Dubai, CN Tower

CN TowerSize comparisons For more details on analysis of the tallest man-made structures, see World's tallest structures. [edit] Comparisons to other notable structures The CN Tower's height compared to that of the Burj Dubai in September 2007The CN Tower is approximately: 76 metres (249 ft) shorter than the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota (although it is not a self-supporting structure) 57 metres (187 ft) shorter than the Petronius Oil Platform in the Gulf of Mexico (although since part of the platform is underwater, it is not considered taller) 51 metres (167 ft) shorter than the Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (as of March 2008) 12 metres taller than the expected height of the Freedom Tower 13 metres (43 ft) taller than the antenna of the Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Russia 26 metres (85 ft) taller than the antennae of the Sears Tower in Chicago 44 metres (144 ft) taller than the spire of Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan 85 metres (279 ft) taller than the antenna of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai 104 metres (341 ft) taller than the antenna of the Empire State Building in New York City 227 metres (745 ft) taller that the antenna of the Vilnius TV tower in Vilnius, Lithuania 229 metres (751 ft) taller than the antenna of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France There are currently six proposals for towers whose final heights are to exceed the CN Tower's,[15] four of which are currently under construction. At the forefront is the Burj Dubai which surpassed the CN Tower in height in September 2007. The developers of Burj Dubai have kept the final planned height and number of stories a secret, but they have announced that it would stop somewhere above 2,684 feet (818.1 m). In North America, the Chicago Spire's height is currently planned to exceed CN Tower's height, currently planned at 2,000 feet (609.6 m).[16] The Freedom Tower, which is under construction in New York City is expected to be 12 m (39 ft) shorter in order to make the tower 1776 ft tall (1776 was the year the United States declared independence). Two other structures, the Russia Tower being built in Moscow, Russia, and the Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower, being built in Guangzhou, China, are also expected to be taller that the CN Tower when completed, with the structures having expected final heights of 612 m (2,008 ft) and 610 m (2,001 ft), respectively. [edit] Controversy over the "World's Tallest" title Guinness World Records has called the CN Tower "The world's tallest self-supporting tower" and "the world's tallest free-standing tower".[17][18] Although Guinness did list this description of the CN Tower under the heading "tallest building" at least once[18], it has also listed it under "tallest tower", omitting it from its list of "tallest buildings."[17] In 1996, Guinness World Records officially changed the CN Tower's classification to "World's Tallest Building and Freestanding Structure". Today, the Guinness World Records state the CN Tower as the "Tallest Freestanding Tower," because the Petronius Platform oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico is taller at 2,001 feet (609.9 m), yet most of the rig is underwater, earning it the title of tallest free-standing structure in the world. Emporis and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat both list the CN Tower as the world's tallest free-standing structure on land, and specifically state that the CN Tower is not a true building, thereby awarding the title of world's tallest building to Taipei 101, which is 44 metres (144 ft) shorter than the CN Tower.[19][20] The tower's official web site, however, unequivocally claims it is the "world's tallest building".[21] Although the CN Tower contains a restaurant, a gift shop and multiple observation levels, it does not have floors continuously from the ground, and therefore it is not considered a building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Emporis, or any other architectural authorities. The CTBUH defines a building as "a structure that is designed for residential, business, or manufacturing purposes. An essential characteristic of a building is that it has floors."[20] The CN Tower and other similar structures, such as the Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Russia, the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France are categorized as "towers", which are free-standing structures which may have observation decks and a few other habitable levels, but do not have floors from the ground up. The CN Tower is the tallest tower by this definition.[19