Special

The 20 Tallest Skyscrapers in the World

by Chris Newens  |  Published February 28, 2017


7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, China

Parisians celebrate the Year of the Dragon in the city's Chinatown (Photo: Passion Leica via Flickr / CC By 2.0)

A monolith of simplicity (Photo: Brian Sterling via Flickr / CC By 2.0)

The third tallest skyscraper in China towers over what is also the country’s third largest city, Guangzhou. Among its other staggering achievements is that it’s home to what is reckoned the world’s fastest elevator, which can travel at speeds of 1,200 metres a minute, or 44.7 miles per hour: certainly one to leave your stomach behind!

Only completed in October 2016, the tower is yet another example of the huge proliferation of mega tall structures that we’ve seen in recent years. Designed by architect Forth Bagley, its very simplicity sets it apart from the rest of the Guangzhou skyline, looking, from a distance, almost like a child’s drawing of what a skyscraper is meant to be.

Up close, however, you would be able to see how its mullions (the dividing lines between windows) are made up out of white glazed terracotta, a deliberate reference to the craft heritage of the Guangzhou region, and how they project out from the building to create shade for the people working inside.