地球上で最も高い建物
地球上で最も高い建物
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00:00Throughout human history, we've always pushed ourselves to build bigger and higher,
00:05from the biblical towers of Babel to the great pyramids of the ancient Egyptians.
00:10As technology has evolved with new building techniques and raw materials,
00:14over time we've increasingly pushed the limits of what's possible.
00:17Join me for today's video, because we're going to take a look at 15 of the tallest buildings throughout human history.
00:24Number 15. St. Paul's Cathedral, 1240-1311. 149 meters.
00:32St. Paul's Cathedral, in the British capital of London,
00:35was originally built over a 200-year period between 1087 and 1314.
00:40Officially dedicated to the Christian St. Paul,
00:43it's believed to have been the fourth church built in the area, and as you'll soon see, it wasn't the last.
00:48The cathedral has a history that was forged in fire.
00:51Work on the first St. Paul's Cathedral began after a fire destroyed the previous building,
00:55and the construction was delayed by another fire in the 12th century.
00:59It was first consecrated in 1240 AD, but work continued until its eventual completion in 1314.
01:06By that point, it was one of the longest churches in the world,
01:09as well as being one of the churches with the tallest spire.
01:12I'm going to be talking about spires in another of our videos,
01:15so keep your eyes peeled for that one if you haven't seen it already.
01:18Unfortunately, by the time that construction was complete,
01:21it was already superseded, as we'll get to in a moment.
01:24As if that wasn't bad enough, it went into decline,
01:27and its restoration was held back by the English Civil War.
01:30Then, while Christopher Wren was working on it,
01:32it went up in flames again during the Great Fire of London.
01:35It was eventually demolished and replaced with the St. Paul's Cathedral that we see today.
01:41Number 14. Lincoln Cathedral, 1311-1548, 159.7 meters.
01:48Lincoln Cathedral is the building that took over from St. Paul's as the tallest building in the world,
01:53and one of the interesting things about this one is that its construction began 15 years earlier than St. Paul's,
01:59as far back as 1072 AD.
02:02Also called the Lincoln Minister, St. Mary's Cathedral,
02:05and the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln.
02:08It's an English cathedral that's notable for its early Gothic design.
02:12It's also well-known for the fact that it's massive,
02:14and it held the record for the tallest building for over 200 years.
02:17It's also interesting because it's the only building on this list
02:20that didn't lose its title because another building was completed that was taller than it.
02:25Instead, the spire collapsed and was never rebuilt,
02:28which is a shame, because otherwise it would have retained the title for over 500 years,
02:32until around 1880.
02:34But even without the spire, this impressive cathedral was still easily big enough to take people's breath away.
02:40Today, it's the UK's fourth largest cathedral by floor area,
02:43and an iconic example of groundbreaking British architecture.
02:55Okay, it's time to head away from the United Kingdom,
02:57and over to Germany to visit St. Mary's Church,
03:00which took the overall title after the collapse of the spire at Lincoln Cathedral.
03:04This Lutheran church was built around 1300 AD in the north of Germany,
03:08and it actually held the title for much longer than this 20-year span suggests.
03:12Sort of.
03:13The next entry on our list will explain why that is,
03:16but until then, let's stick with St. Mary's.
03:18Measuring in at 151 meters,
03:21it's only a couple of meters shorter than the Lincoln Cathedral was at its tallest,
03:24and it certainly did a better job of standing the test of time.
03:28But even then, it wasn't without its challenges.
03:31The bell tower collapsed and was rebuilt,
03:33though it took a hundred years or so,
03:35and the steeple tower was also blown down in a storm.
03:38After it was rebuilt, it was struck by lightning and then burned down.
03:42You can still visit the church, but today it's only 104 meters tall,
03:46which still isn't bad.
03:47It gives a great view over Strasseln
03:49if you're brave enough to climb the 166 steps to the top of the bell tower,
03:53and you'll also get a great up-close and personal view of the bells themselves.
03:57Just be warned that it is a lot of hard work.
04:09Officially called the Cathedral of St. Peter of Beauvais,
04:12this Roman Catholic church can be found in the north of France.
04:15Even today, it's still a record holder
04:18thanks to it being the home of the world's highest Gothic choir.
04:22For this four-year period, the cathedral was the tallest building in the world,
04:25but unfortunately collapsed and remained unfinished.
04:28After the collapse, the title went back to St. Mary's Church until 1876.
04:32If you go and visit the Beauvais Cathedral today,
04:35you'll only be able to see the choir and the transept.
04:37The good news is that because the cathedral's nave was never built,
04:41the construction team never got around to demolishing
04:43what remains of an early cathedral from the 10th century.
04:46So it's not all doom and gloom,
04:48because a little bit of history still remains there.
04:51If nothing else, this cathedral is worth a visit still,
04:54because it contains some original stained-glass windows
04:56that date back as far as the 13th century.
04:59There's also a medieval clock that is believed to be
05:01the oldest still-functioning mechanical clock in the whole of Europe.
05:13After the collapse of the Beauvais Cathedral,
05:15St. Mary's Church took back its title,
05:17and it didn't see any major competition
05:19until the construction of the Cathedral in Rouen.
05:22It's known for its iconic towers,
05:24of which it has three and has many different styles.
05:27It's also of interest because it's another one of those cathedrals
05:30that took an impressively long time to reach completion,
05:33being built and rebuilt over and over again for more than 800 years.
05:37That's one of the reasons why it's home
05:39to such a fascinating mixture of architecture.
05:41And as if that wasn't enough,
05:43it's also known for being the subject of some Monet paintings.
05:46It's also the second building on this list
05:48where its height led to it being struck by lightning.
05:51In this case, it destroyed the original wood and lead spire
05:54that led to it being replaced with a new spire made from cast iron.
05:58Unfortunately, by the time it was officially completed,
06:00there was a new competitor that had taken the title.
06:03Rouen Cathedral has a few other claims to fame too,
06:06such as the fact that it's the final resting place
06:08of four of the Dukes of Normandy.
06:10And if you're lucky enough to pay the place a visit,
06:12you'll also be able to take a look at some of the original
06:14stained-glass windows that date all the way back to the 1200s.
06:26Okay, it's time to butcher some pronunciations.
06:28This time with the German name for this cathedral,
06:31Hohedomkirche St. Petrus.
06:33Yep, sorry about that one.
06:35This Catholic cathedral was named as a World Heritage Site
06:38in the 1990s, and with good reason.
06:4020,000 people visit it every day,
06:43making it Germany's most popular landmark.
06:45And it's still the tallest twin-spire church in the world,
06:48as well as the third tallest overall.
06:50You'll perhaps be unsurprised to learn
06:52that this thing took hundreds of years to build too.
06:55In fact, work started in 1248,
06:57but it ground to a halt in the 16th century
06:59and didn't restart until halfway through the 19th.
07:02It was eventually completed in 1880,
07:04adhering to the original construction plan.
07:06But it was almost too little, too late.
07:08It only remained on the number one spot for about a decade.
07:11But there's still plenty of other cool stuff
07:13to take a look at here,
07:14such as its black marble high altar,
07:16which dates back to 1322.
07:18It also houses the Shrine of the Three Kings,
07:20which is said to hold the worldly remains
07:22of the biblical Three Wise Men.
07:24And it's certainly true that when the shrine
07:26was opened in the 1800s,
07:28a lot of bones and clothes were found inside of it.
07:32Number 9. Umm Munster. 1890-1931. 161.5 meters.
07:39This is another German church,
07:41known locally as the Umm Munster.
07:43Even today, it holds the record
07:45as being the world's tallest church,
07:47with its steeple towering an incredible
07:49165.5 meters into the air.
07:52Stylistically, Umm Munster blends
07:54a few different influences together,
07:56bringing with it the Gothic style of the Middle Ages
07:58and spanning the centuries,
08:00up until its completion in 1890.
08:02From the top of its spire,
08:04you can see the Alps as well as part of Bavaria.
08:06Of course, to access that view,
08:08you need to undertake a hefty climb,
08:10in this case spanning nearly 800 steps
08:12to the top of the tower.
08:14There's also plenty of unique treasures to see,
08:16including medieval sculptures,
08:18a 16th century altar,
08:20medieval stained glass windows,
08:22and an organ that Mozart once played.
08:24Given that the Munster is located in Germany,
08:26you might not be surprised to hear
08:28that it was affected by the Second World War.
08:30But given its religious significance,
08:32perhaps it's a sign from above
08:34that we can still visit it.
08:36Just before Christmas in 1944,
08:38an air raid hit the city and wiped out
08:40almost everything except for the church.
08:448. Empire State Building
08:461931-1970
08:48380 meters
08:50Okay, we've finally reached the modern era.
08:52And as you might have noticed,
08:54this is the first building on our list
08:56as a place of worship.
08:58Coincidence? Probably not.
09:00Built in midtown Manhattan,
09:02and spanning over 100 floors,
09:04the Empire State Building is an iconic part
09:06of the New York City skyline,
09:08with an impressive height of over 380 meters.
09:10Or 443 if you counted spire and antenna.
09:12Completed nearly 10 years
09:14before the outbreak of the Second World War,
09:16it remained the world's tallest building
09:18until its title was taken over
09:20by another New York legend,
09:22the World Trade Center in 1970.
09:24Today, it's only the 7th tallest building
09:26in New York City,
09:28which just goes to show how the city
09:30has continued to grow skywards.
09:32It's also worth noting that it went up
09:34impressively quickly too,
09:36with construction starting in March 1930
09:38and the building officially opening
09:40the following May.
09:42Of course, it's also an iconic building
09:44with a stunning Art Deco design
09:46that ensures it's recognized by people
09:48from all over the world.
09:50That's also one of the reasons
09:52why it's so popular with people
09:54paying a visit every year.
09:56The American Society of Civil Engineers
09:58named it as one of the 7 wonders
10:00of the modern world.
10:027. Willis Tower
10:041974-1998
10:06442 meters
10:08We mentioned in our last entry
10:10that the Empire State Building
10:12lost its title to the World Trade Center
10:14in 1970. Unfortunately for New Yorkers,
10:16it would only retain the title
10:18for another 4 years
10:20which used to be called the Sears Tower.
10:22Located in Chicago,
10:24the Willis Tower has 108 stories
10:26and was the tallest building in the world
10:28until the late 90s,
10:30as well as the tallest in the Western Hemisphere
10:32until as recently as 2013.
10:34It also had the highest floor
10:36that was in occupation until earlier this year.
10:38The Willis Tower's
10:40observation deck is the highest of its kind
10:42in the United States,
10:44which is one of the reasons why over a million people
10:46visit it every year.
10:48Immediately, it also houses United Airlines,
10:50although it's not quite so tall
10:52that they can reach out and touch their planes
10:54from its windows.
10:56As you'd probably expect from such an iconic landmark,
10:58the Willis Tower is easily recognizable,
11:00though it's perhaps not quite as
11:02recognizable as the Empire State Building.
11:04And even though the name changed,
11:06most of the locals still call it the Sears Tower,
11:08showing just how much recognition
11:10the tower has earned in public perception.
11:146. Petronas Tower 1 and 2
11:161998 to 2004
11:18451.9 meters
11:22These two towers are 88 floors high
11:24and stretch nearly half a kilometer
11:26into the sky,
11:28earning themselves the accolade of the world's
11:30tallest twin skyscrapers
11:32even before the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
11:34Located in Kuala Lumpur
11:36in Malaysia,
11:38these epic towers were what held the title
11:40as we entered the new millennium.
11:42As you can imagine, you can see them
11:44pretty much anywhere in the sprawling city,
11:46and they're a popular destination for tourists
11:48and sightseers.
11:50Does the name Felix Baumgartner sound familiar?
11:52Well, he's the guy who set the new record
11:54by jumping to Earth from a helium balloon
11:56in the stratosphere in partnership with Red Bull.
11:58He did that in 2012,
12:00but 13 years earlier in April of 1999,
12:02he set another record
12:04for base jumping from a window cleaning crane
12:06at the Petronas Towers.
12:08French climber Alain Robert,
12:10who's nicknamed Spider-Man,
12:12climbed to the top of Tower 2
12:14using no safety equipment.
12:16One of the most iconic features of the Petronas Towers
12:18is the sky bridge that connects the two towers,
12:20spanning both the 41st
12:22and 42nd floors.
12:24It's the highest two-story bridge in the world
12:26and weighs an incredible 750 tons.
12:28It's open to around
12:301,000 visitors per day,
12:32offering some truly incredible views of the city.
12:365. Suzhou Zhongnan Center
12:38In construction,
12:40it's estimated to be 299.2 meters.
12:42We've finally reached the first of the buildings
12:44on our list that are still under construction.
12:46So if you try to pay this one a visit,
12:48then you're just going to find a building site,
12:50although it's admittedly near to the finish line
12:52and was initially due for completion last year.
12:54That's been now moved to 2025.
12:56It was also supposed to be
12:58much taller, stretching to a height
13:00of about 729 meters,
13:02but that had to be scaled back after the
13:04Chinese government instituted a ban
13:06on buildings taller than 500 meters.
13:08If they'd gone ahead with their plans,
13:10the tower would now be finished and would stand
13:12as the second tallest building in the world.
13:14Typical for a building of this size
13:16and scope, the center is due to support
13:18a variety of different businesses,
13:20from shopping malls and restaurants to
13:22offices, apartments, and hotels.
13:24The top floor was also due to house
13:26an observatory, but it's unclear
13:28as to whether that will still happen with the scaled
13:30back design. Unfortunately,
13:32the changing Chinese legislation
13:34isn't the only thing that's held this project
13:36back. It's also faced more than
13:38its fair share of money troubles and cutbacks,
13:40all of which combine to mean that
13:42a lot of people will be relieved when it
13:44finally comes to fruition and opens to
13:46the public.
13:48Number 4. Taipei 101.
13:502004-2009.
13:52508 meters.
13:54Taipei 101
13:56was originally called the
13:58Taipei World Financial Center,
14:00and it's a huge Taiwanese skyscraper
14:02that was the first building in the world to reach a height
14:04of half a kilometer.
14:06It was also the world's tallest building, but only
14:08for five years. You'll notice
14:10from the ever-decreasing timescales here
14:12that new records are being set all the time,
14:14and it seems as though as soon as one
14:16building takes the top spot, construction
14:18begins on another one, which aims to take
14:20the title. Still, there are a lot of
14:22cool things to talk about with this one,
14:24such as the fact that their elevators travel at over
14:2660 kilometers per hour,
14:28and can take people from the 5th floor to the
14:3089th floor in just 37 seconds.
14:32We're talking about an elevator ride
14:34that's so fast that it might leave you feeling
14:36a little travel-sick.
14:38Taipei 101 also features a unique
14:40design that's supposed to help it to withstand
14:42the earthquakes and storms that the region
14:44is known for. Given that it first
14:46opened in 2004 and is still standing
14:48strong, I'd say they did a pretty good job
14:50of that.
14:52Number 3. Golden Finance
14:54117, in construction.
14:56596.5 meters.
14:58Our second
15:00entry on this list is still under construction,
15:02and is interesting for a few different reasons.
15:04One of them is that it breaks the
15:06500 meter barrier, despite the fact that
15:08the Chinese law no longer allows the construction
15:10of buildings this tall.
15:12It got away with that because construction
15:14began way back in 2008, and
15:16it reached its present height in 2015.
15:18Unfortunately, it's also
15:20been plagued with difficulties,
15:22and construction of the building has ground to a stop
15:24on two different occasions.
15:26Part of that was because of the Great Recession,
15:28although it's unclear as to why
15:30it was never finished after the construction began
15:32again in 2011. The company
15:34that's behind its development now has taken
15:36all of the workers away, and just sort of
15:38left it. The building itself
15:40was specifically designed to look like a
15:42walking stick, and the goal was for it
15:44to be the tallest building with a flat roof.
15:46The plan was for it to be at the center
15:48of a larger development that would house
15:50high-end living spaces, entertainment
15:52venues, parks, and shopping centers.
15:54But it remains to be seen whether the development
15:56will ever come to fruition.
15:58Number 2.
16:00Burj Khalifa.
16:022009 to present.
16:04828 meters.
16:06The Burj Khalifa is the building that
16:08people would think of when asked to identify
16:10the tallest building throughout history.
16:12In part because it's the current
16:14world record holder. This Dubai-based
16:16skyscraper stretches over a half
16:18a mile into the sky, and towers
16:20over its rivals in a city that's
16:22already known for having tall buildings.
16:24One of the most impressive things about
16:26the Burj Khalifa is that it was built in just
16:28five years, with construction
16:30starting at approximately the same time as
16:32the Taipei 101 opened.
16:34Some of the steel for it was taken
16:36from the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin.
16:38It's also notable for
16:40serving a political purpose. The government
16:42of the UAE wanted to reduce its reliance
16:44on oil, in part because oil
16:46will inevitably run out.
16:48They also wanted the UAE to gain recognition
16:50on a global scale.
16:52The building itself was designed by the company
16:54that designed the Willis Tower, and the design
16:56was inspired by Islamic architecture.
16:58Like Taipei 101, it also
17:00had to be designed to withstand extreme weather
17:02events. In this case, the hot summers
17:04that Dubai is known for. Without that,
17:06there would have been a real risk that the world's
17:08tallest building would have ended up melting.
17:10Number 1.
17:12Jeddah Tower.
17:14In construction. 1000 meters.
17:16By now, it should be no
17:18surprise that there's another contender
17:20for the title of the world's tallest building.
17:22We can safely say that
17:24by the time that this one is completed,
17:26someone will already be trying to build something
17:28bigger. It always seems to happen that way.
17:30Based in the city of Jeddah
17:32in Saudi Arabia, the Jeddah Tower
17:34was originally called the Kingdom Tower
17:36and aims to be the first building in the world
17:38to break the one kilometer mark.
17:40It's also due to be the centerpiece
17:42of a new development called the Jeddah Economic
17:44City. Unfortunately,
17:46and perhaps predictably, it
17:48ran into difficulties during the construction
17:50and the project is currently on hold
17:52as it has been for the last 4
17:54years. We're yet to see
17:56whether it will ever get completed.
17:58Still, there's really nothing out there that can
18:00compete with the scope and ambition of this project.
18:02And if it ever reaches completion,
18:04then it will set a new benchmark for human
18:06construction and likely spark
18:08an arms race as other countries try
18:10to follow in its footsteps. Oh, and did
18:12I mention that you could also fit 7
18:14St. Paul's Cathedrals stacked on top of
18:16each other in the airspace that this thing will
18:18take up? No? Well, yeah,
18:20it does that too.
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