Up-and-Coming Tall Buildings

These FIVE towers around the world, some in planning and others approaching completion, project ambition in scale and form.

I-Marina One, Singapore

A large urban park surrounds the high-density, mixed-use Marina One towers by Ingenhoven Architects. Located in Singapore’s Marina Bay financial district and opening later this year, the project comprises four towers—two residential, two office, of 34 and 30 stories respectively. The volumes converge in a lush public garden space at the buildings’ core. The residential towers contain more than 1,000 units, ranging from one-bedrooms to family penthouses. The entire complex incorporates natural ventilation, water catchment and reuse, and photovoltaic systems; the office towers have achieved LEED Platinum precertification.

II-American Copper, New York

Connecting the two glass-and-copper-clad towers of SHoP Architects' new residential high-rise in Manhattan, a 100-foot-long glass sky bridge—complete with a 75-foot-long indoor lap pool—floats 300 feet above the ground. The 41- and 48-story volumes of the K-shaped building, which is slated for completion by fall 2017, contain more than 760 rental units with up to three bedrooms. Residents will have access to such amenities as a double-height fitness center with a rock-climbing wall, Turkish bath, spa, juice bar, and an infinity pool on the roof deck.

III-Mahanakhon, Bangkok

A three-dimensional ribbon of glass “pixels” wraps around the facade of Büro Ole Scheeren’s new 77-story tower. The building, which broke ground in the summer of 2011 and is almost complete, will contain more than 200 luxury residential units in addition to a boutique hotel, seven floors of retail space, and an observation deck. With a height of 1,031 feet, it is the tallest building in Thailand.

IV-Leeza Soho, Beijing

In the new Fengtai Financial District of China’s capital city, a 46-story tower by Zaha Hadid Architects is rising. The mixed-use building straddles a subway tunnel dividing the site and gently twists around the 623-foot atrium—said to be the world’s tallest—at its core. Slated for completion in December 2018, the almost 2 million-square-foot building is aiming for LEED Gold certification and is the firm’s fourth project for the developer, SOHO China, to date.

V-Lotte World Tower, Seoul

Just last month, a 123-story tower by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates opened in South Korea, becoming the tallest building in the country and fifth-tallest in the world. The 1,823-foot-tall tower is the firm’s first for Lotte and is slated for LEED Gold certification. Clad in silvery glass, the sleek, tapered building contains office, hotel, and retail space, as well as high-end residential units. The top 10 floors will house public facilities, including an observation deck and rooftop café.

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