Generally, symbols of power, the towers frequently have in common to have become emblems of the cities where they are located – the vast majority of them offer observatories open on their surroundings.

Their design has often given the opportunity to show great architectural creativity and to implement innovative construction techniques.

We love this one, we hate this one, but there is no denying it, the world has more than one trick in its bag!

The ancestors of skyscrapers – Italy

Men have made their dreams of greatness a reality since Antiquity, according to ancient texts devoted to the Tower of Babel or the lighthouse of Alexandria, for example.

If monuments culminating at more than 100 m have stood the test of time, such as the Cairo pyramids or European cathedrals, what about the towers themselves?

It is in Italy that we find the oldest “skyscrapers”. These include the medieval bell towers of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice (98 m), the Torre del Mangia in Siena (102 m) or the Torrazzo of Cremona (112 m). The Tower of Pisa (56 m), which has always leaned, is not the least famous.

Also, during the Italian Middle Ages, other towers, designed as refuge homes, rose in cities such as San Gimignano in Tuscany (up to 50 m, photo above) or Bologna. Here, the highest is the Asinelli (97 m), which rubs shoulders with its twin named Garisenda (48 m).

The term skyscraper was coined at the end of the 19th century to give a poetic name to the tall buildings that were starting to be built in the United States, Chicago and New York.

Never doing anything like the others, the French will, in 1889, offer themselves one that will be used for nothing other than to demonstrate national genius. With its 312 m, the Eiffel Tower stayed for a very long time the tallest building in the world. Having escaped destruction, the “Iron Lady” has, as we know, become a major tourist site.

San Gimignano: www.sangimignano.com
Bologna Tourism: www.bolognawelcome.com
Eiffel Tower: www.toureiffel.paris

One World Trade Center – New York, United States

The memory of the attack that caused the Twin Towers to collapse on September 11, 2001 can never be erased from memory. But, in New York as in the whole world, the construction of the One World Trade Center is a clear sign of a desire to show how much the city and the country have kept all their pugnacity in the face of adversity.

Giving the illusion of being entirely made of glass, this elegant tower is 541 m high, including antenna, or 1,776 feet, reference made to the year of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. It includes offices as well as observation platforms open to the public.

The 9/11 memorial is located at the foot of the tower, while two basins indicate the location of the twin towers (410 m) inaugurated in 1972. At the end of the site reconstruction project, the World Trade Center will count as before seven buildings.

As we know, there is no shortage of remarkable skyscrapers in New York. Not far from 1WTC, there are the unmissable Empire State Building (443 m, 1931) and Chrysler Building (319 m, 1930).

Address: 285 Fulton Street, Financial District, Manhattan
Architect: David Childs (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill)
Inauguration: 2014

Site of One World Trade Center
New York City Tourism
Consult our online guide New York

Willis Tower – Chicago, United States

This is not the tower where Bruce “John McClane” Willis mites’ bad villains in “Crystal trap”, aka “Die hard” (it is in Los Angeles).

The Willis who owns this office building is actually an insurer. That said, the building was built for Sears, Roebuck and Company, a sort of equivalent to La Redoute or Manufrance, whose name it bore until 2009.

436 m high (527 m with its antenna), it is part of the Chicago skyscraper Skyline which is located on the shore of Lake Michigan.

From its observation point called Skydeck, you have a view of the lake, the city and the plains in the distance. Not afraid of vertigo? A balcony with transparent floors and walls awaits you.

Shops, various services, cafes and restaurants, one of which is panoramic, are among the other amenities of this tower whose shape gives the impression that several buildings of different heights have been fixed on each other, like Lego games.

Address: 233 South Wacker Drive, Loop
Architect: Bruce Graham (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)
Inauguration: 1973
Website Willis Tower
Site Skydeck in Willis Tower

CN Tower – Toronto, Canada

The CN Tower supports a telecommunications antenna, which brings its height to 553m.

It is one of the most visited places in the city. We climb in the air thanks to glass-walled elevators which rise in one minute to 346 m above sea level, at its belvedere. There are restaurants, a 3D high-definition cinema showing a film about Toronto, and a glass floor to offer emotions.

Even stronger is the attraction “L’haut-da cieux”. We invite you to go around the CN Tower observatory on its ledge, which is 1.5 m wide. Note: you are 356 m away and there is no barrier. It is attached to a harness that you walk on the edge of the void.

Wiser, but also impressive is the Nacelle. The view of the region is through the windows of this circular floor which rises to 447 m.

From there, you try to spot the remarkable buildings of the surroundings, such as the two towers Absolute World (179 m and 161 m) of Mississauga. Their undulating shapes made them nicknamed “Marilyn Towers”.

Address: 301 Front St. West
Architects: John Andrews and WZMH Architects
Inauguration: 1976
Site of the CN tower
L’haut-da cieux

City of Toronto

Burj Khalifa – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
828 meters! At the time of writing, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower in the world. It symbolizes the excess of urban and architectural projects demonstrated by investors in the emirate of Dubai.

This building, whose shape evokes a mixture of rocket and stalagmite, includes offices, residences, an Armani hotel and an observatory open to the public which is located at 555 m above sea level.

As soon as it was inaugurated, she found herself in the credits of “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”, a film in which Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) rock climbs on its façade.

Among the other amazing constructions of Dubai, you still have the curved and slender Ocean Heights 1 (310 m, 2010) or the twisted Cayan Tower which is nicknamed “Infinity Tower”, (306 m, 2013).

Address: Downtown Burj Khalifa
Architects: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Inauguration: 2010
Site of Burj Dubai

Aldar Headquarters Building – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Its location on the seafront enhances the uniqueness of this glass-covered skyscraper, which was built in the shape of a circle, a symbol of perfection, in order to house the headquarters of the Aldar real estate group.

Inspired by the figure of the pentagram, its apparent simplicity and its relatively modest height – 110 m anyway -, distinguish it from the sometimes-hyper megalomaniac constructions which are multiplying in the Emirates and the Far East.

Another building surprising to see in Abu Dhabi: The Capital Gate (160 m, 2011), whose inclination at 18 degrees makes it one of the highest leaning towers in the world.

Address: Al Raha Beach
Architect: Marwan Zgheib (MZ Architects)
Inauguration: 2010
Site Aldar

Abu Dhabi Tourism

Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower – Shanghai, China

Skyscrapers abound in Shanghai, a megalopolis that seems to be seized with an irrepressible architectural frenzy. Close to each other, two towers stand out.

Bevelled, the Shanghai World Financial Center (492 m) is mainly dedicated to economic activities, but also includes a luxury hotel, shops, restaurants and observatories.

The Sky Walk is the highest. It is located 474 m away, where the building takes the form of a handle or a bottle opener. The huge towers in the surroundings seem tiny.

However, even if it is a little lower, the Jin Mao Tower (420 m, photo) does not look ridiculous. Here again there are offices, a luxury Grand Hyatt hotel, plus several bars and restaurants.

Its observatory is installed on the 88th floor. There is a view of the city, but also of the interior of the tower through a well of golden lights overlooking the hotel lobby located on the 55th floor. From the ground, it is reached in 50 seconds by an elevator.

Shanghai World Financial Center
Address: 100 Century Boulevard, Pudong
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox
Inauguration: 2008
Site of the Shanghai World Financial Center

Jin Mao Tower
Address: 88 Century Boulevard, Pudong
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Inauguration: 1998
Website Jin Mao Tower

Canton Tower – Canton, China

This hyperboloid-shaped tower, like water towers, also gives the impression of being twisted. It was built to support a 150m telecommunications antenna for the 2010 Asian Games.

At a height of 600m in total, the Canton Tower is home to various attractions that delight tourists and residents of Canton, aka Guangzhou.

There is also an outdoor observation platform, 450 m away, which is provided with a large horizontal wheel made up of transparent nacelles which goes around the roof. A fun experience to live if you like thrills. An elevator takes you up there in a minute.

Address: at the river Zhujiang
architects Mark Hemel Barbara Kuit
Inauguration: 2010
Site of the Canton Tower

Visit Guangzhou

Bank of China Tower – Hong Kong, China

Even before the retrocession of Hong Kong to China in 1999, the great bank of this country established itself in this territory then dominated by the British. It is to Ieoh Ming Pei, the famous architect of the Louvre pyramid, among others, that she entrusted the creation of a tower which was going to be the tallest in Asia for a time.

Become one of the symbols of the city, it rises to 305 m (367 m if you count its antennas). Harmonious although truncated at its top, it gives the impression of being the result of a montage of crystal triangles, whose “edges” are lit at night.

Consisting of offices, the BOC Tower nevertheless has an observation platform open to the public which is located on the 43rd floor. It allows you to take the measure of the other surrounding buildings.

Address: 1 Garden Road, Central and Western
Architect: IM Pei
Inauguration: 1990
Site of BOC Tower

Hong Kong Tourism

Taipei 101 – Taipei, Taiwan

Amply inspired by the architectural style of the pagodas, the Taipei 101 tower clearly stands out in the urban landscape of the capital of Taiwan.

With its 449 m (509 m with its antenna) and its 101 floors which are approached by elevators climbing at 60 km / h, you will find offices, a conference center, a shopping center, as well as observatories and a restaurant located near its summit. One of these views is inside the walls, the other outside – it is open when weather conditions allow.

Address: 7 Xinyi Road, Xinyi
Architect: CY Lee
Inauguration: 2004
Website Taipei 101

Taipei Tourism

Petronas Twin Towers – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

You can find everything in these spectacular twin towers (452m, including 42m of antenna). There are offices there, notably those of the oil tycoon Petronas, shops, leisure places, a conference center and even a mosque.

Its main tourist attractions are its Skybridge and its observatories. The first is a covered walkway, sixty meters long, which connects the towers at the 41st and 42nd floors, at 170 m above sea level.

This path to go from one to the other is much safer than the one taken by the daring burglars played by Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the aptly named film “High Aerobatics” (“Entrapment”, 1999)!

The second are located 360 m away and obviously offer a very impressive panorama of this metropolis of Kuala Lumpur.

Address: City Center
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Inauguration: 1999
Site of the Petronas Towers

Tokyo Skytree – Tokyo, Japan

In 1958, the Tōkyō tawā (332 m) was built to provide adequate telecommunications from the Japanese capital. This replica of the Eiffel Tower in orange and white color is certainly to see, especially if you are Parisian!

Alas, it is now surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree, which rises to 634m, which for some time made it the highest in the world, before the erection of the Burj Khalifa of Dubai.

Two observation sites await you there under its antenna. First the Tembo Deck, which spans three levels. There are two cafes, a restaurant, information spaces and a glass floor as transparent as the walls of the Tembo Shuttle elevator which transports you here.

By another elevator, you climb a little higher, to the starting point of the Tembo Galleria, a steep 110 m long walk which leads you to Sorakara Point, observatory perched at 451 m above sea level.

Address: Sumida-ku
Architects: Tadao Ando, Nikken Sekkei
Inauguration: 2011
Website of Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Tourism

Ostankino Television Tower – Moscow, Russia

Enthroned in the middle of a park in the castle district of Ostankino, this fine tower broadcasts the programs of several television and radio channels. Its antenna rises to 540m, so it is impossible to miss it.

Very popular with Muscovites, it is also an important tourist attraction, although it suffered a serious fire in 2000, which left several dead.

Its restaurant is closed, but its observation point, located 337 m above sea level, remains accessible to groups; part of its floor is made of glass. It is reached by ultra-fast elevators.

Address: 15 rue Akademika Korolyova
Architect: Leonid Batalov
Inauguration: 1968
Site of Ostankino Tower

Palace of Culture and Science – Warsaw, Poland

“Gift of the Soviet nation to the Polish nation “, the Palace of Culture and Science is a large building designed during the Stalin era by Russian builders.

Omnipresent in the urban landscape, covering 3.3 hectares and 188m high (237 m with its antenna), it contains museums, theaters, exhibitions and congresses, cinemas, offices…

A panoramic terrace with restaurant, from which you have a perfect view of Warsaw, is located on the 30th floor of its tower, at 114 m above sea level.

Installed in 2000, a clock is located at the top of the Palace. It is certainly the one that is the highest in the world.

Address: Plac Defilad 1 Śródmieście
Architect: Lev Rudnev
Inauguration: 1955
Site Pałac Kultury i Nauki

Warsaw Tourism

Žižkov Television Tower – Prague, Czech Republic

Bizarre, bizarre, this television tower planted on a hillock in the Žižkov district is bizarre. One has the impression that it is the launch pad for a rocket. It is made up of three pillars, one of which supports telecommunications installations and an antenna which elevates this funny skyscraper to 216 m above sea level.

Curious outgrowths dot its pillars. These are ten sculptures of giant babies that we see climbing here and there. Their birth dates back to 2000 and their father’s name is David Černý. You can see three of these babies up close in Prague’s Kampa Park.

More classic is the café-restaurant nestled 66 m high, which is surmounted by a less banal one-room hotel. Finally, at 93 m, the observatory of this tower consists of three cabins each offering a view of the city.

Address: Mahlerovy sady 1, Žižkov
Architect: Václav Aulický
Inauguration: 1992
Site of Žižkovská televizní věž

Berliner Fernsehturm – Berlin, Germany

Conceived as a symbol of the prowess of which the GDR was capable, this television tower is planted in the heart of Berlin, near Alexanderplatz. The East German regime has disappeared, but this 368 m high building remains, to the delight of Berliners and tourists.

Its sphere, originally supposed to evoke the Sputnik satellite, contains observation spots located at an altitude of over 200m. It also houses a bar and a restaurant which has the particularity of turning on itself. In other words, when you are at the table, you are offered a 360 ° panoramic trip over the city.

A funny anecdote: if the designers of the Fernsehturm knew that its sphere was going to reflect the light of the sun, they had not foreseen that this reflection would form a cross. However, religion did not smell of holiness in East Germany.

Address: Panoramastraße 1a, Mitte
Architects: Hermann Henselmann, Fritz Dieter, Günter Franke, Gerhard Kosel, Werner Ahrendt
Inauguration: 1969
Site of the Berliner Fernsehturm

Berlin Tourism

The Shard – London, England

Skyscraper whose shape evokes a kind of stretched pyramid, The Shard rises to 310 m, near the Thames and London Bridge.

Behind its glass facades, there are offices, luxury residences, a 5-star hotel called Shangri-La, restaurants, as well as several levels dedicated to observing the city. We are very close to the spire of the building, which seems not to be finished or aesthetically damaged – shard means shine or shard.

This creation by Renzo Piano, one of the most famous architects of our time whose early career was marked by the design, with Richard Rogers, of the Pompidou Center in Paris, is an order from a Qatar investment fund.

It is one of those constructions that renew the London landscape, like 30 St Mary Ax (180 m, 2003), nicknamed “The Gherkin” (Le Cornichon).

Address: 32 London Bridge Street
Architect: Renzo Piano
Inauguration: 2012
Site of The Shard

Visit london

Building Mirador – Madrid, Spain

It is not really a tower, or a tower which would be folded back on itself, as if one were going to transplant it elsewhere. What perhaps would like the Madrilenians who are allergic to the aspect play of construction of this building bold, emblematic of the work of the Dutch architectural agency MVRDV.

The Mirador bulding comprises 156 apartments distributed over 21 floors. To visit it, you need to be invited by one of its owners or tenants.

Perhaps you will then have the chance to go to the belvedere of the building which is partly made up of a garden.

Address: Calle Princesa de Eboli 13 Sanchinarro
Architectes: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries (MVRDV), Blanca Lleó
Inauguration: 2005
Site Building Mirador

Madrid Tourist Office

Torre Gloriès – Barcelona, Spain

Cousin of London’s “Pickle”, this tower is nicknamed the “Suppository” (Supositori) by the Barcelonians. This is what it costs to give a form of warhead to a skyscraper!

The architect Jean Nouvel (Institute of the Arab World, Fondation Cartier, Philharmonie de Paris) prefers to evoke the geysers or the mountains of Montserat, or even the nearby Sagrada Família, when he talks about his creation.

High of 142 meters, the Torre Glories (formerly Agbar) has a facade covered with glass slides with changing colors and equipped with a device for nighttime lighting of a wide variety.

There are offices there, including those of Facebook, and a watchtower should be installed at the top in the coming years.

Address: Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes
Architects: Jean Nouvel, b720 Fermin Vazquez Arquitectos
Inauguration: 2005

Barcelona Tourism

Hotel NH Milano Fiera – Milan, Italy

We conclude our tour of the world tours by returning to Italy, where these twin buildings are located which are a tribute to the venerable Tower of Pisa.

One 20 story high, the other 18, they are inclined at 5 ° to their base. Sheets of sandstone and black glazed paste give them an astonishing appearance, all the more since the arrangement of their windows makes one think that the latter were drawn randomly.

This 4-star hotel designed by Dominique Perrault (author of the four towers of the National Library of France – François Mitterrand) is located in the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition center, north-west of Milan.
Inside, you have 398 rooms, conference rooms, a bar and a restaurant.

Address: Viale degli Alberghi
Architect: Dominique Perrault
Inauguration: 2008
Site of the NH Milano Fiera Hotel

Appy for an Italy Visa Singapore.