** Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
2010
Rising vertiginously at 828 meters, this spectacular superpower reigns as the highest structure in the world. Its 162 floors contain offices, residences, restaurants, an Armani hotel and an observation platform, 124 floors up. The strength of its design is due not only to its impressive verticality, but also to its elegant silhouette. Wrapped in a glass curtain wall with steel uprights that catch the Sun of Arabia, the building gradually decreases from its base in the form of and, with the setbacks that culminate in a 700 feet needle.