World's tallest buildings (part iii): Taipei Tower 101, Burj Dubai & 1-km High Club (projects under construction)

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The Taipei Tower 101, Taiwan, completed in 2003 (1,670 ft - 509.2 m)

The Taipei Tower 101, completed in 2003 took just 4 years to build. It is called the 101 because it has 101 floors (stories) above ground, and 5 below. From ground to tip of spire the Sears Tower is still taller than the Taipei 101, however from ground to top of roof the Taipei does win. The Taipei 101 is the first and currently only habitable building in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height. However, a tower currently under construction known as "Burj Dubai" is going to do away with any controversy so completely that there will be no doubt as to which is the world's tallest building.

Burj Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to be completed in 2009 (2,684 ft - 818 m)

Construction began in 2004, and the Burj (meaning "tower") is projected to be completed in 2009. As of 12 August 2007, the tower's developers reported that the Burj Dubai's height is 531.3 m (1,743.1 ft), with 145 completed floors. This means that the Burj Dubai is officially taller than the antenna on the Sears Tower at 527 m (1,729 ft), however, until Burj Dubai is officially completed, Taipei 101 continues to hold the title as the world's tallest building.

Height comparison of existing and under construction buildings (click the image above to see at a larger version)

The One Kilometer High Club

Several other mega-projects in various states of planning and construction may vie for the title of "tallest structure". One of Burj Dubai's potential competitors is a proposed tower only 50 kilometers (31 miles ) from the Burj Dubai site. Al Burj ("The Tower"), is being developed by Nakheel Properties who are also keeping the project's final height tightly under wraps. Meed.com recently reported that this tower's projected height would be around 1,200 m (3,937 ft) with at least 200 floors.

Another proposed super tall skyscraper, the Murjan Tower in Manama, Bahrain is planned to be 1,022 m (3,353 ft) tall with 200 floors. The Murjan Tower is being designed by Danish firm Henning Larsens Tegnestue A/S.

Also potentially competing with the Burj Dubai is the proposed 1,001 m (3,284 ft) Mubarak al-Kabir Tower to be erected in Kuwait as part of a massive development project called Madinat al-Hareer ("City of Silk") that also includes an Olympic stadium, residences, hotels, and retail facilities. However, the project may take 25 years to complete.

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Original source and photos courtesy of Cool Pics, The Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu), Sacred Destinations, and Wikipedia