The global construction industry never fails to amuse us with its novel revelations time and again. Design innovations, architectural excellence, and engineering transformations have endowed the world with iconic buildings and structures that have left mankind spellbound with their scale and magnificence. In this blog, we shall take you through 10 of the most awe-inspiring structures of the modern era.
1. Statue of Unity, India
The Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world and is dedicated to the life and work of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. At 182 meters (597 feet) it is two times the height of the Statue of Liberty in New York City and surpasses the height of the world’s previous tallest statue—China’s Spring Temple Buddha—by 29 meters (95 feet).
The Statue rises above a geometric star-shaped platform built on Sadhu Island in the Narmada River. Visitors to the Statue of Unity arrive at a riverside visitor center and then proceed across a footbridge to the Statue’s base where an exhibition hall provides accounts of the life and accomplishments of Patel and the history of modern India. Draped over the roof of the exhibition hall is a contemplative Memorial Garden. Within the Statue’s chest, a 200 person gallery provides visitors with a view of the surrounding countryside and the nearby Sardar Sarovar Dam.
2. Burj Khalifa, Dubai
The "crown jewel" 500-acre Burj Khalifa development, incorporating hotel, residential, retail and office spaces, is located in the heart of downtown Dubai. At 828 meters, Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. The 162-story tower has 185,000 square meters of residential space (1,000+ apartments) and more than 28,000 square meters (49 floors) of office space. Additionally, the tower contains a 160-room Armani Hotel with the world’s highest swimming pool, located on the 76th floor.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP architects, Burj Khalifa also boasts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck on the 124th floor. At the peak of construction, more than 12,000 people from over 100 countries were working on site. In total, Burj Khalifa required 22 million people hours in order to achieve completion in January 2010.
3. Empire State Building, New York
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and completed in 1931. The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of New York. The Empire State Building stood as the world's tallest building for nearly 40 years. Since its opening, the building's Art Deco architecture and observation decks have made it a popular attraction. Around 4 million tourists from around the world visit the building's 86th and 102nd floor observatories every year, and an additional indoor observatory on the 80th floor opened in 2019.
The project involved more than 3,500 workers at its peak, including 3,439 on a single day, August 14, 1930. Many of the workers were Irish and Italian immigrants, with a sizable minority of Mohawk ironworkers from the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal. The design for the Empire State Building was changed fifteen times until it was ensured to be the world's tallest building.
An iconic landmark in Beijing, CCTV Headquarters stands at a height of 234 meters and comprises two inclined towers that are connected by horizontal building elements at the top and base. With a unique trapezoid form, the tower utilizes a diagrid structural system that is prominently visible in the appearance of the façade as an intricate diagonal pattern.
The CCTV Headquarters won the 2013 Best Tall Building Worldwide from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of OMA were the architects in charge for the building, Cecil Balmond at Arup provided the complex engineering design for the project.
5. Petronas Towers, Malaysia
The Petronas Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)'s official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, until they were surpassed by Taipei 101. The Petronas Towers remain the tallest twin towers in the world.
The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion. The towers were designed by Argentine architect César Pelli.
The towers feature a double decker skybridge connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world. It is not attached to the main structure, but is instead designed to slide in and out of the towers to prevent it from breaking, as the towers sway several feet in towards and away from each other during high winds.
6. Mahanakhon, Thailand
With its unique, pixelated facade, MahaNakhon is the tallest building in Thailand. Soaring 77 stories above Bangkok's central business district, the tower houses 209 Ritz-Carlton Residences, a five-star hotel, and what are known as The Experience Areas -- unique retail spaces with cultural exhibits that occupy the podium of the tower, as well as the sky bar and observation deck.
PACE Development progressed the project, employing the design skills of OMA’s Ole Scheeren as their architect. Scheeren’s unique design sees a ribbon of pixels wrap the building, preventing it from overpowering the surrounding city. The pixels melt the tower with the sky above and the city below, dissolving its base into Bangkok’s famous bustling street life.
7. Aqua, Chicago
Aqua is an 82-story mixed-use residential skyscraper in the Lakeshore East development in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was designed by a team led by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, with James Loewenberg of Loewenberg & Associates as the Architect of Record.
The Aqua was awarded the Emporis Skyscraper Award as 2009 skyscraper of the year, and was shortlisted in 2010 for the biennial International High-rise Award. The name 'Aqua' was assigned to the building by Magellan Development Group LLC. It fits the nautical theme of the other buildings in the Lake Shore East development, and is derived from the wave-like forms of the balconies; the tower's proximity to nearby Lake Michigan also influenced the name.
8. Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Japan
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower is a 204-metre (669 ft), 50-story educational facility located in the Nishi-Shinjuku district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The building is home to three educational institutions: Tokyo Mode Gakuen (fashion vocational school), HAL Tokyo (special technology and design college), and Shuto Ikō (medical college). Completed in October 2008, the tower is the second-tallest educational building in the world and is the 17th-tallest building in Tokyo. It was awarded the 2008 Skyscraper of the Year by Emporis.
Before selecting a design for its new Tokyo location, Mode Gakuen held a competition asking architects to submit design proposals for the building. The only condition was that the building could not be rectangular. Mode Gakuen received more than 150 proposals by approximately 50 architects. The winning proposal was a cocoon-like structure designed by Tange Associates.
9. Taipei 101, Taiwan
Completed in 2004, the 508-meter-tall tower with LEED Platinum certification is the world’s second tallest building in three categories: overall structural height, highest roof and highest occupied floor. Taipei 101 holds on to a notable record: It's still the tallest and largest green building, as noted by its aforementioned LEED Platinum certification, the organization's highest honor. It's held that title since 2011. C. Y. Lee & Partners was the architecture firm on the project.
There are numerous touches that give the 101 its charm. The stepped design is homage to a traditional pagoda. Water caught by the tops of the eight sections, eight being a lucky number in Chinese culture, is reused throughout the building. The green glass was chosen for a more natural, bamboo-esque look.
10. Space Needle, Seattle
The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is a city landmark and is considered an icon of Seattle. It was built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew over 2.3 million visitors. Nearly 20,000 people a day used its elevators during the event.
The architecture of the Space Needle is the result of a compromise between the designs of two men, Edward E. Carlson and John Graham, Jr. The two leading ideas for the World Fair involved businessman Edward E. Carlson's sketch of a giant balloon tethered to the ground (the gently sloping base) and architect John Graham's concept of a flying saucer (the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck).
Turner International, one of the most reputed global project management consultancies, was hired to manage 5 of the 10 unique tall buildings listed above: Statue of Unity, Burj Khalifa, CCTV Headquarters, Mahanakhon, and Taipei 101.
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