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

16 April 2025 | Tall Buildings in Numbers

CTBUH 2025 Global Activity Series: Europe

Europe, though not a leader in tall buildings by height, is rapidly growing skyward through applications of sustainable vertical density. Over half of Europe's 1,217 buildings over 100 meters in height (100 m+) have been completed since 2010, and the list of 183 European cities building to that height continues to grow exponentially. This interacti...

All Studies

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...

24 August 2015 | CTBUH Journal, 2015 Issue III

World’s Highest Observation Decks

Perhaps no element of a tall building is more closely related to the pure pleasure of standing high in the sky and taking in the view of one’s surroundings than observation decks....

29 April 2015 | CTBUH Journal, 2015 Issue II

Japan: A History of Tall Innovations

Japan is one of the world’s most densely populated nations, at an average of 339 people per square kilometer. It is also one of the world’s most active seismic zones. The combinati...

31 December 2014 | CTBUH Journal, 2015 Issue I

Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2014

An All-Time Record 97 Buildings of 200 Meters or Higher Completed in 2014 and 2014 showed further shifts towards Asia, and also surprising developments in building functions and st...