Have you ever tried to measure a skyscraper? It isn't easy! Do flagpoles count? What about spires? And, for buildings still on the drawing board, how do you keep track of the ever-shifting construction plans? To compile our own master list of World's Tallest Buildings, we use skyscraper statistics drawn from several sources. Here are our favorites.
The Skyscraper Center
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The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is a respected international network of architects, engineers, urban planners, real estate developers and other professionals. In addition to offering events and publications, the organization provides a large database of reliable information about skyscrapers. The page "100 Tallest Completed Buildings in the World" on their website lets you find photos and statistics for the world's tallest buildings and towers.
The SkyscraperPage.com
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Lots of nifty diagrams make Skyscraperpage.com fun and educational. While covering an enormous amount of material, the site is also friendly and accessible. Members can contribute photos and there's a lively discussion forum. And, you'll find a lot to discuss! When listing the world's tallest buildings, Skyscraperpage.com challenges the statistics found on most other skyscraper sites. Be patient while this graphics-heavy site loads.
Building Big
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From the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), "Building Big" is the companion Website for a TV show by the same title. You won't find a comprehensive database, but the site is chock full of interesting facts and trivia about tall buildings and other large structures. Also, there are several interesting and easy-to-understand essays about skyscraper construction.
The Skyscraper Museum
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Yes, it's a real museum. A real place you can go. Located in Lower Manhattan, the Skyscraper Museum offers exhibitions, programs, and publications that explore the art, science, and history of skyscrapers. And they have a great Website, too. Find facts and photos from the exhibits here.
Emporis
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This mega-database was overwhelming and frustrating to use in the past. No more. EMPORIS has so much information that it's the first place I go when learning about a new building. With over 450,000 structures and over 600,000 images, this is the one place to come for information you can't find anywhere else. You can also purchase a license to use photos, and they have an online image gallery at skyscrapers.com.
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Pinterest calls itself a "visual discovery tool," and when you type "skyscraper" into the search box you discover why. This social media Website has billions of photos, so if you just want to look, come here. Remember that it's not authoritative, so it's very unlike the other Websites listed here. But sometimes you don't want all the CTBUH details. Just show me the next, new tall one.