, 256 meters. © Hufton Crow City, 237 meters. © Lester Ali

the main structural elements, represents the pinnacle of 555 meters. The completion of Analysis majority of structural approaches to the 100 these two towers resulted in Petronas Twin Tallest list, with 51 of the buildings being of Towers, Kuala Lumpur, being removed from Overall, 2017 was a record-breaking year for composite construction, the same as in 2016. the World’s 10 Tallest Buildings list. This is skyscraper completions on a variety of fronts. All-concrete buildings decreased by one to especially significant, given that upon We’re once again witnessing an all-time-high 34 from 35 in 2016. The number of all-steel completion in 1998, the CTBUH certified the for 200-meter-plus building completions, buildings in the 100 Tallest list remains at 10 Petronas Twin Towers as the World’s Tallest with this year’s total increasing by 350% over in 2017, as it was in 2016. Those buildings Buildings ahead of the Willis (then Sears) the past decade. While the total number of reported as being of “mixed” construction, in Tower in Chicago, to much controversy. tall building completions is an important which distinct sections of the buildings are metric to watch, the data on the rapid predominantly steel or concrete, increased to While a total of 15 supertalls were completed geographic diversification of 200-meter-plus five in 2017, from four in 2016. in 2017, only 14 entered the World’s 100 building completions, in 69 cities across 23 Tallest Buildings list. Thus, 2017 saw the countries, is perhaps the most telling result. Two new additions also joined to the list of completion of the world’s first supertall In 2007, only 20 cities across the globe the World’s 10 Tallest Buildings in 2017 – the building never to enter the 100 Tallest list – completed 200-meter-plus buildings – the fourth and fifth tallest, Ping An Finance Huachuang International Plaza in highest number on record at the time. A Center in Shenzhen (see Figure 1) and Lotte Changsha, China. decade later, the number of cities World Tower in Seoul (see Figure 5), represented in this report has more than respectively. Ping An Finance Center rises 599 tripled. A record 28 of those cities completed meters, while Lotte World Tower reaches a their new tallest buildings in 2017.

CTBUH Journal | 2018 Issue I CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2017 | 49 49 The 20 Tallest Buildings Completed in 2017

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ping An Finance Center Lotte World Tower Marina 101 The Address Boulevard Ahmed Abdul Rahim Al Wilshire Grand Center Yuexiu Fortune Center Shenzhen, China Seoul, South Korea Dubai, United Arab Dubai, United Arab Attar Tower Los Angeles, United States Tower 1 599 meters (1,965 ft) 555 meters (1,819 ft) Emirates Emirates Dubai, United Arab 335 meters (1,100 ft) Wuhan, China 425 meters (1,394 ft) 370 meters (1,214 ft) Emirates 330 meters (1,083 ft) 342 meters (1,122 ft) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hon Kwok City Center Yantai Shimao No. 1 Zhuhai St. Regis Guangxi Finance Plaza Sinar Mas Center 1 Jiuzhou International Poly Pazhou C2 Shenzhen, China The Harbour Hotel & Oﬃ ce Tower Nanning, China Shanghai, China Tower Guangzhou, China 329 meters (1,081 ft) Yantai, China Zhuhai, China 321 meters (1,053 ft) 320 meters (1,050 ft) Nanning, China 311 meters (1,020 ft) 323 meters (1,060 ft) 322 meters (1056 ft) 318 meters (1,043 ft)

15 16 17 18 19 20 Huachuang International Jin Wan Plaza 9 Shum Yip Upperhills China World Trade Concord International Skyland Oﬃ ce Tower & Plaza Tower 1 Tianjin, China Tower 2 Center Phase 3B Centre Skyland Residential Tower Changsha, China 300 meters (983 ft) Shenzhen, China Beijing, China Chongqing, China Istanbul, Turkey 300 meters (984 ft) 299 meters (982 ft) 296 meters (970 ft) 290 meters (951 ft) 284 meters (932 ft)

Figure 16. The 20 tallest buildings completed in 2017.

Figure 17. 87th-Tallest in 2017: 150 North Riverside, Chicago, 221 meters. © Tom Rossiter Photography Figure 18. 49th-Tallest in 2017: Tencent Seafront Tower 1, Shenzhen, 246 meters © Shao Feng

50 | CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2017 CTBUH Journal | 2018 Issue I China still leads the world in 200-meter-plus nevertheless it is clear that, in addition to the height range to a developers’ hedging building completions, but the nation may powerhouses like Shenzhen, there are also strategy. The greater the number of functions start to lose its dramatic lead as other some smaller regional cities joining the list, in the building, the less likely it is that countries, such as India, accelerate economic such as Baoji in Shaanxi province; Yantai, in economic weakness in one sector could and population growth. North America, Shandong province; Lianyungang, in Jiangsu; delay or halt the project, or result in it being which for much of the 20th century and Yinchuan, in Ningxia. Although in many unsold or unrented for prolonged periods. completed the majority of 200-meter-plus cases each of these cities has erected only a buildings in the world, is also beginning to single building of 200 meters or more in Skyscrapers are lagging indicators of see a resurgence in tall building construction. 2017, and each of these cities has more than economic trends. An investment strategy In addition, new technologies and increased one million people, the term “smaller could be green-lighted under economic international capital flows are facilitating the regional city” is relative in China, which conditions that could change significantly creation of ever-taller skyscrapers. seems to be executing on its plan to throughout the construction period, which create impressive skylines and more could be anywhere from two to 10 years or The data from 2017 shows a continuation of evenly distribute people in its campaign of more. It is tempting to speculate that we are the trend towards a greater global mass urbanization. now seeing the built results of a full-blown proliferation of skyscraper construction. Most recovery from the 2008 economic crisis, as of the prevailing trends of the past few years Outside China, some infrequently-seen city greater confidence in single-function – the preponderance of construction taking names include Giv’atayim, Israel (near Tel programs sparks a resurgence in speculative place in Asia, and in particular, China; the Aviv); Izmir, Turkey; Nairobi, Kenya and residential development. Further, there has predominance of composite construction Pyongyang, North Korea. The reasons for this been growing interest over the past several being used to achieve greater heights and are likely as diverse as these countries are years in residential real-estate investment by more complex designs – have held steady. from each other; the functions span office, absentee owners as a wealth management residential and mixed-use. strategy. However, market dynamics vary But a few discoveries this year are notable, if greatly between regions, so it’s likely there are not wildly divergent. The resurgence of all-residential tall other factors to the story. buildings, against what had been an The increase in geographic diversity invites increasing trend towards a mix of functions, For a full list of all 200 meter building further scrutiny. Of the 69 cities with at least is also of interest. In the past, CTBUH has completions in 2017 see: one 200-meter-plus building completion, 34 credited the prevalence of the mixed-use skyscrapercenter.com/year-in-review/2017 were in China. While not entirely surprising, function in buildings at the upper end of

Figure 19. 10th-Tallest in 2017: Zhuhai St. Regis Hotel & Figure 20. 80th-Tallest in 2017: FMC Tower at Cira Centre Figure 21. 117th-Tallest in 2017: Rosewood Sanya and Office Tower, Zhuhai, 322 meters. © Jason Leung South, Philadelphia, 223 meters. © Lester Ali Int’l Finance Forum, Sanya, 207 meters. © 1st Image

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