Data Studies

The Research & Thought Leadership division of the CTBUH performs objective research at all scales and distributes findings in the form of data studies that highlight critical issues facing tall buildings and future cities.

Latest Study

5 July 2023 | Tall Buildings in Numbers

Evolution of the World's Tallest Buildings

As a companion to CTBUH’s The World’s 118 Tallest Buildings, and in recognition of the 2023 completion of Merdeka 118, the world’s second-tallest building, in Kuala Lumpur, this study focuses on the past, present, and future of the world’s tallest buildings. Of the 100 tallest buildings in the world,* 60 have been completed since 2010, and most of...

All Studies

20 April 2017 | CTBUH Journal, 2017 Issue II

Tall Timber: A Global Audit

In the past few years, the tall building industry has become increasingly interested in the use of timber as a major structural element in skyscrapers. This has resulted in a now-w...

10 January 2017 | CTBUH Journal, 2017 Issue I

Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2016

CTBUH has determined that 128 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed around the world in 2016 – setting a new record for annual tall building completions and mar...

16 October 2016 | CTBUH Journal, 2016 Issue IV

Tall Buildings and Megacities

In this study, CTBUH undertook an examination of the populations, areas, densities, and several measures of skyscraper activity in the world’s 45 “megacities” – defined as urban ag...

1 August 2016 | CTBUH Journal, 2016 Issue III

Twisting Tall Buildings

CTBUH defines a “twisting” building as one that progressively rotates its floor plates or its façade as it gains height. Usually, but not always, each plate is shaped similarly in...

19 January 2016 | CTBUH Journal, 2016 Issue I

Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2015

CTBUH has determined that 106 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed around the world in 2015 – setting a new record for annual tall building completions.

22 October 2015 | CTBUH Journal, 2015 Issue IV

New York: The Ultimate Skyscraper Laboratory

A timeline of skyscraper completions in New York uncannily resembles the boom and bust cycles of the United States in the 20th and early 21st centuries. The most active year was 19...