CTBUH names Chicago's Trump Tower tallest building of 2009

The Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, US was the tallest building completed in 2009, according to the latest report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

The 423 m (1389 ft) high, 98 storey tower was designed by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), and is now the 7th tallest building in the world.

"There is much to herald in the new Trump Tower" said Professor Sang Dae Kim, CTBUH chairman. "It pushes technological boundaries to achieve its great height, making a powerful mark on the Chicago skyline. In doing so, it becomes the tallest building completed in the western hemisphere since the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower was built, also in Chicago, some 35 years ago."

Professor Sang Dae said 2009 was "a successful 12 months for the American skyscraper", with three of the five tallest buildings completed in 2009 located in the US; the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago; the Bank of America Tower in New York (second tallest at 365 m/1198 ft) and Aqua in Chicago (fifth tallest at 262 m/858 ft), something that has not happened since 1990.

Chicago is also home to more tall buildings above 200 m completed in 2009 than any other city in the world. Five towers of 200 m or taller opened in Chicago in 2009, while no more than three such buildings opened in any other city world-wide, said a CTBUH spokesman.

Rise of Asia

However, Asia, and in particular China, remains the centre of the world's tall building construction. Over 50% of all buildings 200 m-high or taller completed in the past twelve months were in Asia, with some 36% in China alone.

This looks like remaining so for the foreseeable future, said the CTBUH, as the Chinese cities of Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen and Tianjin continue constructing some of the tallest structures in the world.

Despite these successes, tall building construction has not gone unaffected by the global recession as many construction projects around the world were cancelled, delayed or put 'on-hold' in 2009. Compared to 2008, there has been a -28% drop in the total number of buildings 200 m or taller completed this year.

In 2008, 11 buildings were completed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a figure that has fallen to only three in 2009. In addition, there were no buildings from Africa, Australasia, Central America, Europe or South America among the 50 tallest buildings completed in 2009.

Next generation

However, "even with these precarious global economic conditions", the CTBUH expects 2010 to be the most active in the history of the skyscraper, as the final touches are completed on some of the tallest buildings around the world.

Due to a variety of factors, several towers that were expected to complete in 2009 were delayed, and will probably now open in 2010.

The 828 m-high (2717 ft) Burj Dubai (now Burj Khalifa) -also designed by SOM - completed on January 4, 2010. Others expected to finish in 2010 include the Nanjing Greenland Financial Center (450 m/1476 ft), The Index (Dubai, 328 m/1076 ft), Wenzhou Trade Center (322 m/1056 ft), HHHR Tower (Dubai, 317 m/1040 ft) and Capitol City Moscow Tower (302 m/989 ft).

At 828 m (2717 ft) the Burj Khalifa is 61% taller than the world's previous tallest building-the 509 m-high Taipei 101 in Taiwan.

However, according to Professor Sang Dae Kim, it is not just height, but the sheer volume of high-rise buildings set to be completed in 2010 that is astonishing. Data produced by the CTBUH suggests that over 100 buildings 200m or taller will be completed worldwide within the next 12 months (as shown on the graph below). This is more than the total number of buildings 200m or taller which are already in existence in New York and Hong Kong combined. From 2012, the CTBUH expects to see a drop in the number of tall buildings completed due to the global recession, until the worldwide economy recovers.

"Despite the recent economic downturn, the past decade has proven to be the most active in tall building construction history." said Philip Oldfield, CTBUH Research Coordinator. "Our data shows that more tall buildings have been completed in the first ten years of the 21st Century, than in the whole of the 20th Century. Prior to the year 2000, 242 buildings 200m or taller had been completed. However, in the past ten years alone some 294 buildings 200m or taller have been added to cities and skylines around the world."

The Ten Tallest Buildings Completed in 2009

1. Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago (423 m/1389 ft)

2. Bank of America Tower, New York (365 m/1198 ft)

3. China World Trade Center III, Beijing (330 m/1083 ft)

4. Arraya Center Office Tower, Kuwait City (300 m/984 ft)

5. Aqua, Chicago (262 m/858 ft)

6. Al Fardan Residences, Doha (253 m/830 ft)

7. Shanghai IFC South Tower, Shanghai (250 m/820 ft)

8. RunHua International Building, Wuxi (248 m/814 ft)

9. Hongdu International Plaza, Wuxi (248 m/814 ft)

10. Xinjiekou Department Store Phase 2, Nanjing (240 m/787 ft)

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is based at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, US. It is an international not-for-profit organization supported by architecture, engineering, planning, development and construction professionals, designed to facilitate exchanges among those involved in all aspects of the planning, design, construction and operation of tall buildings.

The CTBUH is the world's leading body in the field of tall buildings, and the recognized source of information on tall buildings internationally. It is the arbiter of tall building height, determiner of the title "The World's Tallest Building" and maintains a significant database of built, under construction and proposed tall buildings. For more information visit www.ctbuh.org.