The WTC Twins

They may not be the prettiest towers of all time but IMO they are the most iconic, even years after they have been destroyed on 9/11. They defined the term "twin towers" and have gave us the visionary that the standard skyscraper is a box. These towers were simple but they soared into the sky and will forever be apart of NYC.

http://www.allusa.it/img/galleria/Twin%20Towers%20&%20Battery%20Park.jpg
http://www.richardcrouse.com/crouse/wtccrop.jpg

Empire State Building

The tower that is currently the tallest in NYC and held the WTB for many decades. It's one of the greatest examples of art-deco design and was built during the Depression and is still in the top 10 World's Tallest. A NYC icon for sure and one of the greatest towers built in history.

http://www.techno-science.net/Illustrations/Architecture/Gratte-ciels/Img/Empire_State_Building_4.jpg
http://www.arrakeen.ch/usaaug98/016%20%20NY%20Empire%20State%20Building.JPG


Chrysler building

Not as famous and tall as ESB but many would say the prettier tower of the two. One of the first towers to have a beautiful combo of crown and spire that inspired many of today's skyscraper designs.The tower itself is simply timeless.

http://www.koalie.net/Walks/200405_NY/20040515221920.jpg
http://www.rupp.ch/images/ny/ny_chrysler.jpg


Sears Tower

Built in the 70's and overtook WTC as the new WTB and held the title until Petronas was built. Today it still stands there as one of the greatest examples of modern architecture.

http://www.techno-science.net/Illustrations/Architecture/Gratte-ciels/Img/Sears_Tower_3.jpg
http://www-cvr.ai.uiuc.edu/~slazebni/personal_page/photos/album_chicago/01_sears_tower.jpg
http://www.rimutija.com/Pastatai/Sears_bokstas.jpg

Petronas Tower

Definitely not quite as iconic as the towers before this but it took over the name of "twin towers" when the WTC was destroyed. It took over the WTB title from Sears and was the tallest until T101 was completed a few years later. For me, it symbolizes the new generation of ultra-modern super-talls in the world.

http://www.longpassages.org/images/Malaysia_KL_Petronas_tower.jpg
http://images.google.ca/url?q=http://vijay.bhatter.com/hello/175/1026/640/petronas_twin_tower_malaysi.1.jpg


Bank of China Tower

Another modern tower that hasn't has enough recognition around the world as ESB, and WTC but it also sybolizes the the new generation of modern towers. It gives a whole new definition to the term "modern" architecture with it's use of geometric shapes and is one the most beautiful towers in te world IMO.

http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~rz5b/album/HK/HK_Island/chinaBankTower.jpg
http://www.pritzkerprize.com/pei/IMG0006.jpg

Jin Mao Tower and Taipei 101

Two rairly recent towers that many people around the world might not even know exists yet. But IMO they represent the new generation of skyscrapers that get their architectural details from ancient Chinese architecture. And are both icons our their own respective skylines.

http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/~pbourke/other/shanghai/tallest.jpg

http://pietro.gentile.com/giro_del_mondo_04_05/Giro_del_mondo_096.JPG


http://students.washington.edu/erikmax/images/taipei%20101%202.jpg
http://www.zachklein.com/hello/264/994/1024/3877taipei_101_1192.jpg

Swiss Re

Completed only a few years ago and it has already received a lot of international recognition for it's unique shape, and has quickly revolutionalized London's skyline. And time goes on, this tower will only get more and more attention.


http://www.firespray.eu.com/graphics/pictures/SWISS%20RE.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/jvk/gherkin/gherkin-Images/6.jpg



This is just my own personal list, if you have any other suggestions feel free to add your own.

The WTC twin towers are the most iconic skyscrapers for me, closely followed by the Empire State Building.

Empire State for sure for me. Facilitated my love for skyscrapers at a young age and continues to do so.

The Twins are definately the most iconic since there are two of them at nearly the same height.

ESB for me is the first
2nd : the twin towers
3rd : the petronas tower

WTC/ESB, but Chrysler building is my favorite.

As an icon, I'd have to say the Empire State Building. It was the tallest building in the world for like 40 years, plus it's one of the most famous buildings in the world, if not the most famous.

Bank of China, Jin Mao, Taipei 101, Swiss Re, and Petronas, though they may be great buildings, are far, far too young to be considered as the "most iconic skyscraper of all time."

Empire State Building - To me, it symbolizes New York more than any other building in New York's skyline.

ESB Hands down

To me Manhattan just doesn't look right without the twin towers there, to me they symbolized NYC along with ESB and Chrysler of course. There just something awe inspiring in seeing those two towers reaching for the sky, especially when you stood next to them.

BTW - I work in the building just across the road from Bank of China in HK (seen as the square building in your first shot), called Cheung Kong Center and I have to agree, it's a beautiful tower, both during the day and a night when they light up the steel beams up the outside of the building.

101 in Taipei is just weird, all the other buildings in Taipei are no more than 20 stories, and the facade up close looks very 70's communist. Not pretty IMO.

Chrysler, Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Petronas Towers, and Bank of China are my candidates. :)

Sears realy isnt that well known in Europe- less so than petrona i woudl think and far less than the ESB or the WTC.

Obviously ESB. If you ask anyone what building comes to mind when you say skyscraper they'll probably say this.

Probably for the general public it's the ESB, but for me personally, it's the Chrysler Building.

My most iconic buildings in the 21st Century

1.) EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - NY
2.) CHRYSLER BUILDING - NY
3.) BANK OF CHINA - HK
4.) BURJ AL ARAB - DUBAI


5.) CN TOWER - TORONTO

I think the twin towers is an icon for terrorism in 9/11 :D
BTW, Sears tower is soooooo ugly it cant be an icon ANYWHERE...

Prior to 9/11, I would've said the Empire State Building, post 9/11 I have to go with the World Trade Center.

The WTC's Towers have probably been the most shown, seen, popular, talked about skyscrapers for the past 4 years since 9/11. Thinking about it, all the terrorism talk and news of recent years stems back (not to say 9/11 is the only act of terror) from those unforgettable images showing the Twin Towers.

They are iconic of New York City to some, of terrorism and the fight against it to others, of the victims and those lost to some, of the modernist 1970's supertall great towers to others.

I think to any ordinary person anywhere in the world, to any New Yorker, to any architecture critic, skyscraper lover, forumer, the World Trade Center stands for something, iconic for something.

While this can be said about other skyscrapers, I don't believe as much as the WTC.

Definately the WTC, as ultimately they fell victim to their iconic status. If ESB was a bigger icon, as this poll shows, it would have been the one hit by a Boeing.

Chryseler? Laughable. Few people outside of NYC and the architecture community even know about it. Most people I know who look at a picture of it call it Empire State.

ESB=skyscraper ;)

Definately the WTC, as ultimately they fell victim to their iconic status. If ESB was a bigger icon, as this poll shows, it would have been the one hit by a Boeing.

Chryseler? Laughable. Few people outside of NYC and the architecture community even know about it. Most people I know who look at a picture of it call it Empire State.

You know, your comment of ultimately falling victim to their status triggered me to remember this quote by the man himself...

"Those awesome symbolic towers that speak of liberty, human rights, and humanity have been destroyed. They have gone up in smoke."
- Osama Bin Laden in an October 2001 interview with al-Jazeera reporter Tayseer Alouni

I agree with you 100%, couldn't have said it better myself.

WTC Twin Towers

Chrysler building for sure....love it...love it...

If I am not mistaken, the Twins for the one of the first skyscrapers I kept on hearing people using the term 'Soaring Towers' on, and there is no disput there.

http://mk31.image.pbase.com/u45/automat42/upload/33759849.IMG_1049a.jpeg

The Empire State. But within 20 years I think the twin towers will become the most legendary buildings of all times (like tower of babel), and maybe more iconic than the ESB.

ESB.