US skyscraper milestone: closing in on 100 towers over 800' tall

[Steely Dan]

100!

We did it, America!

With the official commencing of construction on 400 N LSD in Chicago, our country is now at 100 800+ footers completed or U/C, according to CTBUH data.





Strong work, nation.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by ChiSoxRox

A quick check of Flightradar24 has the LaGuardia departures atm doing a full loop over Flushing in order to reach 10,000 feet by the time they cross the Hudson, and 12,500 feet crossing right over Teterboro.

This is a flight to Houston that will pretty much follow the I-81 corridor from PA south.


The *approach* to LaGuardia though shoots right up the Hudson, but at above 5,000 feet before descending over the Bronx and Westchester. The plane directly over Jersey City in that image is JBU2088 from BNA.

Flightradar24 is so addictive to watch. DL4766 from MEM just went the length of Manhattan following 1st Avenue like an arrow at 3,225 feet (including right over the UN complex).

I've flown out of LGA maybe 100+ times and can't ever recall taking off to the south. That's a pretty rare pattern and must've been because of an unusual wind direction or something. Planes typically never takeoff to the south out of LGA. They usually take off to the north or west. Less common is to take off to the east, but not unusual.

The video below shows the usual takeoff pattern from LGA that goes directly over Manhattan (starting around 14 min). This is the route that Captain Sully took when he landed in the Hudson River after hitting the flock of birds.

• Video Link

[Zapatan]

Nice, if I'm not mistaken the US is #2 globally after China when it comes to 800+ foot buildings.

Within the next decade or so the US will be the second country to pass 1k 500 footers.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Nice, if I'm not mistaken the US is #2 globally after China when it comes to 800+ foot buildings.

I believe that's correct.

China is definitely #1 on this score with roughly 500 towers over 800' tall.

[Nouvellecosse]

I assume #3 is UAE, but #4 could be either Australia, Canada, or India.

[Klippenstein]

Crazy that almost 2/3rd of NYC's 800+ buildings are currently under construction or were completed within the last 10 years.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Pittsburgh was actually the 3rd city on the entire planet to build an 800+ foot skyscraper.

US Steel Tower was the 8th tallest skyscraper ever built at the time of its completion in 1970.

Wasn't the original plan for US Steel to build closer to 1000ft? Also many don't realize how massive the building is - 2.33 Million square feet

I like how Pittsburgh towers showed off made in Pittsburgh innovations.
c. 1953 Alcoa building with aluminum panels "first skyscraper with an all-aluminum facade"
c. 1970 US Steel with COR-TEN weathering steel
c. 1984 PPG Place with PPG Solarban 550 Twindow

I've always loved Pittsburgh's skyline and unique skyscrapers/high-rises from many different eras.

Congrats America on 100 800 footers!
Canada currently has 8, with 5 more u/c according to wikipedia.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I assume #3 is UAE, but #4 could be either Australia, Canada, or India.

Just going by the SSP diagrams section (assuming it's fairly complete) using 500ft, highrises, official height, for completed and U/C but not proposed or on hold, it seems UAE (375) is indeed #3, while Canada (211) is ahead of India (155) which is ahead of Australia (138). However... Malaysia has 146 placing it ahead of Australia. And holy @#$%...

I just checked S. Korea... 581??

[Nouvellecosse]

Indonesia also isn't far behind Australia with 126.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

100!

We did it, America!

With the official commencing of construction on 400 N LSD in Chicago, our country is now at 100 800+ footers completed or U/C, according to CTBUH data.

Strong work, nation.

A little bit of a stretch to call this a national achievement lol. New York and Chicago are doing all of the lifting. Chicago is the only city that even breaks 40% of NYC's ratio of 800 footers to metro population:

1. New York - projected: 48 - actual: 48 - achieved: 100.0%
2. Chicago - projected: 23 - actual: 21 - achieved: 93.0%
3. Austin - projected: 5 - actual: 2 - achieved: 36.6%
4. Miami - projected: 15 - actual: 5 - achieved: 34.1%
5. Oklahoma City - projected: 3 - actual: 1 - achieved: 29.3%
6. Philadelphia - projected: 15 - actual: 4 - achieved: 26.8%
7. San Francisco - projected: 11 - actual: 3 - achieved: 26.4%
8. Seattle - projected: 10 - actual: 0 - achieved: 21.0%
9. Atlanta - projected: 15 - actual: 3 - achieved: 20.6%
10. Cleveland - projected: 5 - actual: 1 - achieved: 19.1%
11. Houston - projected: 17 - actual: 3 - achieved: 17.6%
12. Pittsburgh - projected: 6 - actual: 1 - achieved: 17.0%
13. Charlotte - projected: 6 - actual: 1 - achieved: 15.7%
14. Dallas - projected: 18 - actual: 2 - achieved: 11.0%
15. Los Angeles - projected: 32 - actual: 3 - achieved: 9.5%
16. Washington - projected: 15 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
17. Boston - projected: 12 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
18. Phoenix - projected: 12 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
19. Detroit - projected: 10 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
20. Minneapolis - projected: 9 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
21. San Diego - projected: 8 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
22. Tampa - projected: 8 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
23. Denver - projected: 7 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
24. Baltimore - projected: 7 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
25. St. Louis - projected: 7 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
26. Orlando - projected: 6 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
27. San Antonio - projected: 6 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
28. Portland - projected: 6 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
29. Sacramento - projected: 6 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
30. Las Vegas - projected: 5 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
31. Cincinnati - projected: 5 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
32. Kansas City - projected: 5 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
33. Columbus, - projected: 5 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
34. Indianapolis - projected: 5 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
35. Nashville - projected: 5 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
36. San Jose - projected: 5 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
37. Virginia Beach - projected: 4 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
38. Providence, RI - projected: 4 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%
39. Jacksonville, FL - projected: 4 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0% (!!!)
40. Milwaukee - projected: 4 - actual: 0 - achieved: 0.0%

If the top 40 cities were producing 800+ footers proportional to NYC's output then we'd have around 400 of them in the U.S.

[Steely Dan]

^ meh. It still took 31 towers from 13 US cities not named NYC or Chicago to get us to 100.

Besides, I see the situation more as NYC and Chicago overperformance rather than everywhere else underperformance.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

A little bit of a stretch to call this a national achievement lol. New York and Chicago are doing all of the lifting. Chicago is the only city that even breaks 40% of NYC's ratio of 800 footers to metro population:

(list)

If the top 40 cities were producing 800+ footers proportional to NYC's output then we'd have around 400 of them in the U.S.

That may be true with residential but with office, if you had a lot of smaller cities with 800+ office towers like Charlotte and OKC it would probably mean a less centralized corporate base. You'd have more major HQs across the country instead of now where they're concentrated in the largest cities leaving mostly regional offices for the rest. So you'd see proportionately fewer in places like NY & Chi.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Wasn't the original plan for US Steel to build closer to 1000ft? Also many don't realize how massive the building is - 2.33 Million square feet

I like how Pittsburgh towers showed off made in Pittsburgh innovations.
c. 1953 Alcoa building with aluminum panels "first skyscraper with an all-aluminum facade"
c. 1970 US Steel with COR-TEN weathering steel
c. 1984 PPG Place with PPG Solarban 550 Twindow

I've always loved Pittsburgh's skyline and unique skyscrapers/high-rises from many different eras.

Not sure about the 1000 ft plans, but it is a massive building, with each floor around an acre in area.

Its roof is said to be the largest, highest roof space in the country... though I'm not sure of the accuracy of this. Though I would imagine that it is among the largest, highest roofs.

The 1983 One Mellon Center (now BNY Mellon Center) is a rather unique example as well, cladded with a structural steel composite plates for its exterior skin.

[Zapatan]

I see Jersey City missing from these lists, unless it's included in the NY count.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

I see Jersey City missing from these lists, unless it's included in the NY count.

JC's 800+ footer is included with NYC's tally.

[Altoic]

If only other (major) Floridian cities can built as high as 800 ft, but the FAA always has a say lmao.

Only Miami and Jacksonville have allowable heights up to 800 FT... and we know only 1 that actually puts out 800 FT+ towers.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Not sure about the 1000 ft plans, but it is a massive building,

i don't know much about the backstory of US Steel Tower either, but here's what wikiepdia says:

In the planning stages, U.S. Steel executives considered making the building the world's tallest, but settled on 840 ft (260 m) making it the tallest building outside New York and Chicago.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Steel_Tower


perhaps plans for the original WTC in NYC and the Sears Tower in Chicago made them reconsider going for the world's tallest title?


either way, US Steel Tower was a VERY big deal when it was completed back in 1971. not only was it the tallest building on the planet outside of NYC & Chicago at the time, it was the first 800+ footer ever built anywhere outside of those two cities (and Chicago only had two at the time: JHC and Chase Tower, both quite recently completed in 1969).


it is an absolute beast of a cor-ten monster, and it will forever be one of my all-time favorite skyscrapers.

to this day, Pittsbugh & Cleveland are the only midwest/rustbelt cities with an 800+ footer (outside of chicago), though Minneapolis has 3 towers that fall just short of that mark.

[craigs]

On a cross-country road trip, I made a point of going into downtown Pittsburgh just to see US Steel Tower--the photos don't do it justice. It is freaking amazing.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Not sure about the 1000 ft plans, but it is a massive building, with each floor around an acre in area.

Its roof is said to be the largest, highest roof space in the country... though I'm not sure of the accuracy of this. Though I would imagine that it is among the largest, highest roofs.

The 1983 One Mellon Center (now BNY Mellon Center) is a rather unique example as well, cladded with a structural steel composite plates for its exterior skin.

Interesting. Glad to hear yet another Pittsburgh building was innovative for its day
I'm a huge fan of Pittsburgh ,

[Yuri]

The New York boom is by far the most unexpected one for me, be it for the sheer amount of new towers construction but specially due the unusual shape of the new skyscrapers.

I'm here because I was teenager obsessed about skyscrapers and skylines and New York has always had the most traditional and unchangeable skyline. And all the sudden it became something straight out of a futuristic movie and not a good one: if they showed a today's pic for me in 2000, I'd say, that person knows nothing about skyscraper and NY won't look like that not even in 2060 or ever.