Life In The Era Of The “Megatall” Skyscraper

Major cities around the planet vie for the title of home of the world’s tallest building. Apart from bragging rights, claiming fame to the world’s tallest can also serve as a symbol of thriving prosperity and innovation, and provides a certain drawing power. A reaching skyscraper can not only improve your skyline, it can really put you on the map as a place to visit and stay. The “megatall" skyscraper can be one way to make your city more distinct and create jobs in the process, but doing so may not be as novel or innovative as in the past. A recent report says that we are now living in a new era of seriously sizable skyscrapers and that they’ll become an even more common sight in cities around the world.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Supertall Goes Megatall

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has recently released a report on the number of megatall buildings—which refers to buildings exceeding 1968 ft.—around the world. The prevalence of these structures is expected to more than double over the next five years. The report also revealed that 2015 was the busiest year for skyscraper construction on record. With the growing commonality of skyscraper completion, planning and building, it’s been said that we’re now in the midst of the era of the megatall skyscraper. The new term shadows the "supertall" benchmark height of 984 ft., which is becoming less significant. More than 100 buildings around the world qualify as supertall. Currently there are only three megatall skyscrapers on the globe: the 2700 ft. Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the 2073 ft. Shanghai Tower in China, and the 1972 ft. Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia. Four more megatall skyscrapers are expected to join these current giants in 2021.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Why Are We Hitting New Heights Now?

As 2016 is expected to top 2015’s skyscraper building record, it’s easy to ask why we’re seeing this high-reaching trend culminate in this way. Some have said that material innovations and improvements in building technology are driving this megatall development. Our ability to build bigger and higher doesn’t mean everyone is a proponent of this trend however; some have called these buildings mostly eyesores and a detriment to fostering affordable housing and more diverse communities in major cities.


What are your thoughts on the megatall building trend? Has it impacted your industry at all? Do you think we should continue to strive to new heights or focus on infrastructure that’s closer to the ground? Comment and tell us what you think.

Article Sources:
http://www.dezeen.com
http://www.constructiondive.com

The following post Life In The Era Of The “Megatall” Skyscraper was originally published to Magoda | Manufacturing America by ROIGROUP