If the Great Pyramid were to be built today, it would cost between 1.1 and 1.3 billion US dollars, according to a cost estimate by the Turner Construction Company—not surprising, considering how that is roughly the same amount of money that it took to build the Trump Taj Mahal or the Petronas Twin Towers. Complicated structural requirements, delayed work timelines, complex building programs, the need for good earthquake or typhoon proofing, the use of advanced mechanical and electronic systems, and costly materials and finishes can all add up to the eventual cost. But sometimes—and especially in cases in which governments or powerful clients set out to beat existing records such as the “tallest building in the world”—money is spent for no real reason except for an unabashed display of wealth, power or strength.
Emporis, the renowned global provider for building data, has compiled a list of the top 200 money-guzzlers from recent years, and not surprisingly, a lot of high-rises have made the list. Read on to see the top 20.
1. One World Trade Center, New York City ($3.9 billion)
2. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi ($3 billion)
3. Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest ($3 billion)
4. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas ($2.7 billion)
5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion)
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6. The Venetian Macao, Macau ($2.4 billion)
7. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide ($2.1 billion)
8. Goldman Sachs Headquarters, New York City ($2.1 billion)
9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion)
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10. The Shard, London ($1.9 billion)
11. Taipei 101, Taipei ($1.76 billion)
12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion)
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13. CapitaGreen, Singapore ($1.4 billion)
14. Kyoto Station, Kyoto ($1.25 billion)
15. Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles ($1.2 billion)
16. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg ($1,027,510,000)
17. New United States Embassy, London ($1 billion – predicted)
18. Mercury City Tower, Moscow ($1 billion)
19. Niagara Falls Hilton Phase 2, Niagara Falls ($1 billion)
20. Bank of America Tower, New York City ($1 billion)
You can also visit Emporis to see the full list of the world's 200 most expensive buildings.
