The World's Most Expensive Buildings

If the Great Pyramid were to be built today, it would cost between 1.1 and 1.3 billion US dollars, according to a cost estimate by the Turner Construction Company—not surprising, considering how that is roughly the same amount of money that it took to build the Trump Taj Mahal or the Petronas Twin Towers. Complicated structural requirements, delayed work timelines, complex building programs, the need for good earthquake or typhoon proofing, the use of advanced mechanical and electronic systems, and costly materials and finishes can all add up to the eventual cost. But sometimes—and especially in cases in which governments or powerful clients set out to beat existing records such as the “tallest building in the world”—money is spent for no real reason except for an unabashed display of wealth, power or strength.

Emporis, the renowned global provider for building data, has compiled a list of the top 200 money-guzzlers from recent years, and not surprisingly, a lot of high-rises have made the list. Read on to see the top 20.

1. One World Trade Center, New York City ($3.9 billion)

1. One World Trade Center, New York City ($3.9 billion). Image © James Ewing

2. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi ($3 billion)

2. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi ($3 billion). Image © Flickr user Guilhem Vellut licensed under CC BY 2.0

3. Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest ($3 billion)

3. Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest ($3 billion). Image © Flickr user Dennis Jarvis licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

4. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas ($2.7 billion)

4. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas ($2.7 billion). Image © Flickr user Jim G licensed under CC BY 2.0

5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion)

5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion). Image © Connie Zhou

6. The Venetian Macao, Macau ($2.4 billion)

6. The Venetian Macao, Macau ($2.4 billion). Image © Flickr user Melv_L - MACASR licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

7. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide ($2.1 billion)

7. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide ($2.1 billion). Image © Wikimedia user Sandyx99 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

8. Goldman Sachs Headquarters, New York City ($2.1 billion)

8. Goldman Sachs Headquarters, New York City ($2.1 billion). Image © Wikimedia user Beyond My Ken licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion)

9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion). Image © Wikimedia user Alex Proimos licensed under CC BY 2.0

10. The Shard, London ($1.9 billion)

10. The Shard, London ($1.9 billion). Image © Eric Smerling

11. Taipei 101, Taipei ($1.76 billion)

11. Taipei 101, Taipei ($1.76 billion). Image © Flickr user Yu-Ching Chu licensed under CC BY 2.0

12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion)

12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion). Image Courtesy of SOM

13. CapitaGreen, Singapore ($1.4 billion)

13. CapitaGreen, Singapore ($1.4 billion). Image © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, via Wikimedia

14. Kyoto Station, Kyoto ($1.25 billion)

14. Kyoto Station, Kyoto ($1.25 billion). Image © Flickr user Gavin Anderson licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

15. Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles ($1.2 billion)

15. Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles ($1.2 billion). Image © Wikimedia user Fredchang931124 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

16. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg ($1,027,510,000)

16. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg ($1,027,510,000). Image © Iwan Baan

17. New United States Embassy, London ($1 billion – predicted)

17. New United States Embassy, London ($1 billion – predicted). Image © Wikimedia user Curran2 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

18. Mercury City Tower, Moscow ($1 billion)

18. Mercury City Tower, Moscow ($1 billion). Image© Wikimedia user A.Savin licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

19. Niagara Falls Hilton Phase 2, Niagara Falls ($1 billion)

19. Niagara Falls Hilton Phase 2, Niagara Falls ($1 billion). Image © Wikimedia user Domenic Scaturchio licensed under CC BY 2.0

20. Bank of America Tower, New York City ($1 billion)

20. Bank of America Tower, New York City ($1 billion). Image Courtesy of Cook+Fox Architects

You can also visit Emporis to see the full list of the world's 200 most expensive buildings.

About this author
Cite: Zoya Gul Hasan. "The World's Most Expensive Buildings" 25 Oct 2017. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/881766/the-worlds-most-expensive-buildings> ISSN 0719-8884

造价大比拼!世界最昂贵的建筑物排名揭晓

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