Dubai recently broke the record of having the world's tallest free-standing tower, but the Tokyo Sky Tree Tower comes up as a close second. The huge building will open this year on May 22 to be the second tallest free-standing broadcasting tower in the world. It stands at 634-meters and is only 194 meters shorter than the 828-meter Murj Khalifa in Dubai.
The tower's construction cost is a staggering $815 million. It's constructed by the Tobu Railway Group and the structure's main purpose is for transmission of digital terrestrial broadcasting.
After last year's major earthquake in Japan, the Tokyo Sky Tree Tower looks like a potential collapse, but it's designed to withstand up to a 7.0 magnitude shaking. It's a beautiful tower, but it's also a bit unsettling to know that it's positioned over four tectonic plates.
Photo Credits: designboom, tokyo-skytree.jp
Earthquake-Proof Super Skyscrapers (UPDATE)
The Tokyo Sky Tree Tower Reaches for the Heavens
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