The world is full of incredible skyscrapers, with numerous cities famed for their striking skylines. It is believed that over 7,000 buildings stretch over 150 metres, with London being home to just 42 of them.
In contrast, there are plenty of cities across the world that are home to hundreds of supertall buildings. Yet, one city which is particularly known for its iconic skyline, outshines them all, after a list revealed the impressive number of skyscrapers that the city boasts.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat revealed that Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the world. The advanced region has an impressive total of over 569 buildings measuring 150 metres and above, 102 buildings 200 metres or more, and six stretching from the 300-metre mark.
Another Chinese destination follows behind. The city of Shenzhen bagged the second position on the list with 444 buildings that are past the 150 metres mark.
Hong Kong boasts over a staggering 9,000 high-rise buildings, and its renowned skyline is famed for its unique arrangement of surrounding mountains and Victoria Harbour, a natural landform which separates Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Peninsula, complementing the lines of skyscrapers along the shore.
The region’s tallest building is The International Commerce Centre. The supertall skyscraper, located in West Kowloon, stretches 484 metres, is the fourth tallest building, and 13th tallest in the world.
Construction of the building began in 2002, and it was initially designed to be 574 metres with 102 floors. However, the height was scaled back due to rules that did not permit buildings to be taller than the surrounding mountains.
It was designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in association with Wong & Ouyang and built by Sanfield, Sun Hung Kai’s construction subsidiary.
In 2009, construction work was temporarily halted after a lift shaft incident resulted in the death of six workers. The building was then completed in 2010.
The building features offices, the Sky100 observation deck, The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong hotel, the Elements shopping mall, and the Sky Dining 101 restaurant.