The newly-completed Freedom Tower located at One World Trade Center has officially surpassed Chicago’s Willis Tower as the tallest building in The United States. The Freedom Tower is 1,777 ft. tall, which reigns over Chicago’s Willis Tower at 1,449 ft.
Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, had threatened to hold onto its 40-year-old title after a design change for the needle on top of the Freedom Tower raised the question of whether it was part of the structure or an add-on, like an antenna or lightning rod, USA Today reported. But on November 12, 2013, the Height Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ruled that the WTC building can claim its full 1,776-foot height, especially since “the 1,776 figure is symbolically important for the tower that was built on the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.”
The Freedom Tower will now be the third tallest building in the world after the renovation is completed and doors open in January. So which structures round out the top five “world’s tallest buildings” list?
Let’s see…
5. Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, China: This building ranks in with a height of 1,622 ft. This 101-floor building is also the tallest skyscraper in all of China.
4. Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan Providence: This tower is the 4th tallest building nationwide with a height of 1,667 ft., just edging out the Shanghai building by a hair. This building also has 101 floors and is the tallest building in Asia.
3. Freedom Tower in New York City: As mentioned above, this mammoth building is 1,792 ft. with 104 floors. The remodeling of this building will be fully completed by 2014. There is one spire left to install. Currently, the Freedom Tower ranks as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
2. Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia: This 1,972-ft. building has 120 floors and displays a gigantic four-clock visual (one clock for each side) at the top of the tower. The Makkah Royal Clock is easily the widest tower amongst the buildings in this list.
1. Burj Khalifa in Dubai: This pyramid-shaped building is the Yao Ming of buildings. It measures in at an astonishing 830 meters tall! This is equivalent to 2,723 ft. or nine football fields tall, and it contains 163 floors.
