by Brianna Crandall — February 8, 2013—The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has released its annual report on global tall building trends, revealing a decline in completions of tall buildings for the first time in six years that was at least partly due to the 2008/2009 global financial crisis. However, the international organization said that several of the projects that had been forecasted to be finished in 2012 are now expected to be completed in 2013 and 2014, so global completion numbers are expected to rise again next year.
The report, A Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2012, focuses on buildings that are over 200 meters tall. Only 66 buildings were completed in 2012 compared to 82 in 2011, although CTBUH reminds readers that the number still marks the third-highest year to date. With last year’s additions, the global number of tall buildings has reportedly almost tripled since 2000, increasing from 263 to 756 at the end of 2012.
While construction in the West slowed for 2012, with six tall buildings completed in North America and only two in the formerly dominant United States, the slowdown was partially offset by construction in the Middle East and Asia, with 16 tall buildings completed in the Middle East and 35 in Asia.
China alone finished 22 buildings taller than 200 meters in 2012, 33 percent of the global total. Mecca was the top-ranked city, with five tall buildings completed, and Dubai claimed four of the six tallest buildings, including the tallest dedicated hotel building in the world, the 355-meter JW Marriott Marquis.
More details about tall buildings completed around the world in 2012 are available from CTBUH’s Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2012 annual building review site.
