Before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, the 10 tallest buildings in the world were "officially" listed as follows:

1. Petronas Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, 1483ft (452M), 88 storeys, 1998
2. Petronas Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, 1483ft (452M), 88 storeys, 1998
3. Sears Tower, Chicago, 1450ft (442M), 110 storeys, 1974
4. Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, 1381ft (421M), 88 storeys, 1999
5. World Trade Center One, New York, 1368ft (417M), 110 storeys, 1972
6. World Trade Center Two, New York, 1362ft (415M), 110 storeys, 1973
7. Citic Plaza, Guangzhou, 1283ft (391M), 80 storeys, 1996
8. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, 1260ft (384M), 69 storeys, 1996
9. Empire State Building, New York, 1250ft (381M), 102 storeys, 1931
10. Central Plaza, Hong Kong, 1227ft (374M), 78 storeys, 1992

Apparently height is measured from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural top of the building. Antennae and flag poles are not included, but spires are. The dictionary describes a spire as "a tapering cone- or pyramid-shaped structure built on a ... tower." My question is where does the tower actually end and the spire begin? The answer from the powers-that-be (who undoubtedly know a lot more than I do) is that the overall height of the tower should include the spire. As an uninformed layman, I disagree - but I'm not sure that my opinion was taken into account when they made their ruling!

The Petronas Towers were therefore officially the tallest buildings in the world at 1483ft (452M), beating into second place the Sears Tower at 1450ft (442M).

I had no reason as such to "make a case" for the Sears Tower. The issue had already been decided by those who know about these things. I merely suggest that you look at the Sears Tower and the Petronas Towers in the diagrams at the top of this page [return to top] (I cannot vouch for these diagrams being an accurate representation, except to say that the height of the Sears Tower is actually 1450 feet, not 1454 feet), and then digest the following information which I believe to be totally accurate:

• The Sears Tower has 110 storeys, the Petronas Towers have 88.


• The highest occupied floor in the Sears Tower is at 1431ft (436M), in the Petronas Towers at 1229ft (375M).


• THE TOP OF THE ROOF for the Sears Tower is at 1450ft (442M), for the Petronas Towers at 1242ft (379M).
  That's 200ft lower, for goodness sake! It's that 241ft spire that does the trick though!



• The top of the mast/antenna for the Sears Tower is at 1730ft (527M), for the Petronas Towers at 1483ft (452M).

1. Sears Tower, Chicago, 1450ft (442M), 110 storeys
2. World Trade Center One, New York, 1368ft (417M), 110 storeys
3. World Trade Center Two, New York, 1362ft (415M), 110 storeys
4. Empire State Building, New York, 1250ft (381M), 102 storeys
5. Petronas Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, 1242ft (379M), 88 storeys
6. Petronas Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, 1242ft (379M), 88 storeys
7. Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, 1213ft (370M), 88 storeys
8. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, 1066ft (325M), 69 storeys
9. Citic Plaza, Guangzhou, 1060ft (323M), 80 storeys
10. Central Plaza, Hong Kong, 1014ft (309M), 78 storeys

Shows it in a different light, doesn't it? A more realistic light in my humble opinion. After all, how can a building which is 22 storeys shorter than another, and whose roof is more than 200 feet lower, be regarded as taller than the other? The official answer (as I've already said) is because it has a spire, and spires count.

Maybe I'm blissfully ignorant, but I know which building I regarded at that stage as the tallest in the world, and it aint one (or two) with only 88 storeys!