Guangzhou International Finance Center

12. Guangzhou International Finance Center

Guangzhou International Finance Centre (simplified Chinese: 广州国际金融中心; traditional Chinese: 廣州國際金融中心;Mandarin Pinyin: Guǎngzhōu Guójì Jīnróng Zhōngxīn; Jyutping: gwong2 zau1 gwok3 zai3 gam1 jung4 zung1 sam1) orGuangzhou West Tower (simplified Chinese: 广州西塔; traditional Chinese: 廣州西塔; Mandarin Pinyin: Guǎngzhōu Xītǎ;Jyutping: gwong2 zau1 sai1 taap3) is a 103-storey, 440.2 m (1,444 ft) skyscraper at Zhujiang Avenue West in the Tianhe Districtof Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The building was topped out at the end of 2008. It is a part of theGuangzhou Twin Towers.

Construction of the building, designed by Wilkinson Eyre, broke ground in December 2005, and completed in 2010. The building is used as a conference centre, hotel and office building. Floors 1 through 66 are used as offices, floors 67 and 68 are for mechanical equipment, floors 69 to 98 have a Four Seasons Hotel with the lobby being on the 70th floor, and floors 99 and 100 are used as an observation deck. The building was completed in 2010.

The building was previously known as Guangzhou West Tower and had a related project, the proposed Guangzhou East Tower which, at 475 m (1,558 ft), would have been even taller,  though that project has been awarded to a different design by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the 530 m (1,740 ft) Chow Tai Fook Centre.

Winner of RIBA 2012 Lubetkin Prize.

Kingkey 100

11. Kingkey 100

The Kingkey 100 (Chinese: 京基100), formerly known as Kingkey Finance Center Plaza, is a skyscraper in Shenzhen,Guangdong province, China. It is located in Shenzhen's Luohu District in an area which can be described as the financial district.

The mixed-use building rises to 441.8 metres (1,449 ft) and contains 100 floors for office space and a hotel. Out of those 100 floors, 68 are used for 173,000 square metres (1,862,157 sq ft) of Class A office space, 22 stories for a 35,000 square metres (376,737 sq ft) six-star business hotel and the top four floors of the skyscraper hold a garden and several restaurants. Adjacent to the Kingkey 100 building is the KK Mall, which opened its doors November 26, 2010, and contains luxury brand stores, restaurants and a supermarket. The KK Mall also hosts Shenzhen's first IMAX cinema.

Willis Tower

10. Willis Tower

Willis Tower (formerly named, and still commonly referred to as, Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1,451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. The Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the seventh-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The skyscraper is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chicago, and over one million people visit its observation deck each year.

Named the Sears Tower throughout its history, in 2009 Willis Group Holdings obtained the right to rename the building, as part of their lease on a portion of its offices. On July 16, 2009, the building was officially renamed the Willis Tower. On August 13, 2012,United Airlines announced it will be moving its corporate headquarters from 77 West Wacker Drive to the Willis Tower.

Zifeng Tower

9. Zifeng Tower

Zifeng Tower (a.k.a. Greenland Center-Zifeng Tower or Greenland Square Zifeng Tower, formerly Nanjing Greenland Financial Center) is a 450-metre (1,480 ft) skyscraper completed in 2009 in Nanjing, China. The 89-story building comprises retail and office space in the lower section, and restaurants, a hotel, and a public observatory near the top. The tower’s stepping is functional, helping separate these sections.

Architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the building led by Adrian Smith.

Petronas Towers

8. Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Petronas, or Menara Berkembar Petronas) are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the CTBUH's official definition and ranking, they were thetallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101. The buildings are the landmark of Kuala Lumpur with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.

International Commerce Centre

7. International Commerce Centre

The International Commerce Centre (Chinese: 環球貿易廣場) (abbr. ICC Tower) is a 118-storey, 484 m (1,588 ft)skyscraper completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is a part of the Union Square project built on top of Kowloon Station. The development is owned and jointly developed by MTR Corporation Limited and Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong's metro operator and largest property developer respectively. It is currently the world's fifth tallest building by height,world's third tallest building by floors, as well as the tallest building in Hong Kong.

Known in development as Union Square Phase 7, its current name was officially announced in 2005. The International Commerce Centre was completed in phases from 2007 to 2010. The tower opened in 2011, with the Ritz-Carlton opening in late March and the observatory in early April.

Sun Hung Kai Properties also developed, along with another major Hong Kong developer, Henderson Land, the second-tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, the 2 International Finance Centre, which is located directly across Victoria Harbour in Central, Hong Kong Island.

Shanghai World Financial Center

6. Shanghai World Financial Center

The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC; Chinese: 上海环球金融中心) is a skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by the Japanese Mori Building Company. It is a mixed-use skyscraper, consisting of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and ground-floor shopping malls. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the hotel component, containing 174 rooms and suites. Occupying the 79th to the 93rd floors, it is the second-highest hotel in the world, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 53rd to 87th floors of the neighboring Jin Mao Tower.

On 14 September 2007, the skyscraper was topped out at 492.0 meters (1,614.2 ft), making it, at the time, the second-tallest building in the world and the tallest structure in Mainland China. It also had the highest occupied floor and the highest height to roof, two categories used to determine the title of "world’s tallest building". The SWFC opened on 28 August 2008, with itsobservation deck opening on 30 August. This observation deck, the world's tallest at the time of its completion, offers views from 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level.

The SWFC has been lauded for its design, and in 2008 it was named by architects as the year's best completed skyscraper. The SWFC will be exceeded in height by the adjacent Shanghai Tower, which is due for completion in 2014. Together, the SWFC, Shanghai Tower and Jin Mao Tower will form the world's first adjacent grouping of three supertall skyscrapers.