Image Credit; Fadi El Benni
If you get lost easily, then these largest buildings in the world are not recommended. If however you appreciate modern design and engineering feats, you’ll be in your element.
1. Abraj Al Bait Towers, Saudi Arabia – Opened in 2012, the Abraj Al Bait Towers (pictured above), aka Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, is located in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The building was constructed on the site of an 18th century Ottoman citadel and the new structure has 2 helipads, a 20 storey shopping mall and enough room to comfortably house 100,000 people! And with 1.5m square meters (16.1m sq. feet) of floor space, this is the largest building in the world! As you’d expect from the city that brought us the Masjid al Haram (the largest mosque in the world), the Abraj Al Bait Towers also smashes several other records including; ‘tallest clock tower in the world’ and second tallest building in the world (after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai).
2. Dubai International Airport Terminal 3, Dubai, UAE – Home to the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world), Dubai also boasts the largest building by floor space; terminal 3 of the international airport. Opened in October 2008, terminal 3 cost a reported 4.5 billion USD and was exclusively for the use of Emirates airliners. In total the largest airport terminal in the world covers 1.5m square meters (16.1m sq. feet).
3. CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand – The phrase ‘shop ‘til you drop’ could have been invented for CentralWorld, but this is only the third largest mall in the world (after 2 in China). Located on the Ratchadamri Road in central Bangkok, CentralWorld is a combination of shopping plaza and business offices, covering 1m sq. meters (11m sq. feet). Opened in 1990, the center has been added to over the years and the mall element features many well-known Western and Asian stores.
4. Aalsmeer Flower Auction, the Netherlands – Boasting unrivalled flower power is the huge Aalsmeer Flower Auction, which covers 990,000 sq. meters (10.6m sq. feet) of floor space. Aalsmeer is located in North Holland and 20 million flowers are traded here every day from all over the world.
5. Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3, Beijing, China – Just getting pipped to the post for the world’s largest airport terminal is Beijing International Airport. Covering 986,000 sq. m (10.6m sq. feet) the terminal was built to handle the extra tourism that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games generated. The Chinese airport also added a third runway and a rail link into central Beijing.
6. The Venetian, Macau, China – If whiling away a few hours at a world-class casino is your thing, then you’ll be in your element at Macau’s Venetian Hotel and Casino. Macau is an island that is a former Portuguese colony (just a few miles from Hong Kong) and has established itself as the biggest gambling destination in the world – surpassing even Las Vegas! In fact, based on revenue, Macau handled three times more than Las Vegas last year. The Venetian itself is absolutely huge and well worth a visit just to gawp at the 40 storey structure. Covering 980,000 sq. m (10.5m sq. feet) The Venetian Macao is the largest casino in the world and was modelled on the Las Vegas Venetian. Opened in 2007, there are 3,000 suites and 3,400 slot machines and a 15,000 capacity events arena.
7. Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The 48 storey, twin towered Berjaya Times Square rises to 203 m (666 ft) and is also the seventh largest building in the world, covering some 700,000 sq. m (7.5, sq. feet). Made up of a shopping center, office space and leisure facilities, Berjaya Times Square has over 1,000 stores, 1,200 services suites and 65 food stores in addition to a cinema and themepark.
With so many fantastic looking buildings around the world it’s hard to choose which one is the best. Even closer to home in places such as London there are some amazing building. Famous ones such as the Shard and the Gherkin have change the London skyline beyond recognition but there are many other architectural gems around London, such as Holland Park and Great Ormond Hospital – both from Newtecnic.
