List of tallest buildings in the British Empire and the Commonwealth

The title of tallest building in the British Empire (later in the Commonwealth) has been contested since the late nineteenth century. In this era the nations of the British Empire possessed a large measure of cultural unity and naturally looked to each other for comparison and competition. This was evident in the displays at Queen Victoria's silver and diamond jubilees and in the creation of the British Empire Games in 1930 (later the Commonwealth Games). A similar phenomenon occurred in the world of architecture and civics. Local boosters in cities and regions across the Empire covered the title of "greatest", "biggest", "largest" or "best" in the Empire.

This boosterism was concentrated in Canada where desire to claim the title spurned a race between cities and builders between 1905 and 1931.[1]

In general the boosters focused on commercial buildings, as claiming the title was part of marketing the building to potential renters (and the city to the wider world). They conveniently ignored much taller non-commercial buildings such as St Paul's Cathedral which stands 111 metres (364 ft) and was consecrated in 1708, or Victoria Tower in the Palace of Westminster which was built in 1855 and measures 98.5 metres (323 ft). The Commonwealth of Nations slowly evolved out of the British Empire over decades, but the 1931 Statute of Westminster is often used as a dividing point. During the twentieth century the title was held primarily by Canadian buildings. Since the 1990s, however Asian buildings have held the title.

Height restrictions have much to do with this list. Until the 1960s, London, the capital of the Empire, had especially strict height maxima to preserve the views of historic structures. Until the late 1920 Montreal limited all buildings to a maximum of 10 stories,[2] and it still limits buildings to less than the sea-level elevation of Mont Royal. Since 1989 Vancouver restricted buildings from blocking the North Shore Mountains, creating a practical upper limit of around 137 meters, until 1997 when seven sites were pre-selected for taller buildings as exceptions to the rule.[3] Singapore limits all buildings to below 280 meters because of the proximity of Singapore Changi Airport.

The International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong is not included because it was built after Hong Kong left the Commonwealth.

The list also excludes Toronto's CN Tower as there is debate as to whether it is technically a building, or just a structure.

Tallest buildings in the Commonwealth

YearsBuilding (original name)CityRegionCountryHeightFloorsImage
2018-present The Exchange 106Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur Federal Territory Malaysia492 m (1,614 ft) at completion
(450 m at present)		106
1998–2018 Petronas Twin TowersKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur Federal Territory Malaysia379 m (1,243 ft) (452 m with spires)88
1997-1998 First Canadian PlaceTorontoOntario Canada298 m (978 ft) (355 m with antenna)72
1992-1997[nb 1] Central PlazaCentral Hong Kong309 m (1,014 ft)(374 m with spire) 78
1990-1992 Bank of China TowerCentral Hong Kong305 m (1,001 ft)(367 m with spire) 72
1975-1990 First Canadian PlaceTorontoOntario Canada298 m (978 ft) (355 m with antenna)72
1972-1975 Commerce Court WestTorontoOntario Canada239 m (784 ft)57
1967-1972 Toronto-Dominion CentreTorontoOntario Canada223 m (732 ft)56
1964-1967 Tour de la BourseMontrealQuebec Canada190 m (620 ft)47
1962-1964 Royal Bank TowerMontrealQuebec Canada188 m (617 ft)47 (originally 44)
1962 CIBC BuildingMontrealQuebec Canada187 m (614 ft)45
1931-1962 Canadian Bank of Commerce TowerTorontoOntario Canada145 m (476 ft)34

Tallest buildings in the Empire

YearsBuilding (original name)CityRegionCountryHeightFloorsImage
1930-1931 Canadian Bank of Commerce TowerTorontoOntario Canada145 m (476 ft)34
1929-1930 Royal York HotelTorontoOntario Canada124 m (407 ft)28
1928-1929 Royal Bank BuildingMontrealQuebec Canada119 m (390 ft)22
1911-1928 Royal Liver BuildingLiverpoolUnited Kingdom UK98 m (322 ft)13
1905-1910 Trader's Bank BuildingTorontoOntario Canada54 m (177 ft)}15

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Hong Kong's link to the Commonwealth was severed after the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 1997.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/skyscrapers
  2. ↑ http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=city&lng=3&id=montreal-canada
  3. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
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