Massive Shake-up in the World's Tallest Buildings
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 07, 2013 -- Since the construction of the Petronas Towers in 1998, a fierce debate has failed to settle whether ornamental features like spires should count in a building's height. In most official publications until now, architectural spires on the rooftop were included in height rankings and often perceived by the public as cheating elements.
This mis-ordering of the world's tallest skyscrapers has finally been solved by synthesizing the best features of existing measurement systems. The newly defined “Building Mass Height,” created to rank buildings with different architectural designs consistently and fairly, counts ornamental features only when they flow directly from the shape of a building's enclosure. This ranking method will produce intuitively acceptable height rankings that the general public can accept more easily.
The new listing applies the height formula to all skyscrapers in the world, causing a massive re-ordering of the world's tallest buildings. Many well-known skyscrapers lose substantial height, e.g.:
- One World Trade Center (New York); formerly 548 m -- now 419 m
- Zifeng Tower (Nanjing); formerly 450 m -- now 381 m
- Trump International Hotel & Tower (Chicago); formerly 423 m -- now 366 m
- Shun Hing Square (Shenzhen); formerly 384 m -- now 325 m
- New York Times Tower (New York); formerly 319 m -- now 261 m
On the other hand, many buildings with non-enclosed ornamental tops keep their height, including Burj Khalifa, Taipei 101, Petronas Towers, and the Chrysler Building.
To demonstrate and popularize the Building Mass Height definition and the height rankings, its authors have launched BuildingHeights.org. This website includes a continually updated list of the 1000 tallest buildings in the world. It is believed to be by far the deepest and most accurate ranking of the world's tallest skyscrapers ever published on one page. The list shows completed buildings as well as construction projects that have reached their maximum height.
About BuildingHeights.org
BuildingHeights.org is published and researched by Phorio, a comprehensive database of buildings and market players. It is presented in partnership with High Rise Facilities (a solutions provider for owners and managers of high-rise buildings) and Elevator World (a publisher for the international building transportation industry).
Visit the website:
http://buildingheights.org
Definition of the Building Mass Height:
http://buildingheights.org/?t=official-building-heights-definition
1000 tallest buildings in the world:
http://buildingheights.org/?t=worlds-tallest-buildings
Graphics (free for use and downloading):
http://buildingheights.org/images/building-mass-height.png
http://buildingheights.org/images/oldrule-vs-newrule.png
Press release date:
November 2013
Daniel Kieckhefer, Phorio Systems Corporation, http://phorio.com, +1 312-451-7577, [email protected]
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