Can you tell which is the most expensive building in the world? Have you ever found yourself pondering over this question?
As each year passes, more and more skyscrapers spring up with more advanced amenities and specifications. Among the list of the most expensive construction in the world, one can find business sites, tourist centers, resorts, office spaces, stadiums, administration sites, and even religious worship centers.
We are talking about the buildings that have completed construction or have at least the ones that have been opened for operational purposes. Structures out of this list are under construction and are deemed to be completed in the coming years.
Once that happens we will be updating our list or publishing a brand new list. For the time being, let’s look at the most expensive structure in the world that serves its purpose.
List Of Top 10 Most Expensive Building In The World
- Masjid Al-Haram, Saudi Arabia – 100 billion US dollars
- Abrāj al-Bait, Saudi Arabia – 16 billion US dollars
- Marina Bay Sands, Singapore – 5.7 billion US dollars
- SoFi Stadium, US – 5.5 billion US dollars
- Apple Park, US – 5 billion US dollars
- Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore – 4.93 billion US dollars
- Wynn Palace, China – 4.2 billion US dollars
- The Cosmopolitan, US – 4.16 billion US dollars
- Palace of the People, Bucharest, Romania- 4 billion US dollars
- One World Trade Center, US – 3.9 billion US dollars
Let’s begin the article by talking about the tenth most expensive structure and gradually slide to the top one.
10. One World Trade Center, US – 3.9 billion US dollars
One World Trade Center in the U.S. is the top 10 most expensive structure in the world. It was previously known as the Freedom Tower. It is the structure that was built after the deterioration of the World Trade Center as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The architect behind the construction of the building is David Childs, an American architect. The other names by which the One World Trade Center is known as are the One World Trade, and the One WTC.
It is the tallest building structure in the World Trade Center complex with a height of 1776 feet. The building is comprised of 104 stories and 54 high-speed destination dispatch passenger elevators. It is made up of 49,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 40,000 metric tons of structural steel.
The building commemorates the Twin Towers as the footprint of its base is identical to the Twin Towers. It cost 3.9 billion US dollars to construct the building.
9. Palace of the People, Bucharest, Romania – 4 billion US dollars
The Palace of the People in Bucharest can be explained as the most expensive building in the world. The alternative names by which the building goes by, are the Palace of the Parliament, the Republic’s House, the People’s Palace, or the People’s House.
It is located in Bucharest in Romania and is government owned as it is the focal point of the Romina parliament. It is spared over 3,930,000 square feet and is 276 feet tall.
The Palace of the People is known as the heaviest building in the world with a volume of 2,550,000 cubic meters, and a weight of 4.10 million tons.
The building has 1,100 rooms on 12 floors. It is noted as the world’s most expensive administrative building and the largest civilian building in the world with an administrative function. It is also open to tourists who can only roam around 5 percent of the entire building.
The building was opened in 1997 and the construction process was under the leadership of the chief architect, Anca Petrescu. The construction is not completed and only 402 are ready to b used till the day. Out of this two are large meeting rooms.
8. The Cosmopolitan, US – 4.16 billion US dollars
The grand hotel that was completed in 2010 cost 4.16 billion US dollars to fulfill the luxury specifications. It is a fusion of a resort casino and a hotel and stands on Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.
Its original name is The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and is popularly known as The Cosmopolitan and The Cosmo. The Cosmo has a casino, a spa, a fitness facility, a theater, a convention center, and a meeting space.
The Cosmopolitan is known for its amenities such as the 3,027 rooms, The Chandelier, P3 Art Studio, The Boulevard Pool, The Chelsea, Marquee Night Club, Marquee Day Club, and CRSVR Sneaker Boutique.
Many of the rooms have private terraces, the casino is spread over 300,000 square feet, the spa and fitness facility together over 40,000 square feet, the theater has a capacity of 3,200, and the m meeting and convection space combined stands over 100,000 square feet.
Its two main attractions of it are its two towers, The Chelsea Tower, and the Boulevard Tower, both having a height of 603 feet. The key restaurants that run inside the Cosmo are China Poblano, The Henry, Scarpetta, Momofuku Las Vegas, Superfrico, é, Jaleo, STK, and Holsteins.
It is owned by The Blackstone Group, Stonepeak Family Trust, and Cherng Family Trust and the current license holder is MGM Resorts International.
7. Wynn Palace, China – 4.2 billion US dollars
China’s Wynn Palace is the world’s second-largest integrated resort.
The main attraction is that it is designed with a floral theme and it also has 1,706 rooms. The structure cost 4.2 billion US dollars in construction costs and is spared over 420,000 square feet of area.
Wynn Place is known for its 8-acre performance lake, which is a choreographed fountain operating as a fairy fountain or a musical fountain.
Tourists visit Wynn Palace to see the fountain, and the SkyCab gondolas, an aerial lift operated by cable transport and to experience its other amenities such as fine dining, luxury retail spaces, and convention and entertainment venues.
The real space comes inside the Wynn Palace Esplanade and is rich with brands such as Chanel, Panerai, Hermès, Chopard, Brioni, and Franck Muller.
The major restaurants that have established a presence inside the Wynn Palace are Mizumi, Buffet Fontana, Steakhouse, and Sichuan Moon. The architect behind the structure is Wynn Design and Development.
It is owned by Wynn Resorts KImited and Wynn Macau Limited.
6. Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore – 4.93 billion US dollars
Resorts World Sentosa is one of the top 10 most expensive building in the world that is worth 4.93 billion US dollars.
It is located in Singapore and is presently owned by Genting Group, a Malaysia-based company. Sentosa is an integrated resort (IR) occupying 50 hectares of land.
Resorts World Sentosa consists of Universal Studios Singapore, S.E.A. Aquarium, Adventure Cove Waterpark, Dolphin Island, Galleria Luxury Fashion, The Maritime Experiential, Museum, Festive Walk, and Kidzania.
The whole restaurant is classed into three zones such as the Central Zone, The East Zone, and West Zone. The major attractions in the Central Zone are four hotels, Crockfords Tower, The Hard Rock Hotel, Hotel Michael, and Festive Hotel. There is a casino spread over 15,000 square meters.
The major attraction in the East Zone is Universal Studios Singapore, the first Universal Studios theme park in Southeast Asia. The major attractions in the West Zone are a hotel, a villa, a museum, a marine life park, and a yacht. The yacht is the four-masted luxury yacht, the Royal Albatross.
The villa is named the Beach Villas, which is a combination of 22 floating villas on a lagoon.
The hotel, Equarius hotel is nearby to Adventure Cove Park. The Marine Life Park consists of S.E.A. Aquarium and the Adventure Cove Park and is the world’s largest oceanarium. The museum, Maritime Experiential Museum focuses on the trade history and trade routes of early marine travelers.
The major restaurant chains operating inside the resort are Osai, Forest, Tunglok Heen, Feng Shui Inn, and Palio.
5. Apple Park, US – 5 billion US dollars
The master brain behind Apple Park, the corporate headquarters of Apple Inc., is Norman Foster, the internationally acclaimed British architect.
The location of Apple Park is in Cupertino, California, U.S. It stands on 175 acres and cost 5 billion US dollars to bring the design to reality.
Apple Parks consist of an auditorium by the name Steve Jobs Theater, a research and development facility, the Apple Park Visitor Center, the Apple Park Development Center, and seven cafés.
The main building is spread across 2.8 million square feet and has more than 12,000 employees. The structure is ring-shaped with glass panes. The world’s largest panel of curved glass is found here. The whole building is made up of glass and steel.
Apple Park is powered with 100 percent renewable energy and has a 17MW on-site solar power plant. The space has a lot of green space with 9,000 trees, all of which are drought-resistant.
Transportation facilities such as bus and cycling are available inside it and it also has parking facilities.
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4. SoFi Stadium, US – 5.5 billion US dollars
A sports stadium is also listed in the top 10 most expensive building in the world. A total of 5.5 billion US dollars was spent to complete the stadium.
The site of SoFi Stadium is Inglewood County in Los Angeles, California. It is a sports and entertainment indoor stadium that hosts football, basketball, soccer, and baseball.
The stadium structure is spread over 298 acres of land with a capacity of 70, 240. The capacity can be expanded to a maximum of 100,240 for major events.
The American sports and entertainment holding company subsidiary StadCo LA, LLC co-owns the stadium along with Hollywood Park Land Company, LLC. It is operated by StadCo LA, LLC, and has 260 executive suites.
SoFi Stadium has a fixed roof with an LED screen set in a way to air live the games to the passengers on the airlines that fly above the stadium.
The architectural structure of the company was designed by HKS, Inc., a Texas-based international architecture firm. Three-quarters of the stadium lies underground and has open sides to boost airflow.
Currently, the tenantship of the stadium is issued to the LA Bowl, NCAA.
3. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore – 5.7 billion US dollars
Marina Bay Sands is the most expensive structure in the world. It is located in the Bayfront Subzone in Downtown Core in Singapore. It is an integrated resort, which means one that has a hotel with a casino, luxury retail, entertainment shows, convention facilities, fine dining, and theme parks.
The specific features of Marina Bay Sands include Sands Sky Park, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay Club, The Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands Art Path, Bay Floral, Wonder Full, and ArtScience Museum.
Marina Sands is most popular for its rooftop infinity pool. Canadian-American architect and urban planner Moshe Safdie is the brain behind the structure.
The building stands at 15.5 hectares of land and has 2,561 hotel rooms. After the completion of the structure. It was opened in 2011 and cost 5.7 billion US dollars for construction.
The major restaurants operating in Marina Bay Sands are Pizzeria, Bread Street Kitchen, Waku Ghin, CUT, Sky on 57, and DB Bistro Moderne.
2. Abrāj al-Bait, Saudi Arabia – 16 billion US dollars
Which building comes in second position in the top 10 most expensive structure in the world?
It is the Abrāj al-Bait in Saudi Arabia which is a complex of seven giant hotels.
Abrāj al-Bait is owned by the government of Saudi Arabia and is currently the tallest building structure in the nation. It also goes by the name Clock Towers and is located in Mecca, 300 meters from the holy site, the Great Mosque of Mecca.
The structures visible are a four-faced clock, four golden domes, the spire, the crescent, and the minaret. The clock tower is a 120-storeyed building with a tower floor area of 3,343,680 square feet. The tenant of the clock tower is Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower Hotel.
The other component towers and the tenants, in order, are
Hajar, Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Hajar Tower Makkah; Zamzam, the Pullman ZamZam Makkah Hotel; Maqam Ibrahim, Swissôtel al Maqam Makkah; Qibla, Swissôtel Makkah; Safa, Raffles Makkah Palace Hote; and Marwah, Al Marwa Rayhaan by the Rotana – Makkah Hotel.
The architects behind the structure are SL Rasch GmbH and Dar Al-Handasah consultants. The main contractor behind it is the Saudi Binladin Group. The constriction ended in 2012 and cost 16 billion US dollars.
1. Masjid Al-Haram, Saudi Arabia – 100 billion US dollars
At last, here we are at the most expensive structure that has ever been built.
The most expensive construction in the world is the Masjid Al-Haram. It goes by several other names such as the Great Moasuq of Mecca, the Sacred Mosque, and the Grand Mosque. It stands in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia.
The mosque is now administered by Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It is a sacred site of Islam and the largest mosque in the entire world. The massive structure stands at 356,000 square meters, which is 88 acres of land area and has a capacity of 2.5 million. The building is worth 100 billion US dollars.
The latest expansion and renovation of the mosque came as part of the King Abdullah Expansion project and was completed in 2021. The architect of the project is KSA, which is the government of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the King of Saudi Arabia.
The mosque has nine minarets each with a height of 89 m, that is 292 ft. It is the focus location of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. The structures of the Great Mosque include the Ka’aba, the crystal dome of Maqam Ibrahim, the Black Stone, the Zamzam well, and the two hills Safa and Marwa.
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Conclusion
Well, wasn’t it an amazing ride? Let’s analyze what we know since you have read the article.
The first two most expensive structures are in Saudi Arabia. The most expensive building in the world is a religious site, the Masjid Al-Haram, and second in the row is the Abrāj al-Bait, a seven-hotel complex. Isn’t it praise-worthy that Apple Inc.’s headquarters is on the list of the most worthy buildings?
A government administrative structure, the Palace of the Parliament in Romania; a sports stadium, SoFi Stadium; and the U.S. World Trade Center that replaces the demolished Twin Towers, the One World Trade Center are also on the list.
The remaining ones are integrated resorts and grand and luxurious hotels, such as two of them in Singapore, the Marina Bay Sands, and the Resorts World Sentosa. Others are Wynn Place in China and The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, U.S.
