Mongo said:
Hoping that this will settle the debate, here are the current top 20 completed buildings in the USA and Canada, listed both by roof height and by tallest point:
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I'll agree with your "Tallest to roof" chart, but not you're "Tallest to highest point" one. Antennas don't count. If they did you may as well include the CN Tower and tv/radio masts.

Spires, however, are included.
-Good examples include the Burj Khalifa, the Patronas Towers, Chicago's (and eventually Toronto's) Trump tower, and the New York Times tower.

See here for official definitions. That should help settle the debate.

http://www.ctbuh.org/AboutCTBUH/History/HistoryMeasuringTallBuildings/tabid/1320/language/en-GB/Default.aspx and http://www.ctbuh.org/HighRiseInfo/TallestDatabase/Criteria/tabid/446/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

Height to Architectural Top is the most recognized comparison, which involves the following:

"Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat rankings"

Nevertheless, FPC is the tallest in our country.
 
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LOL, those self-proclaimed decision makers. I've also heard that antennas don't "count" and that spires do. My rule book says they both count so therefore Mongo's lists are correct.
 
What a boring argument. Boys and their measurements! Don't worry - you can always make the towers look taller if you cut down all the foliage around the base.
 
cassius said:
LOL, those self-proclaimed decision makers. I've also heard that antennas don't "count" and that spires do. My rule book says they both count so therefore Mongo's lists are correct.
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I think spires are pretty dumb in a lot of cases. There's no reason First Canadian Place couldn't just add a decorative "spire" whenever they wanted. Then they'd suddenly be taller right? Blah.
 
I agree. It should only be to the roof/mechanicals. No antenna or spire counts towards height.
 
do spires composed of photons count?

610px-Starfire_Optical_Range_-_three_lasers_into_space.jpg
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
I think spires are pretty dumb in a lot of cases. There's no reason First Canadian Place couldn't just add a decorative "spire" whenever they wanted. Then they'd suddenly be taller right? Blah.
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i agree. Spire's are a cheap way of adding huge amounts of height to a building (cough cough: Trump). besides, it's quite hard to even see spires from a distance... lets say you're up in north york, Scotia will seem taller than trump.

But its nice that the antennas are there at FCP. it gives canada a taste of a 350m skyscraper :D!

... one day...
 
And New York is the worst offender with the cheater spires. Trump Toronto doesn't even come close to cheating as much as Bank of America. And now with WTC 1v2 and its spire that blurs the line between antenna and spire, Now I call that cheating!

But don't make the mistake of disparaging (Or even lightly criticizing) their blessed Freedom Tower in their forums... You will be labeled a terrorist. Silly Americans.
 
Traynor said:
And New York is the worst offender with the cheater spires. Trump Toronto doesn't even come close to cheating as much as Bank of America. And now with WTC 1v2 and its spire that blurs the line between antenna and spire, Now I call that cheating!

But don't make the mistake of disparaging (Or even lightly criticizing) their blessed Freedom Tower in their forums... You will be labeled a terrorist. Silly Americans.
Click to expand...

Yes. very true about Bank of America tower (1 bryant park). it makes it the "official" 2nd tallest in NY when it doesn't really look it from afar... But the freedom tower has a HUGE spire, but at least it has some width to it (so that it is quite visible as an architectural feature).
 
Traynor said:
But don't make the mistake of disparaging (Or even lightly criticizing) their blessed Freedom Tower in their forums... You will be labeled a terrorist. Silly Americans.
Click to expand...

Well, remember. Said forum-dwellers would probably label even legitimate architectural critics, commentators, etc. as terrorists...
 
From the morning of the 16th, taken from Gläs:

FCPKentSep16.jpg
 
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