This article is focused on the largest and tallest buildings ever built based on different category, type and/or function. Amazing features of each building are also included.

1. World’s Largest Civilian Administrative Building, World’s Most Expensive Administrative Building and World’s Heaviest Building

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According to the Guinness World Records, the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, a multi-purpose building containing both chambers of the Romanian Parliament, is the world’s largest civilian administrative building, most expensive administrative building, and heaviest building.

Features:

• The Palace measures 270 m by 240 m, 86 m high, and 92 m under ground.
• It has 1,100 rooms, 2 underground parking garages
• It is 12 stories tall, with four additional underground levels
• The building is constructed entirely of materials of Romanian origin.
• Estimates of the materials used include one million cubic meters of marble;
• 3,500 tons of crystal – 480 chandeliers, 1,409 ceiling lights and mirrors were manufactured;
• 700,000 tons of steel and bronze for monumental doors and windows, chandeliers and capitals; 900,000 m³ of wood (over 95% domestic) for parquet and wainscoting, including walnut, oak, sweet cherry, elm, sycamore maple;
• 200,000 m² of woolen carpets of various dimensions (machines had to be moved inside the building to weave some of the larger carpets);
• velvet and brocade curtains adorned with embroideries and passementeries in silver and gold.

2. World’s Largest Theater-style Auditorium

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The largest theater-style auditorium ever built is the Conference Center, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It is the premier meeting hall for The Church of Christ of the Latter-day Saints

Features:

• Its total area is 1.4 million sq ft or 130,000 m²
• Conference Center seats 21,200 people in its main auditorium.
• The auditorium is large enough to hold two Boeing 747s inside.
• All seats in the audience have an unobstructed view of the pulpit because the balcony is held up by radial trusses.
• This construction method allows the balcony to sink 5/8 inches (15.8750000000000 mm) under full capacity.
• Behind the podium is a 7,667-pipe and 130-rank Schoenstein pipe organ.
• Underground is a parking garage that can hold 1400 cars.
• A modernist, three-story chandelier hangs in a skylight in the interior of the building.
• External walls of the Conference Center are clad in precisely-cut granite.
• A 67-foot (20 m) stepped waterfall descends from the spire. The waterfall utilizes water from a natural spring found underneath the building during construction.
• About 3 acres (12,000 m²) of grass and hundreds of trees have been planted on the roof. Twenty-one native grasses were employed to conserve water and showcase local foliage. The landscaping is meant to echo the mountains and meadows of Utah.

3. World’s Largest Office Building by Floor Area

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With a total area of 610,000 m2 or 6.6 million sq ft, the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia, is the largest office building by floor area in the world. As a symbol of the US military, “the Pentagon” is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.

Features:

• It houses approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel.
• It has five sides, five floors above ground (plus two basement levels), and five ring corridors per floor with a total of 17.5 miles (28.2 km) of corridors.
• The Pentagon includes a five-acre (20,000 m²) central plaza, which is shaped like a pentagon and informally known as “ground zero”.

4. World’s Tallest Library

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At 24 stories and 348 feet or 106 m tall, the Shanghai Library, the second largest library in China after the National Library of China in Beijing, is the tallest library in the world. It is located in Shanghai, China

Features:

• It has a collection of 1.7 million books ancient Chinese books
• It is the largest public library in China
• It is one of the ten largest libraries in the world
• It covers 3.1 hectares of land, with a floor space of 83,000 sq m.

5. World’s Largest Stone Dome

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The building with the largest stone dome is Global Vipassana Pagoda, a notable monument in Mumbai, India. The pagoda is to serve as a monument of peace and harmony.

Features

• It was built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea.
• It is built out of gratitude to the Buddha, his teaching and the community of monks practicing his teaching.
• It is being built combining ancient Indian and modern technology to enable it to last for hundreds of years.
• It contains the world’s largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars.
• The height of the dome is approximately 29 meters
• The height of the building is 96.12 meters, which is twice the size of the previously largest hollow stone monument in the world, the Gol Gumbaz Dome in Bijapur, India. External diameter of the largest section of the dome is 97.46 m and the shorter section is 94.82 m.
• Internal diameter of the dome is 85.15 m.
• The inside of the pagoda is hollow and serves as a very large meditation hall
• It has an area covering more than 6000 m2 (65,000 ft2)
• The massive inner dome seats over 8,000 people

6. World’s Longest Airport Terminal/Building

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Kansai International Airport, an international airport, has an unusual location – it is situated on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It was ranked 4th overall in the Airport of the Year 2006 awards named by Skytrax. KIX has a single four-story terminal. It is the longest airport terminal in the world, at a total length of 1.7 km from end to end: a sophisticated people mover system called Wing Shuttle moves passengers from one end of the pier to the other.

Features:

• In 2006, KIX, which serves the city of Osaka, had 116,475 aircraft movements, of which 73,860 were international (31 countries, 71 cities), and 42,615 were domestic (19 cities).
• The total number of passengers was 16,689,658 of which 11,229,444 were international, and 5,460,214 were domestic, sixth in Japan and second in Osaka area.
• Freight volume was at 802,162 tons total, of which 757,414 t were international (18th in the world), and 44,748 t were domestic.
• The 4,000 meter runway 2 was opened in 2007.
• Kansai Airport has become an Asian hub, with 499 weekly flights to Asia, 66 weekly flights to Europe and the Middle East, and 35 weekly flights to North America.

7. World’s Largest Library

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If shanghai Library is the tallest in the world, the largest library is the Library of Congress, the de facto library of the US and the research arm of the United States Congress. It is located in three buildings in Washington D.C.

Features:

• Thomas Jefferson sold the library 6487 books, his entire personal library, in 1815.
• It contains 32,332,832 Books (138,313,427 total Items)
• Its budget is $600,417,000
• It has 3,691 staff

8. World’s Tallest Church

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With a steeple measuring 161.53 m or 530 ft and containing 768 steps, Ulm Cathedral, a Lutheran church located in Ulm, Germany, is considered as the “tallest church in the world”.

Features:

• The church is not a cathedra in the technical ecclesiastical sense, as it has never been the seat of a bishop
• It is a famous example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture and is typically and mistakenly described as a cathedral
• There is a panoramic view of Ulm after climbing to the top level at 143 m
• The final stairwell to the top (known as the 3rd Gallery) is a tall, spiraling staircase that has barely enough room for one person.
• The church has a length of 123.56m and a width of 48.8m.
• The building area is c. 8,260 m2.
• The height of the central nave is 41.6m, whilst the lateral naves are 20.55m high.
• The volume of the edifice is some 190,000m3.
• The weight of the main steeple is estimated at 51,500 metric tons.
• The church seats a congregation of 2,000.
• In the Middle Ages, before pews were introduced, it could accommodate 20,000 people.
• The Ulm Münster is the largest Lutheran church and the second largest church in Germany

9. World’s Tallest Masonry Building

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At 167 m or 548 ft, including the statue, the Philadelphia City Hall, the seat of government for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA is the world’s tallest masonry building: the weight of the building is borne by granite and brick walls up to 22 feet or 6.7 m thick, rather than steel; the principal exterior materials are limestone, granite, and marble.

Features:

• The exact height of City Hall is 547′ 11-3/4″, which has led to mock speculation among some Philadelphians about “what happened to the last quarter inch?” a reference to corruption in city government which was widespread in Philadelphia in earlier days.
• It was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1901 to 1908
• It is the tallest in Pennsylvania until 1932 when surpassed by the Gulf Tower.

10. World’s Tallest Museum

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The Mole Antonelliana, a major landmark of Turin, Italy, houses the National Museum of Cinema, and it is believed to be the tallest museum in the world.

Features:

• The building was conceived and constructed as a Jewish Synagogue.
• The building is 167 m or 548 ft tall

11. World’s Largest Building by Volume

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At 13.3 million m³ or 472 million cu ft and covers 398,000 m² or 98.3 acres the Boeing Company’s Everett, Washington Factory is the largest building in the world by volume.

Features:

• Boeing 747s, 767s, 777s, and the new 787 Dreamliner are built in this building.
• The factory includes a theater, the Boeing Store, a BECU branch, 5 Tully’s Coffee stands and several cafés

12. World’s Largest One Story Building

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At 525 feet or 160.0 m tall, the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is the tallest one story building in the world. The building is halfway between Jacksonville and Miami, and due east of Orlando on Merritt Island on the Atlantic coast of Florida, USA.

Features:

• It is the fourth largest building in the world by volume.
• It was the tallest building in Florida until 1974
• It is still the tallest building in the United States outside an urban area
• The VAB is 525 feet (160.0 m) tall, 716 feet (218.2 m) long and 518 feet (157.9 m) wide. It covers 8 acres (32,400 m2), and encloses 129,428,000 cu ft (3,665,000 m³) of space.
• The interior volume of the building is so vast; NASA employees have reported it has its own weather, including “rain clouds form[ing] below the ceiling on very humid days.”
• The building has 10,000 pounds of air conditioning equipment including 125 ventilators on the roof supported by four large air handlers to keep moisture under control.
• Air in the building can be completely replaced every hour. Without moisture reduction systems, clouds and possibly rain would form inside the building.

13. World’s Largest Building by Floor Space

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The new $4.5 billion terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport that opened on 14 October 2008 is the single largest building in the world by floor space. Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the UAE. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport in Dubai.

Features:

•  It was built at a cost of some US$5.5 billion
• It is capable of handling 62 million passengers and 2.1 million tons of cargo a year
• It was the 20th busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic in 2008
• It was the 11th busiest by cargo traffic in 2008
• As of 3 March 2009, there are about 4,900 weekly flights operated by 125 airlines to over 200 destinations
• In 2008, the airport handled a record 37,441,440 passengers, a 9.7% increase over the 2007 total
• It is the 6th busiest international airport in the world in terms of international passengers

14. World’s Largest Flower Auction Building

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Aalsmeer Flower Auction, a flower auction, located in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands, is the largest flower auction in the world. The auction building of the flower auction in Aalsmeer is the 2nd largest building in the world, in terms of floor space, covering 990,000 m² or 10.6 million sq ft. Flowers from all over the world are traded on a daily basis at the Aalsmeer facilities.

15. World’s Largest Building ever built in a Single Phase

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Berjaya Times Square KL, a twin tower complex containing a shopping centre and two five star hotels located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is considered as the “world’s largest building ever built in a single phase” with 7.5 million sq ft or 700,ooo m² of built up floor area. Both towers are 203 meters or 666 ft tall, with 48 floors.

Features:

• It offers shopping, luxury accommodation, business, food and entertainment.
• It has space for more than 1000 retail shops
• It has 1200 luxury service suites
• It has 65 food outlets to suit many tastes
• It has entertainment attractions such as Asia’s largest indoor theme park, Cosmo’s World and Malaysia’s first-ever IMAX 2D & 3D theatre which is located on the 10th Floor.
• In 2005, Border Group opened its first franchise store here. Currently, the store is the largest Borders store in the world.
• Berjaya Times Square is the biggest building built in Kuala Lumpur as well as in the whole of Malaysia. It is currently the 8th tallest buildings (twin) in Kuala Lumpur and 9th tallest in Malaysia.
• Berjaya Times Square is currently the 5th building in the world with largest floor area (7.5 million square feet, or 700,000 square meters).
• Berjaya Times Square is the 13th biggest shopping mall in the world (3.5 million square feet, or 320,000 square meters).
• It is located in the most famous area for tourists in Kuala Lumpur, an area known as the Golden Triangle.

16. World’s Tallest Church Building

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At 173 m or 568 ft tall, the Chicago Temple Building, a skyscraper church located in Chicago, Illinois, USA is the world’s tallest church building. It is home to the congregation of the First United Methodist Church of Chicago.

Features:

• It was completed in 1924 and has 23 floors dedicated to religious and office use.
• It is the tallest church “building” in the World, though not the tallest church in the world
• It was the tallest building in Chicago from 1924 until 1930

17. World’s Tallest Hospital

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At 143 m or 468 ft tall, Guy’s Hospital, a large NHS hospital in south east London, England is the tallest hospital in the world. It is administratively a part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King’s College London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

18. World’s Tallest Manmade Structure

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No building in the world could be more impressive than the Burj Dubai. Dubai Tower is a supertall skyscraper under construction in the Downtown Burj Dubai district of Dubai, UAE. Despite being incomplete, it is already the tallest man-made structure ever built. The tower is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy by September 2009.

Features:

• The total budget for the Burj Dubai project is about US$ 4.1 billion
• The price of office space at Burj Dubai had reached $4,000 per sq ft (over $43,000 per sq m)
• The Armani Residences, also in Burj Dubai, were selling for US$3,500 per sq ft (over $37,500 per sq m
• Tallest structure: 818 m (2,684 ft)
• Tallest freestanding structure: 818 m (2,684 ft) Building with most floors: 160
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 601 m (1,972 ft)
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 601 m (1,972 ft)

Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!

For amazingly unique buildings see

Spectacular Buildings from Around the World

For related article see

World’s Most Notable Buildings with the Most Remarkable Dome

For more architecture related articles see

The World’s Most Remarkable Palaces and Their Amazing Features

Best-Preserved and Surviving Roman Triumphal Arches

Famous Commemorative and Triumphal Arches in the World

World’s Most Historic and Notable Columns

Top 10 Most Famous Tombs in the World

The World’s Most Spectacular Obelisks