One World Trade Center is most costly skyscraper in history

«The reasons for the immense costs of skyscrapers are varied in nature,» said Emporis, which is based in Hamburg, Germany. News:   figures released   this week reveal that One World Trade Center   is now the most expensive skyscraper of all time, having cost more than twice as much as the   world’s tallest building. Both cost $1.9 billion (£1.2 billion). The current tallest building in the world, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa also by SOM, only makes fifth place. Other projects, by contrast, become increasingly costly during construction itself due to unforeseen events or delays.»
Photography by Iwan Baan. Click for larger imageOther projects in the top ten include Herzog de Meuron’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall, which isn’t yet complete but has already cost over $1 billion, and Toyo Ito’s 242-metre CapitaGreen building in Singapore. «With some buildings, it is known even at the planning stage that they will be cost-intensive, for instance in order to meet the latest environmental standards. Two buildings are vying for second place – the lesser-known Palazzo in Las Vegas, completed by HKS Architects in 2007, and Renzo Piano’s The Shard, the 300-metre tower completed six years later.