Gulf Business brings you a list of the tallest towers from across the world.
By
Neil Churchill
August 14, 2012
1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, 2723 ft
The tallest building in the world unsurprisingly has the highest office in the world, starting on the 152nd floor. The highest useable space in the Burj Khalifa, the office was originally constructed for the private use of Mohammed Ali Alabbar, CEO of Emaar. For reasons unknown Alabbar stopped using his turret and it now stands available for private use, should you fancy a day away from the boss, and the rest of the world.2. Taipei 101, Taipei, 1667 ft
It was the world’s tallest building and highest offices until the Burj Khalifa stole its crown, Taipei 101 stands proud in the city’s financial centre. With offices reaching the 84th floor, workers have the best view in Asia. KPMG, BNP Paribas and The Boston Consulting Group occupy some of the higher floors.
3. Shanghai World Finance Centre, Shanghai, 1614 ft
Officially the third tallest building in the world, but that’s only due to Taipei 101’s spire. Going by rooftops the World Finance Centre is 44 metres taller than its Asian neighbour, affording its workers equally incredible views across Shanghai with offices reaching the 77th floor.4. International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong, 1588 ft
A favourite for investment banks, the ICC is the beating heart of Hong Kong’s busy financial district. Anchor investment tenants highlight the perceived business value of having a regional headquarters in the building; Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse amongst others.
5. Petronas Tower, Kuala Lumpur, 1483 ft
With two towers of equal stomach-churning height, the Petronas Towers allow for twice as much office space as that of its sky-scraping rivals. While the oil and gas company from which the building takes its name occupies the majority of Tower One, Tower Two has familiar brands occupying its floors including Accenture, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Boeing, IBM and Microsoft.6. Zifeng Tower, Nanjing, 1476 ft
An awkward looking skyscraper in comparison to its peers, its ‘stepping’ exterior has a functional purpose to keep the tower’s multiple uses separate. That being so, within China’s third tallest building lies offices unperturbed by their hotel, shopping mall and restaurant neighbours, presumably ensuring more efficient workers of course.7. Willis Tower, Chicago, 1451 ft
Known for years as the Sears Tower, it’s highly unlikely the name change has led to any missed business meetings as it’s still the tallest building in North America. No prizes for guessing which London-based insurance house currently lease a large share of the office space. Other offices go to Ernst & Young, Bank of America and several law firms.8. KK100 Development, Shenzhen, 1449 ft
Not the smoothest of names but fantastic to look at, Shenzhen’s flagship building has offices reaching the 72nd floor while seven levels of trading floors confirms its at home in the city’s financial district. 9. Guangzhou International Finance Centre, Guangzhou, 1439 ft
Another Chinese skyscraper in another financial centre, Guangzhou offers its office workers exceptional views from its observation deck to sit and watch the world go past beneath them. Offices go up to the 66th floor.
10. Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, 1380 ft
Shanghai’s second entry and situated directly next to the taller World Finance Centre, Jin Mao’s office workers must be furious they don’t have the highest offices in the city as they look out onto their taller neighbour. Well maybe not, at 1,380 feet their lunch breaks still offer some of the best views in the world.
Vertigo sufferers look away now – following on from our ‘Coolest Offices in the World’ we’re raising the stakes this week (literally) as we list the highest offices in the world.
If there’s one thing the ‘Coolest Offices’ list showed last week it’s that when it comes to the workplace, location is paramount. And this week by location, we mean height.
That’s why we’ve listed the highest offices in the world.
