One of the greatest things about city life is seeing all the different kinds of buildings there are. Every time you travel to a new country and go to a very popular city, you will see anything from a stadium, a skyscraper, a tower, and more. Many of the buildings are considered special landmarks of the area and that’s why it’s so interesting to go to different ones and learn about them.
Of course, buildings are huge and a lot is used to make them. Buildings cost a lot of money and the higher up they go, or the more materials that are used, the more they can cost. Depending on the height and landmark buildings will need a deep foundation that also costs a lot of money. Also, the landmark properties might be a huge factor in how much of an investment the foundation will be for a big and impressive building.
In this article, we’ll be writing about 21 of the world’s most expensive buildings: Masjid al-Haram, Abraj Al Bait, Marina Bay Sands, Australian Parliament House, Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, One World Trade Center, Wynn Resort, The Venetian Macao, City of Dreams, Antilia, Bellagio, Princess Tower, Bank of China Tower, The Palazzo, Taipei 101, Trump Taj Mahal, Wembley Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Petronas Twin Towers, Seat of the European Central Bank and Burj Khalifa.
21. Burj Khalifa
Last but not least, we have the Burj Khalifa which is located in the United Arab Emirates city, Dubai. It beat Taipei 101 in the list of world’s tallest buildings since 2009 standing at 2,717 feet tall.
It took a little over five years for the building to be complete. Construction started on January 6, 2004 and ended on December 30, 2009. It opened shortly after on January 4, 2010.
20. Seat of the European Central Bank
Taking four years to complete from Spring 2010 to October 2014, the finished European Central Bank, which opened on March 18, 2015, can be found in the east side of Frankfurt, located in Germany.
It cost $1.57 billion to build and was built by Coop Himmelb(l)au. The building actually consists of two towers, North and South. The North tower is 45 stories and is 607 feet tall while the South tower is 43 stories and is 541 feet tall.
19. Petronas Twin Towers
Also known as just the Patrons Towers, these two skyscrapers that are a landmark in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia cost $1.16 billion to build. From 1998 to 2004, they were the tallest buildings worldwide until Taipei 101 took its spot.
Fortunately, they are still considered the tallest twin skyscrapers today. It took three years to build these towers starting March 1, 1993 and ending exactly three years later on March 1, 1996. They were remodeled a year later on January 1.
18. Yankee Stadium
For baseball and soccer fans, the Yankee Stadium opening in the Bronx in New York City April 16, 2009 was a blessing. This stadium, which cost $1.50 billion to make, is the New York Yankee’s home.
Designed by Populous, this new stadium replaced the original one and the designers made sure to leave some of that original feel in the remake.
The materials used for the outside were limestone from Indiana, granite, and concrete. The inside is very much inspired by the original stadium, keeping a replica of the frieze that was the original’s trademark.
17. Wembley Stadium
On March 9, 2007, a football stadium in Wembley, London, England was born for a construction total of $1.50 billion. It replaced the original Wembley Stadium that ended up being torn down between 2002 and 2003.
Due to being able to seat 90,000 people, Wembley is the biggest stadium in all of the United Kingdom and the second biggest in all of Europe. The stadium is owned by the The Football Association and was designed by Foster and Parents.
16. Trump Taj Mahal
On April 2, 1990 this casino located in Atlantic City, New Jersey opened to the general public. It’s owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts, designed by Francis Xavier Dumont, and cost $1.10 billion to be built.
As the name of the place suggests, it has a Taj Mahal feel to it. It has a total of 2,010 rooms and has one of the largest poker rooms with around 25 tables for tournaments and 50 ordinary tables.
15. Taipei 101
What used to be known as the Taipei World Financial Center is now known as Taipei 101 since 2003. Costing $1.80 to build, it was the world’s tallest building standing at 1,670 feet until Burj Khalifa in Dubai was built in 2009.
The financial center was built by KTRT Joint Venture and Samsung C&T, designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners, and owned by the Taipei Financial Center Corporation. Like the Antilia, the building is designed to endure a strong earthquake as well as typhoons. Construction began in 1999 and ended in 2004. The building opened to the public on December 31, 2004.
14. The Palazzo
Between the Wynn Resort and the Venetian in Las Vegas resides the Palazzo, yet another luxury hotel and resort. Designed by HKS, Inc., it also has an Italian feel like the Bellagio.
For a total cost of $1.8 billion, the Palazzo is the tallest finished building in Nevada standing at 643 feet tall.
13. Bank of China Tower
In Hong Kong, China, the Bank of China Tower is one of the most well known buildings in the country. It’s owned by the Bank of China and designed by I. M. Pei & Partners, Sherman Kung & Associates Architects Ltd., Thomas Boada S.L. Construction went on for a total of five years, starting April 18, 1985 and completing in 1990.
The grand opening was later that year. The Bank of China Tower is number four on the list of Hong Kong’s tallest skyscrapers. The cost to built the tower was a total of $1 billion.
12. Princess Tower
The Princess Tower, located in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is a skyscraper intended for only residents to live in.
Designed by Adnan Saffarini, it has 107 floors (this includes 6 basement floors), 763 apartments, 957 parking lots which are underground, and 8 retail stores.
This was all created for a total of $2.17 billion. After being completed, it opened in 2012.
11. Bellagio
Bellagio, a place with an Italian feel, is another casino, fancy hotel, and resort on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas. It lives on the same spot the Dunes casino and hotel did before it was demolished on October 27, 1993.
With DeRuyter Butler and Atlandia Design on the team, construction came to a total of $1.6 billion. Inside are at least four signature attractions and at least nine restaurants that are considered the best.
It has almost 4,000 rooms, a poker room, beautiful seasonal gardens on display, and more. Its grand opening was October 15, 1998.
10. Antilia
Unlike the previous nine buildings mentioned that are business oriented, the Antilia is a building that is actually a private home.
It’s located in South Mumbai and is owned by Mukesh Ambani who keeps six hundred people as staff to keep the place at its best.
At $2 billion, it is the world’s priciest private home. Designed by Chicago’s Perkins & Will, the home stands at 568 feet tall. After completion, it was open on February 5. One of the best things about this building is that it’s designed to withstand an earthquake of eight magnitude.
9. City of Dreams
City of Dreams, owned by Melco Crown Entertainment and designed by Arquitectonica, is another casino residing in Macau, China and is right across from the Venetian Macao. It is the second building if its size to exist in the country.
The total cost of construction was a total of $2.4 billion and at 538 feet tall, the building consists of 47 floors and features over two hundred shopping options, over twenty bars and restaurants, and more. Its opening day was June 1, 2009.
8. The Venetian Macao
The Venetian Macao is another high end casino and resort owned by Las Vegas Sands. It currently resides in Macau, China.
For a total of $2.4 billion, this hotel is 39 stories, has 3,000 suites, 800 tables for gambling, 3,400 slot machines, and more. This casino is the largest one in the world. In Asia, it is the biggest single structure hotel in the continent.
7. Wynn Resort (Wynn Las Vegas)
Owned by Wynn Resorts Limited, this casino and luxury resort opened in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 25, 2005, the same day as Elaine Wynn’s birthday. After construction was completed, the total bill ran up to $2.70 billion.
The resort has 2,716 rooms, two gyms, a pool, a hot tub, and more. The design team consisted of Butler/Ashworth Architects and Jerde Partnership.
6. One World Trade Center
The One World Trade Center has many names including 1 WTC, One WTC, and 1 World Trade Center. Finished in July 2013, it holds records for being the sixth tallest building on the planet and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
Construction began on April 27, 2006 and was done in July 2013 with a total cost of $3.9 billion, but it wasn’t until November 3, 2014 that it had its grand opening. The WTC stands at 541 metres (or 1,775 feet) tall.
5. Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
This luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip took a total of $3.90 billion to build. Owned by The Blackstone Group, it opened on December 15, 2010.
The team designing the hotel and casino were Friedmutter Group, the architects, and Arquitectonica, the designers.
The building is actually multiple buildings with two high rise towers, the Cosmopolitan Casino Beach Club Tower, and the Cosmopolitan Casino Spa Tower.
Inside are almost three thousand hotels rooms, casino, retail stores, restaurants, nightclub, and three different kinds of pools. Cosmopolitan is also known as its nickname, Cosmo.
4. Australian Parliament House
Owned by the Australian government, the Parliament House was designed by Romaldo Giurgola of Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects and cost $1.1 billion to complete. Construction began in 1981 and was completed in 1988, officially opening on May 9th of that year.
The structure’s design was inspired by boomerangs. Its height is 107 metres (or 351 feet) tall. It has 4,700 rooms and the general public is allowed to go into most of them. The chamber of House of Representatives is green and the Senate’s chamber is red.
3. Marina Bay Sands
The Marina Bay Sands is a resort in Marina Bay, Singapore, that opened on June 23, 2010.
Designed by Moshe Safdie and owned by Las Vegas Sands for $5.50 billion, this building has a pool 150 metres long and sits on three towers that are fifty five stories high, 2,561 rooms, free WiFi, flat screen television, a mini bar, free breakfast, and is less than a three minute walk from public transportation.
The resort was originally supposed to open a year earlier in 2009, however, due to costs being more than expected, construction had to be delayed for a little while.The official grand opening of the Marina Bay Sands was February 17, 2011.
2. Abraj Al Bait
Also residing in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Abraj Al Bait, or Makkah Royal Clock Tower, opened in 2012, eight years after construction started in 2004.
The building is known as a skyscraper that is owned by the Saudi Arabian government. It was created as part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project, a project to make the city more modern.
The building stands at 601 metres (or 1,972 feet) tall and is able to hold 120 floors and 96 elevators. The original plan was to make it 734 meters (or 2,408 feet) tall, but in 2009, the plan to make it the height it currently is today was finalized. It was built with materials such as steel, concrete, glass, and marble. The architect for this building was Dar Al-Handasah.
The cost of construction was fifteen billion dollars.
1. Masjid al-Haram
1,378 years ago in 638 AD, the Masjid al-Haram was built for people of Islam to come and pray. The name literally translates to “the sacred mosque”. It is also known as three other names: Grand Mosque, Great Mosque of Mecca, and Sacred Mosque.
Residing in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, this building is the largest mosque in the entire world. It’s 420 metres (or 1,380 feet) high, has two floors, and is able to hold 900,000 people until it’s at full capacity.
In terms of land coverage, it covers about 88.2 acres of land, all of which includes the indoor and outdoor praying spots. It was built by the Saudi Bin Laden Group and is currently owned by the Saudi Arabian government.
The cost of construction was over one hundred billion dollars.