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CTBUH's Annual Report Shows That 2019 Again Hits the Tall Building Industry For Skyscrapers

United States Architecture News - Jan 30, 2020 - 11:01   9886 views

CTBUH's Annual Report Shows That 2019 Again Hits the Tall Building Industry For Skyscrapers

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has released its annual report for the 2019, showing that 2019 was again a remarkable year for the tall building industry.

According to the CTBUH's 2019 report, 26 supertall buildings, reaching 300 meters or taller, were completed, which was the most in any year. This record-breaking number now beats the statistics of 2018 which showed the completion of 18 supertall skyscrapers in 2018.

CTBUH's Annual Report Shows That 2019 Again Hits the Tall Building Industry For Skyscrapers

Lakhta Center in Russia by RMJM. Image courtesy of RMJM

When the report evaluates the overall statistics, it shows 126 buildings, reaching at least 200 meters, were completed in 2019, compared to 146 in 2018, which showed a 13.7 percent decline.

CTBUH's Annual Report Shows That 2019 Again Hits the Tall Building Industry For Skyscrapers

Lakhta Center in Russia by RMJM. Image courtesy of RMJM

The report proves that SOM's Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, reaching 530-metre height, was the tallest building completed in 2019. The second tallest building was listed as Lakhta Center in Russia by RMJM and Gorproject with its 462-metre height, which is the tallest building in Europe. 

KPF's Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, reaching at 530-metre height, was listed as the third tallest building and is the seventh-tallest in the world. This marks the fifth year in a row in which the tallest building to complete is in China.

"Shenzhen, China was once again the world champion, besting its own record for the fourth time in a row, with 15 completions, for 11.9 percent of the global total," stated CTBUH in its website. 

CTBUH's Annual Report Shows That 2019 Again Hits the Tall Building Industry For Skyscrapers

Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre by KPF. Image © K11 / New World Development courtesy of CTBUH

Algeria got a new tallest building in 2019

The CTBUH report also shows that the African continent set a new record and Algeria got a new tallest skyscraper in 2019. The Great Mosque of Algiers, reaching at 265-metre height, was also completed. 

"Humans have used ecclesiastical structures to gain height for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but as the Great Mosque contains occupiable floors along more than 51 percent of its height, it meets the CTBUH criteria for a “building", stated the CTBUH.

On the opposite end of Africa, The Leonardo, reaching at 227-metre height, a hotel and apartment tower in Sandton, metropolitan Johannesburg, South Africa, was also listed that nation’s new tallest building and the second-tallest building on the continent.

CTBUH's Annual Report Shows That 2019 Again Hits the Tall Building Industry For Skyscrapers

Skyscraper graphic for 2019 by CTBUH. Reach the interactive graphic via this website. Image courtesy of CTBUH

Drop in completed skyscraper numbers in 2019

The report also shows that there was a 13.7 percent decline (over 200 meters) in completed skyscraper records in 2019, compared to 146 in 2018. The report said it was due to "a lag effect of project cancellations" in 2008 crisis.

"This is the first year in which the overall completion figure declined since the 2010 to 2011 gap, which was attributed to the lag effect of project cancellations due to the 2008 recession," said the CTBUH.

"It is tempting to read the noticeable drop in completions, particularly in China, as a sign of the effect of proximate events, such as the trade negotiations with the United States, or as the harbinger of a recession."

"The overall momentum of construction on the very tallest buildings in the world’s most populous nation appears to have slowed on a year-to-year basis," the CTBUH continued.

CTBUH's Annual Report Shows That 2019 Again Hits the Tall Building Industry For Skyscrapers

Completions timeline by CTBUH. Image courtesy of CTBUH

China sets a record for skyscrapers

China sets a record for over 200-metre height skyscrapers completed in 2019. China completed 57 of these buildings, representing 45 percent of the total. But the reports stated: "this is also a decline from 2018, when 92 buildings representing 63 percent of the total were completed in China."

At the city scale, Shenzhen was named again as the world champion, besting its own record for the fourth time in a row, with 15 completions, for 11.9 percent of the global total, surpassing all other countries besides China, let alone cities. The next-most prolific city was Dubai, with nine completions.

The United States was named as the second-most prolific country, with completion of 14 skyscrapers, for 11 percent of 2019’s total. The number was equal to 2018’s total, though the percentage represented was lower. 

North America represented 20 of the completions, or 15.9 percent of the world totals, compared to 16 of 2018’s completions, or 10.8 percent.

Predictions for 2020

The CTBUH also released its predictions for the new year. There are number of expected completions for 200-meter-plus buildings: between 115 and 145. Of these, between 17 and 30 are expected to be supertalls (300 meters and higher). 

Read the full report of CTBUH here.

Top image: Tianjin CTF Finance Centre by SOM. Image © Seth Powers 

> via CTBUH