ABSTRACT
Although number of floors is a poor indicator of defining a tall building due to the changing floor-to-floor height between differing buildings and functions (e.g., office versus residential usage), a building of perhaps 14 or more stories-or over 50 meters (165 feet) in height-could perhaps be used as a threshold for considering it a “tall building.” What are Supertall and Megatall Buildings? The CTBUH defines “supertall” as a building over 300 meters (984 feet) in height, and a “megatall” as a building over 600 meters (1,968 feet) in height. Although great heights are now being achieved with built tall buildings-in excess of 800 meters (2,600 feet)—as of July 2012 there are only approximately 65 supertall and 2 megatall buildings completed and occupied globally. How is a tall building measured? The CTBUH recognizes three categories for measuring building height (see diagrams opposite): 1. Height to Architectural Top:
Height is measured from the level1 of the lowest, significant,2 openair,3 pedestrian4 entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flagpoles, or other functional-technical equipment.5 This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the “World’s Tallest Buildings.”
