Hong Kong: The World Leader in Skyscrapers

When thinking of cities with the most skyscrapers, New York, Chicago, or Dubai often come to mind. However, Hong Kong tops the list with 569 buildings exceeding 150 meters (492 feet) tall. This far outpaces New York City, which has over 320 such towers, based on data from the Council on Vertical Urbanism. The council classifies a ‘tall building’ as one typically over 14 stories or 50 meters (164 feet) in height, a threshold significantly surpassed by Hong Kong’s skyscrapers, transforming it into one of the most vertically dense urban landscapes globally.

Hong Kong’s skyline features 102 structures over 200 meters (656 feet) and six ‘supertall’ towers exceeding 300 meters (984 feet). The total number of buildings over 150 meters in Hong Kong nearly doubles that of New York City and far surpasses Chicago, the birthplace of the first-ever skyscraper, which has 137 such buildings.

The competition among cities like Hong Kong, New York, and Dubai to construct taller buildings is growing. This vertical expansion brings environmental challenges. According to the World Green Building Council, buildings and construction contribute to 39 percent of global energy-related carbon emissions, with 28 percent from operational energy use and 11 percent from materials and construction.

‘Upfront carbon’ emissions occur before a building is occupied, during material extraction, manufacturing, and construction. The World Green Building Council warns that upfront carbon could make up half of the total carbon footprint of new construction by 2050 as global building stocks are anticipated to double.

Recently, Gordon Gill, the architect behind the Jeddah Tower, the world’s tallest building, highlighted the issue of embodied carbon, which are emissions released during the lifecycle of building products that reside within buildings’ structural systems. Gill noted that most of the embodied carbon exists primarily in the infrastructure and the structure of these towers, which are often unseen.

This situation creates a challenge for cities aiming to build taller towers. The need for greater density must be balanced with efforts to reduce emissions and redesign high-rise buildings smartly.

A City Built Upward

Hong Kong’s proliferation of skyscrapers stems from its geographical and economic conditions. Architect James von Klemperer, president at global architectural firm KPF, clarified that the preference for high-rise buildings over the past fifty years is mainly due to two factors: limited land availability because of topographical constraints and rising demand for building space triggered by economic growth.

About 25 percent of Hong Kong’s land is developed, with the rest preserved as protected nature reserves. This commitment has driven the city to expand vertically, allowing residents to remain close to nature.

Hong Kong’s development as an international market city further fueled its growth, serving as a gateway between China and the world. This accelerated the expansion in office, residential, and retail spaces, which initiated the skyscraper boom in the 1970s and gained momentum in the following decades.

Engineer John Peronto, managing principal at Thornton Tomasetti, compared Hong Kong to early Chicago, where land constraints similarly led to vertical construction. According to Peronto, the dense conditions essentially mandated upward construction as the best use of available land.

Lessons for Other Cities

Hong Kong’s model is not easily emulated despite its global influence. James von Klemperer emphasized that while designing knowledge gained from one city can inform efforts in another, replicating innovative architecture without modifications is ill-advised.

Cities must consider factors like climate, cultural habits, and natural force vulnerabilities to tailor high-rise designs to local conditions, a lesson learned from Hong Kong’s development as the most vertical city worldwide.