Tall Buildings in Numbers

Tall Buildings in Numbers takes a statistical and graphical look at various topics related to tall buildings, such as height, function, geographical location, energy requirements, structure and others. For more Tall Building statistics please visit the CTBUH Tallest Database.
2012: A Year in Review
CTBUH Journal 2013 Issue I

For the first time in six years the number of tall buildings completed annually around the world declined as the effects of the global financial crisis became evident.
Canada Grows Taller
CTBUH Journal 2012 Issue IV

Canada is in the midst of a tall building boom. Twenty six buildings taller than 150 meters have been built in Canada since 2005. Canada added four buildings taller than 200 meters in 2012, the most Canada has ever completed in a single year.
The Tallest 15 Cities in China
CTBUH Journal 2012 Issue III

With over 1.3 billion citizens and a rapidly urbanizing population, China is developing tall buildings more than any other country globally. Currently it has 239 buildings 200 meters or more in height under construction.
A New Leader for Telecom Towers
CTBUH Journal 2012 Issue II

With the recent completion of two megatall telecommunication/observation towers  it is perhaps time to review these structures and also explain why they are distinguished from buildings in the Council’s official tallest lists.
2011: A Tall Building Review
CTBUH Journal 2012 Issue I

Includes a breakdown of the tall buildings over 200 m including the supertalls (300 m+) completed in 2011 by region, function, and structural material. The research also examines the tall buildings 200 m or taller completed from 1960 to 2012.
The Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the Era of the Megatall
The projected world’s tallest 20 skyscrapers in the year 2020

 Within this decade we will likely witness not only the world’s first kilometer-tall building, but also the completion of a significant number of buildings over 600 meters (around 2,000 feet) – that’s twice the height of the Eiffel Tower.
South Korea: Past, Present and Future
CTBUH Journal 2011 Issue IV

 As of the year 2000, there were only 9 buildings 150 meters or taller in all of South Korea. Just twelve years later, there are now 124 buildings 150+ meters in height completed, with another 13 scheduled to complete by the end of this year.
New York City Scrapers 
CTBUH Journal 2011 Issue III

New York’s dramatic skyline, over a century in the making, has for years been the envy of cities around the world. From the very birth of the tall building typology, New York has been at the forefront of the scene. Even as recently as the 1970s, New York City alone contained over 50% of the world’s 150 m+ buildings.
Tall & Urban: An analysis of global population and tall buildings 
CTBUH Journal 2011 Issue II

Tall buildings are spreading across the globe at an ever-increasing rate. This study demonstrates the relationship between population and tall buildings across those countries and presents information on the average height and age of each country’s tallest buildings.
TBIN 2010: A Tall Building Review World Records 
CTBUH Journal 2011 Issue I

Includes a breakdown of the tall buildings over 200 m including the supertalls (300 m+) completed in 2010 by location, function, and material. The research also examines the tall buildings 200 m or taller completed from 1960 to 2012.
TBIN Tallest World Records
CTBUH Journal 2010 Issue IV

Includes records of the tallest buildings/structures according to function and structural material, the highest spaces according to function, and some lesser-known titles such as the world’s tallest timber building, tallest religious buildings, highest swimming pool, etc.
TBIN The Economics of High-rise
CTBUH Journal 2010 Issue III

Includes comparative studies of high-rise construction costs based on location  and building function. Key high-rise cost drivers = shape & geometry, size & regularity of floor plate, structural solution, façade specification, environmental strategy, site constraints, market conditions and vertical transportation strategy.
TBIN Tall Buildings, Structural Systems and Materials
CTBUH Journal 2010 Issue II

Includes a structural system categorization for 75 of the tallest buildings completed between 1961 and 2010. Six categories have been determined to classify tall building structural systems over the past five decades; framed tube, bundled tube, tube in tube, diagonalized, core + outrigger and hybrid constructions.
TBIN 2009: A Tall Building Review
CTBUH Journal 2010 Issue I

Includes a breakdown of the 50 tallest buildings completed in 2009 by location as well as function, specifically examining Tall Buildings over 200m.  The research also examines the average height of the ten tallest buildings completed every year (1960-2012) and includes a detailed overview of the 10 Tallest Buildings completed in 2009.
Tall Buildings and Embodied Energy Tall Buildings and Embodied Energy
CTBUH Journal 2009 Issue III

Tall buildings generally require a greater investment of initial embodied energy per unit gross floor area compared to low-rise buildings. Many published studies examining initial embodied energy in taller buildings exclude elements from the analysis, in particular the building services.
World's Tallest 50 Urban Agglomerations, Projected 2010 World's Tallest 50 Urban Agglomerations
CTBUH Journal 2009 Issue II

The year 2008 marked a significant watershed in global urbanization, with the United Nations reporting that half of all humanity now lived in urban areas. As urban populations have swelled, so too have the number and height of skyscrapers constructed. Also available is an expanded version of this research.
2008: A Tall Building Review     2008: A Tall Building Review
CTBUH Journal 2009 Issue I

Includes a breakdown of the 50 tallest buildings completed in 2008 by location as well as function, specifically examining Tall Buildings over 200m.  The research also examines the average height of the ten tallest buildings completed every year going back to 1960 with the data projected through 2020.
An Overview of Historical Factors Affecting Tall Building Energy Consumption      Factors Affecting Tall Building Energy Consumption
CTBUH Journal 2008 Issue III

This study examines energy consumption in Tall Buildings through the five "Energy Generations", which highlight building industry benchmarks such as the 1916 New York City Zoning Law, the Development of the Glazed Curtain Wall, the 1973 Energy Crisis, and the Rise of an Environmental Consciousness.
The Tallest Buildings in the World: Past, Present & Future The Tallest Buildings in the World: Past, Present & Future
CTBUH Journal 2008 Issue II

Over time, the average height of the 100 tallest buildings in the world has been steadily increasing.  However, by 2010, this average height will have jumped to 349 meters, up from 286 meters in 2000, an increase of 22%.  This is almost double the increase from 197 meters to 229 meters that occurred between 1970 and 1980.