5th: Petronas Towers

The most distinctive feature in the design of this building is a hole through its peak. Originally it was meant to be a circular moon gate, but the intended design began facing protests from Chinese, who considered it too similar to the rising sun design of the Japanese flag. Eventually this was changed to a trapezoidal hole, which incidentally made it cheaper and easier to implement.Location: Shanghai, ChinaConstruction: Estimated completion 2008Height: Total 492m, Top floor 472mFloor count: 101Elevator count: 31

4th: Shanghai World Financial Center

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA Construction: 1970-1974 Height: Total 527m, Top floor 435.8mFloor count: 110Elevator count: 104, with 16 double-decker elevators In 1969, Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the largest retailer in the world. Sears executives decided to consolidate their employees into one building with predictions and plans for future growth. However, Sears’ optimistic growth projections never came to pass, and the company was obliged to take out a mortgage on its signature building. By 1995 Sears had completely vacated the building, which is now a multi-tenant office building with more than 100 different companies in residence

The list of the highest buldings in the world

In at number one in the list of the highest buildings in the world is the Burj-Dubai. Although it is not quite completed it already boasts a height exceeding 705m, almost 200m higher than the previous record holder.