What Is the Tallest Building in the US
The tallest building in the US is One World Trade Center in New York City, which rises to 1,776 feet (541 meters) including its spire, making it the leading US skyscraper by architectural height. It is the centerpiece of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex and is designed to symbolically reference the year of American independence.
By standard height metrics used by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, One World Trade Center ranks as the tallest completed building in the United States and among the tallest in North America. Its roof height is 1,368 feet, and the structure reaches its full pinnacle with the spire, which is integrated into the building's core and office floors.
Key Facts, Height, Design, and Ownership
Height, Floors, and Structural Details
One World Trade Center has 104 usable floors above ground and a total floor area of about 2.6 million square feet, with the main occupancy dedicated to office space. The tower uses a reinforced concrete core and a steel-framed curtain wall, with a distinctive crystalline form that narrows as it rises.
Design, Sustainability, and Developer
The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with David Childs as lead architect, and it emphasizes energy efficiency and safety features such as a reinforced concrete core and wide staircases for evacuation. The Durst Organization and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are the primary owners and developers, with major tenants including financial firms and government agencies.
Ranking Among US Skyscrapers and Global Context
In the US, One World Trade Center surpasses other prominent tall buildings such as Central Park Tower, Willis Tower, and 111 West 57th Street in overall architectural height, though some of these structures have higher occupied floor counts or different height measurements.
Globally, the tower ranks among the tallest completed buildings in the world, typically within the top ten by official height lists maintained by organizations that track supertall structures. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and a defining element of the New York City skyline.
For more details on the building's design and height standards, see the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat at www.skyscrapercenter.com, and for ownership and development updates, see the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at www.panynj.gov.
Additional context on tall building rankings and US skyscraper data is available from Emporis and CTBUH, with current listings showing One World Trade Center as the leading US supertall structure by standard architectural height criteria.