15 Skyscrapers That Are The Tallest Buildings In The World

Technology has made building taller and taller structures easier than ever before.Here are the 15 buildings that are the tallest in the world, for now. Since construction is constant, we included only buildings that are officially completed and top-out.

Burj Khalifa

HISTORY

A world-famous tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, translates as Khalifa Tower, stands over 2,717 feet tall and includes more than 160 stories. To honor Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, who donated the funds to construct the building, it is named in his honor.

With the bundled tube structural system, the Burj Khalifa resists lateral loads by combining several structural tubes which work together as a massive hollow cylinder to resist lateral loads. In addition to being extremely efficient, tube structural systems, such as bundled tubes, are capable of reaching incredible heights. They were designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and inspired by Islamic architecture.

Even though the Burj Khalifa is regarded as a wonder of the world, it is important to note how labor practices were conducted during its construction. It has been documented that skilled laborers worked extremely long hours for little pay, at times earning between $3.43 and $5.25 a day, and were housed in horrendous conditions. According to Human Rights Watch, workplace injuries and fatalities are poorly documented and hard to track.