Canada's tallest residential building title ready to be taken - Right At ...

Just over a decade ago, some 85 per cent of the tallest buildings boasted the names of some of the world?s biggest brands ? Chrysler and Sears ? and were symbols of intense competition between cities such as Chicago and New York.

But last year, for the first time in history, less than half the top 100 tallest buildings were offices. The rest were houses in the heavens that are stretching to such unthinkable heights, the Chicago-based?Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat?has come up with a new phrase ? mega tall ? to describe the growing trend towards mixed-use buildings (usually combining apartments, offices and retail space) towering more than 600 metres.

?If you talk to architects, they say there are very few limits at this point in terms of how high a building can go,? says Kevin Brass, spokesperson for the council, an international clearing house on highrise information for architects, engineers and enthusiasts who get dizzy just trying to keep on top of what?s going up.

The kilometre-high Kingdom Tower planned for Saudi Arabia is set to overtake the UAE?s Burj Khalifa as the tallest in the world, but ?architects and engineers say they can go higher,? says Brass. ?The limits are really economics ? it becomes much more expensive the higher you go.?

Up until last December, the 40-year-old council?s top category was ?supertalls? ? the record number of buildings, 88 completed last year, that exceeded 300 metres. That number is expected to climb to 96 this year and hit 110 by 2013.

But seeing the trend swinging upwards even more, the council added mega-tall to its rating system last December for buildings over 600 metres. So far, there is just one in the world, Burj Khalifa, with almost 830 metres of soaring office, apartment and retail space.

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