In January of each year, CTBUH publishes a review of tall building construction and statistics from the previous year. The annual story represented the record for the most 200 meter or higher buildings completed in a given year. According to tall buildings official site more 200 m+ buildings were completed in 2011 than in any year previous, with a total of 88 projects opening their doors. Shenzhen's "Kingkey 100", at 442 meters, tops the 2011 list. The buildings completed in 2011 have effected a significant change in the world's tallest 100 buildings, with 17 new buildings added to the list. This change continues the trends of recent years. Perhaps most significantly, for the first time in history the number of office buildings in the tallest 100 has diminished to the 50 percent mark, as mixed-use buildings continue to increase, jumping from 23 to 31. It is interesting to examine where the predicted continued increase in tall building activity will take place. China and the UAE contain a total of 39 of the projects - over 44 percent of the world's completions in 2011. However, several cities, not previously seen as centers of tall building construction, are quite evident in this group of projects. In fact, the three cities to complete the most 200 m+ buildings in 2011 are all relative newcomers to the list: Panama City, Abu Dhabi, and Busan. Together, this cities contain 34 such buildings and accounted for 32 percent of completions in 2011, surpassing traditional tall building centers such as Dubai, Shanghai, and Singapore. China: When discussing skyscraper completion, it is impossible to neglect the market of China, which contributed 23 completions in 2011. However, quite surprisingly given the region's impressive market, we have seen China's global percentage of building completions begin to drop off slightly. In 2009, China contained 45 percent of the buildings completed and 33 percent in 2010. In 2011, China contained only 26 percent of the global total of 200 m+ completions. Shenzhen's "Kingkey 100", at 442 meters (1,449 feet), was the tallest to complete in 2011, opening in December. Dubai: Another significant existing market is the city of Dubai, which added 6 tall buildings in 2011. In 2011, Dubai's 23 Marina became the world's tallest residential building, at 393 meters. Coincidentally, the building sits near both The Torch (the previous world's tallest residential for a short time) and the under construction Princess Tower (set to become the world's tallest in 2012), making the Dubai Marina the tallest residential skyscraper cluster in the world. Panama: Before 2008, no 200 m+ buildings existed in all of Panama. Then, between 2008 and 2010, 3 buildings opened. In 2011, Panama City completed ten 200 m+ skyscrapers, more than any other city and more than double the number of completions in all of North America. With these completions, there are now 12 such buildings in Panama. One of these buildings, the "Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower", became the tallest building in Central America when it completed in 2011 at 284 meters in height. Additionally, there are another 8 buildings currently under construction and set for completion by the end of 2012. Abu Dhabi: Another emerging market in 2011 was Abu Dhabi, Dubai's neighbor. This city added nine 200 m+ buildings in 2011, remarkable as it contained only two such buildings at the beginning of the year, another thirteen 200 m+ buildings are currently under construction in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi's largest project to complete in 2011 was "Etihad Towers", a complex comprised of 5 towers ranging between 218 meters to 305 meters. Busan: The Korean tall building market has also seen significant development in recent years, containing twenty-four 200 m+ buildings by the end of 2010. However, only one such building existed in the country's second largest city, Busan. 2011 saw all this change with 9 of the 11 Korean completions taking place in Busan. This included the completion of the "Doosan Haeundae We've the Zenith Tower complex" and "Studio Daniel Libeskind's Haeundae I'Park complex". These two projects, which sit directly next to each other, added five 250-meter residential buildings to Busan. 2011 also saw the completion of Korea's tallest building, the "Northeast Asia Trade Tower". United States and Europe: In 2011, two 200 m+ buildings were completed in the US: New York's Eight Spruce Street and Cincinnati's Great American Tower. Europe, another significantly developed tall building market, completed four 200 m+ buildings in 2011, matching its record set in 2008. These buildings, spread through the UK, France, Germany, and Russia, seem to point to a possible resurgence of the tall building in continental Europe. There are currently 20 such buildings under construction in Europe, with some ten set to complete in the next two years. According to annual report, looking to the future, it is now foreseeable - indeed likely - that the recent trend of an annual increase in building completions will continue for the next several years, perhaps even through the end of the decade. This represents a change in recent predictions. It had been expected that skyscraper completions would drop off very sharply after 2011, as a result of the 2008 global financial crisis and the large number of projects put on hold. With over 300 projects above the 200-meter mark currently under construction internationally, the tall building community is set to continue to develop at an incredible pace. As new markets continue to discover and develop the tall building, it is quite possible that this pace will continue through the end of this decade. Without a doubt, the skylines of the world will see tremendous change by the year 2020.

As reported by the National Statistical Service of Armenia, the total volume of construction output in 2011 compared with the previous year has dropped by 11.5 percent and amounted 480 billion AMD ($1.25 billion). The primary reason for the drop is the reduction of construction works financed by international organizations, companies and private sector. At the same time volume of construction output financed by the State, the Local Governments (Communities), and the Armenian Apostolic Church has increased. The companies' construction spending account for nearly 45 percent of all construction output, but there was 13.5 percent drop compared to 2010. The second largest investor in the construction industry is the State Government with 15.2 percent increase. But the largest growth is recorded in Local Governments construction spending multiplied 5.9 times compared to 2010. All international donors have considerably reduced their construction financing in 2011, except German Development Bank (KfW) with sector investment increase 2.2 times. The Armenian Apostolic Church construction investment has increased by 13.8 percent, but the private sector construction activities have considerably dropped by nearly 30.5 percent.

As reported by information agency APA, Azerbaijan plans to build the world's tallest tower within the framework of Caspian Island project. Initially, the height of Azerbaijan Tower planned to be 560 meters, but parameters were changed. The developer of Caspian Island Avesta concern decided that the high of 185 floors tower to be 1050 meters, and it will be commissioned in 2018-2019. According to another news agency The First News, the construction of Caspian Island in Azerbaijan, which will be erected on artificial made islands, has already started. This project will be built during 25 years. The 10 percent of the whole project is planned to complete in 2016. It should be noted, that the minimum cost for one square meter in this city will be about US$ 4.5 thousand. The new city will cover 30 thousand square meters area - 20 thousand for residential buildings, 10 thousand for retail stores, offices, stadiums, entertainment venues, race circuits for Formula 1 and Formula 2, etc. The developer plans to build the longest boulevard in the world with 150 kilometers length and the highest skyscraper with 1050 meters height in this city. There are no intersections planned in this city, so no need for traffic lights. The total budget of this project is estimated US$ 125 billion, and it will be funded by private investors. According to author, this project has no analogue in the world, as the city planned to be built on artificial island. However, the Baku experiment isn't unique and new. There are enough "island projects" in UAE and other countries. As BBC reported, according to Barclays Capital research, there is an "unhealthy correlation" between the building of skyscrapers and subsequent financial crashes. Often the world's tallest buildings are simply the edifice of a broader skyscraper building boom, reflecting a widespread misallocation of capital and an impending economic correction. Examples include the "Empire State building", built as the "Great Depression" was under way, and the current world's tallest, the "Burj Khalifa", built just before Dubai almost went bust. Today the world's tallest building is Burj Khalifa in United Arab Emirates (828 meters). UAE also planned to build 1400-meters tall "Nakheel tower", but its construction was delayed. The 1000-meters tall skyscraper is also planned to be built in Kuwait in City of Silk. Saudi Arabia also plans to build more than a kilometer high Kingdom tower in Jeddah. But now all this "oil country" projects are on the paper only, and a big question is - which one will take the Champion title from Dubai's Giant?

The prefab Hotel in China's south-central Hunan province, 170 square meters hotel standing 30 stories, was erected in an incredible 360 hours or in 15 days, reported Constructiondigital. The hotel built Chinese sustainable-building firm Broad Group and the building is designed to withstand up a 9.0 earthquake - and even boasts energy-efficient building techniques. The construction firm in charge of the project was able to manage such a rapid timeline because of a smart prefab design that allowed much of the building to be manufactured off-site, and then assembled relatively rapidly once the foundations had been set. As our website reported last year the developer, Broad Group, came under the global spotlight last year when it built a 15-storey Ark Hotel in China in just 6 days. And their latest project, which is located in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha is no less impressive. The "flat pack" skyscraper was 90 percent pre-constructed in factories and then put together onsite. It uses one-sixth the materials of a comparable facility and is also an extremely energy-efficient building, combining thermal insulation, triple pane windows, external solar shading, fresh air heat recovery, and LED lighting. Having perfected their novel approach to construction the company now aims to build another 150 30-storey apartment buildings, hotels and offices in the same manner. It is hoped that the ability to build property so quickly will revolutionize areas where property is in short supply. Let's be clear what is prefab design and prefabricated building. It is a type of building or design that consists of several factory-built components or units that are assembled on-site to complete the unit. Architects are incorporating modern designs into the prefabricated houses of today. There has also been an increase in the use of "green" materials in the construction of these prefab houses. Consumers can easily select between different environmentally friendly finishes and wall systems. Since these homes are built in parts, it is easy for a home owner to add additional rooms or even solar panels to the roofs. Many prefab houses can be customized to the client's specific location and climate, making prefab homes much more flexible and modern than before. Possibly the first advertised prefab house was the Manning Portable Cottage. A London carpenter, H. Manning, constructed a house that was built in components, then shipped and assembled by British emigrants. This was published at the time (advertisement, South Australian Record, 1837) and a few still stand in Australia.

The Grand Egyptian Museum, which is situated on the Giza plateau, is to open on August 2015, announced Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs Mohamed Ibrahim during press conference in Cairo on January 10, reported mail.ru news. On January 10 in Cairo was signed a contract for third and final phase of museum construction. It will undertake one of the largest Egyptian construction companies Orascom and Belgian Besix. According to Mohamed Ibrahim, the third phase will take 40 months, during which the main building with 108 thousand square meters total area will be erected. The Grand Egyptian Museum will occupy 480 square meters area and will house more than 100 thousand artifacts and monuments of Egyptian history. The third phase of construction will cost US$ 830 million, financed primarily by a Japanese loan of US$ 300 million. The US$ 150 million will be funded by Egyptian Government and the rest by local and international grants. Apart museum's main building the complex will include a cinema, library, classrooms, conference-halls, a multimedia center, children's museum and a museum for people with disabilities, an entertainment center and exhibition halls. The museum also will be connected to Pyramids with a special way. After 5 years from its opening the museum is estimated to receive 8 million tourists annually. To overcome inrush of tourists, the government also planning to build new stores and 40 new hotels. The current museum in Cairo's central, "revolution famous", Tahrir Square can't further accommodate all artifacts of Egyptian culture. Eventually, many museum pieces from this museum will be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum at the Pyramids. According to the minister, the Tutankhamun's tomb treasures hall in new museum will take 7 times more area than it takes now.