Dubai is home to yet another record breaking tower. The US$ 270 billion Infinity Tower in Dubai Marina, the world's tallest tower featuring a 90-degree twist, has been completed during 7 year and inaugurated on June 10. The 75-storey tower is approximately 307 meters high, which makes it the highest twisted tower in the entire world. Dubai is already home to the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa (828 meters), the world's highest residential tower Princess Tower (414 meters) and the world's highest hotel building JW Marriott Marquis (355 meters). Infinity Tower has been designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the firm behind Burj Khalifa. Thanks to its 90 degree curve from top to bottom, residents will have panoramic views of the Palm Jumeirah or Dubai Marina. Although the tower will twist similar to the Turning Torso in Malmo, Sweden, which is series of cantilevered plates rotates about a straight structure; Infinity Tower's has much larger floor plates that require the structure to be twisted as it rose from level to level. Each floor is rotated by 1.2 degrees to achieve the full 90-degree spiral, creating the shape of a helix. The tower will have studios to penthouses, conference rooms, tennis courts, pools, gymnasiums, a nursery and a spa. A total of 68 units are listed for sale with prices ranging between US$ 4000-5800 per square meter.

As soon as 2014, the Burj Khalifa may no longer be the tallest building in the world. Sky City, a planned 220-story prefab tower in Changsha, China, will soon claim that title. According to Lloyd Alter at Treehugger, Broad Sustainable Building, the company behind the tower, will begin construction on the prefab behemoth this June. The energy-efficient skyscraper will literally house an entire city using just 10 percent of the site area, and it could serve as a model for sustainable urban development of the future. Sky City will be prefabricated off site in three months, and it will then be assembled in just seven months. Reaching up 838 meters, the 220-floor tower will feature residential, office space, organic farms, recreation spaces, schools, a hospital retail and much more. The tower will house 4,450 families in apartments ranging from 60 square meters to 465 square meters with 92 elevators at your disposal to reach them. As its name suggest, Sky City will be a vertical city that will accommodate 100 thousand people and offer everything that is needed - water, electricity, sewage, open space, schools, health care and more. Using just a portion of its site, Sky City will be home to the most extreme urban density we've ever seen. But the difference between Sky City and say, Hong Kong, is that the tower will be surrounded by parks, meaning that every resident will have access to open space. The prefabricated tower will include many energy efficient strategies like 20 centimeter thick insulated walls, triple glazing, exterior shading that cuts down on cooling by 30 percent, and a co-generation plant that will use waste heat from power generation for heating and cooling. Transportation will be provided by low-energy elevators and for those who want to walk (or get exercise) there is a 9650 meters long ramp running from the first to the 170th floor. According to Treehugger, construction is set to begin this June and is expected to be complete within seven months (210 days). The rapid pace of construction and the overall design for such a massive skyscraper could be a cause of concern, but if Broad Sustainable Building pulls it off, it may show the world how sustainable density can be achieved on a massive scale. The company assures that the building will be able to withstand a Magnitude 9 earthquake and will have a three-hour fire resistance rating. Lloyd Alter at Treehugger sums it up well: "This is going to be a controversial vision of sustainability; putting 30 thousand people in a single building is a hard sell. It is not the bucolic version of green living that most people think of. It certainly is a lot higher than what I have called the Goldilocks Density. But it is the logical extension of the Edward Glaeser / David Owen thesis that the way to go green is to go up, reducing the amount of land used per person and the distances people travel." A resident of Sky City will use 1/100th the average land per person as a regular global resident and will use only 2 tons of CO2 compared to 5.5 per capita. Probability that the Broad Sustainable Building Company can afford this unbelievable task is very high. Recall that this is a company which built the 30-story building just in 15 days and a 15-story The ark Hotel - just in 6 days!

One World Trade Center in New York has become the world's third-tallest building after topping out at a height of 541 meters. A 124-meter steel spire was installed on May 10, pushing the skyscraper's height to 1776 feet - a number commemorating the year of America's independence. One World Trade Center is now the tallest structure in the USA and the Western Hemisphere, although there is debate over whether the spire is actually a removable antenna - a vital distinction in measuring buildings. Built at a cost of US$ 3.9 billion, the tower also has the distinction of being the most expensive office building in the world. Previously known as the Freedom Tower, the building is located in the northwest corner of the site where the former World Trade Center towers were destroyed in the 11 September 2001 attacks. On March 30, 2009, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the building will be known by its legal name, One World Trade Center, rather than the colloquial name, Freedom Tower. Originally designed by Daniel Libeskind - the architect behind the master plan for the entire Ground Zero site - the tower underwent numerous revisions before US firm SOM was brought in to oversee its design. Following the destruction of the original World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, there was much debate regarding the future of the World Trade Center site. Proposals began almost immediately, and by 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation organized a competition to determine how to use the site. Public rejection of the first round of designs, the "Preliminary Design Concepts," led to a second, more open competition in December 2002, in which a design by Daniel Libeskind was selected. A final design for the One World Trade Center was formally unveiled on June 28, 2005. On April 26, 2006, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a conceptual framework that enabled foundation construction to begin, and a formal agreement was drafted on the following day. Although the symbolic cornerstone of One World Trade Center was laid in a ceremony on July 4, 2004, tower's construction began in May 2006 with a formal ceremony that took place when the first construction team arrived. The building's topping out occurred on August 31, 2012, and was completed on May 2, 2013. The tower will officially open when the installation of podium glass and interior construction are completed in late 2013 or early 2014. When finally completed, it will offer 241 thousand square meters of commercial office space as well as observation decks, TV broadcasting facilities and restaurants.

Dubai's Meydan Group will launch "Meydan Tower", a 111-storey high tower, in the next six weeks, reported the Emirates 24|7. The tower will be located close to Radisson Royal Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road. "Meydan Tower" is the group's first foray outside its iconic sporting, business and lifestyle destination "Meydan City". The new property will offer residential, commercial and leisure options. The "Meydan Tower" will have one of the largest spa and fitness centers in the region, featuring an indoor running track and tennis courts, while the community tower will house nine pools as well as private and community Sky Gardens. One of the other attractions would be the Club House, located on the top floor, home to a late-night Rooftop Nightclub. In Dubai alone, there are 19 buildings taller than 200 meters and 18 of them are on Sheikh Zayed Road. Burj Khalifa , 828-metres high (160 storey), is the tallest tower in the world, while Princess Tower , 414-metres high (100 storey), is the tallest residential tower in the world.

Monaco, a luxurious Mediterranean city-state renowned for being home to some of the world's wealthiest moguls, will soon boast the world's most expensive penthouse, a residence expected to fetch US$ 387 million when it goes on the market next year. The world's current most expensive penthouse is a US$ 222 million flat in London's One Hyde Park. The penthouse will be housed inside Monaco's tallest building, Tour Odeon, a double-skyscraper standing 170 meters tall. Tour Odeon is due to be completed in July 2014 and will feature 259 units, including 73 private luxury residencies, two 1,200-square meter Sky Duplexes and the five-floor, 3,300-square meter Sky Penthouse. Excavation and demolition work on Tour Odeon began in December 2009. Upon completion it will be the second-tallest tower on the Mediterranean coastline, trailing only the 186-meter Gran Hotel Bali in Spain. The architect of project is Alexander Giraldi. European design agency Alberto Pinto has been tasked with creating interiors that exude "exceptional elegance and comfort," while architect Jean Mus has been chosen to complete the landscape. One of the Tour Odeon penthouse's most talked about features is its spacious outdoor area and private circular infinity pool that can be entered via a water slide. The five-storey penthouse features interiors inspired by the French Belle Epoque era, which is captured in the stenciled floors, marble, slate and earthy color palette that reflects the surrounding landscape of the Liguria Sea. Practical while still exuding elegance, the penthouse features top-notch fittings and finishes. Advanced appliances have been installed in the fully equipped bathroom and kitchen and the entire penthouse offers a centralized home automation system. Sculpturally-inspired light fittings hang in formal areas and throughout the penthouse's private lobby while 360-degree views of the south of France just add to the incredible opulence of the space. It is not only Tour Odeon's penthouse that will benefit from panoramic views, as each apartment throughout the building features floor to ceiling windows and expansive private terraces. Natural light is abundant and the interiors have a timeless and elegant feel. Pools are a prominent feature throughout the structure with Tour Odeon offering an extensive wellness centre, a hammam (Turkish bath), Russian bath, private spa suites and multiple pool options. Encouraging an entrepreneurial lifestyle, the building will include a state-of-the-art business centre, which will serve as professional space for residents who opt to work from home. Each apartment features an integrated touch screen that can be used to organize housekeeping, dry cleaning, valet and car washing service while a full-time concierge, private chauffeured limousines and a cinema are also on offer.