# Best Skylines Outside Asia



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

With the exception of New York, Chicago, and Toronto the best skylines in the world are found in Asia. This thread is meant to shine a light on great skylines beyond Asia. What are your favourites from Europe, Australia, Africa, and America? I'll start off with one that I think gets over looked far too much.

*Melbourne, Australia*

Melbourne skyline at blue hour by Trevor Downie, on Flickr


----------



## Jay (Oct 7, 2004)

Most of the others would still be in North America, I think a lot of second tier US skyscraper cities like Philly, Seattle, LA, San Francisco etc. are pretty impressive, then maybe Sydney or Moscow or something.

I'm guessing Dubai counts as Asia as well?


----------



## cena1200 (Mar 2, 2017)

Melbourne
sedny 
Pretty Australian cities and enjoy the spectacular views of urban


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Australia has great skylines. Although a little small, Auckland looks pretty good to me as well.



Jay said:


> Most of the others would still be in North America, I think a lot of second tier US skyscraper cities like Philly, Seattle, LA, San Francisco etc. are pretty impressive, then maybe Sydney or Moscow or something.
> 
> I'm guessing Dubai counts as Asia as well?


The UAE is most definitely in Asia. Most of the notable skylines outside Asia would be in north America: New York, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Houston, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Panama City, Mexico City, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary. There are others though: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Moscow, London, Paris, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo.

African skylines need more time but I'm hoping to eventually see some like Johannesburg, Cape Town, etc. here as well.


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

This is an excellent thread! I was posting in the DISCUSS: *** World's Best Skyline *** thread earlier today and I saw WHOLE PAGES filled to the brim with photos of Asian cities. I'd like to mention *Seattle* here:

Seattle Skyline by Nicholas Smith, on Flickr

Seattle skyline by Rick Lan, on Flickr

Seattle Skyline by James Arnott, on Flickr


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

Another one of *Seattle*:
Seattle Skyline by 6th City, on Flickr

I like the lightning. (Well, I don't like lightning but I like the way it looks in the photo.)


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

A Chicagoan said:


> This is an excellent thread! I was posting in the DISCUSS: *** World's Best Skyline *** thread earlier today and I saw WHOLE PAGES filled to the brim with photos of Asian cities.


It's really turned into Asian skylines vs Everybody else. :lol:

I love them but it would be nice to see some of these non-Asian skylines all in one place instead of going continent by continent. I quite like Seattle's skyline but on the west coast I'm partial to LA. As we're talking about Seattle, is Mt. Baker that prominent in real life or is that with a zoom lens?


----------



## QalzimCity (Jan 24, 2012)

Jay said:


> Most of the others would still be in North America, I think a lot of second tier US skyscraper cities like Philly, Seattle, LA, San Francisco etc. are pretty impressive, then maybe Sydney or Moscow or something.
> 
> *I'm guessing Dubai counts as Asia as well?*


Geography 101... Dubai is a city apart of the capital Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates, a country located in Asia continent...


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

isaidso said:


> As we're talking about Seattle, is Mt. Baker that prominent in real life or is that with a zoom lens?


I do not think Mt. Baker is in any of those photos, as it is north of Seattle. Could you have been talking about *Mt. Rainier* in the second picture, which is about 55 miles south-southeast from Seattle?


----------



## Kadzman (Aug 10, 2015)

Panama City 
Warm afternoon by thyngum, on Flickr

Panama City by night by Anton Best, on Flickr


----------



## Jay (Oct 7, 2004)

QalzimCity said:


> Geography 101... Dubai is a city apart of the capital Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates, a country located in Asia continent...


People in the west say Asia to mean East Asia. The Middle East is thought of as a different (sub) continent. No need to be a dick.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Jay said:


> People in the west say Asia to mean East Asia. The Middle East is thought of as a different (sub) continent. No need to be a dick.


We get people in Brampton, Ontario who think Asian means south Asian because 39% of the population in Brampton are of Indian descent with only 2% Chinese. In Markham, Ontario, you run into people who think Asian means east Asian because most of the Asians there are of Chinese descent.

You're talking about people who have no idea what Asia is. They come into contact with Chinese people then assume that's what Asian means. Doesn't make it correct.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

*Toronto*


















Courtesy of Jasonzed


----------



## QalzimCity (Jan 24, 2012)

Jay said:


> People in the west say Asia to mean East Asia. The Middle East is thought of as a different (sub) continent. No need to be a dick.


Once in a while, u will have to face a dickhead... My turn happens to be today...sigh..:nuts:


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Perhaps we can get back to skylines.


----------



## steppenwolf (Oct 18, 2002)

I would question whether the premise of this thread is accurate. I'm not sure how 'best' is defined here, but Asian skylines lack many of the qualities that make good skylines. Sure, many are winning on quantity of recent buildings, but many Asian skylines lack overall architectural quality and they lack layers of heritage and the variety in architectural style. 

So it's definitely incorrect to assert that the best skylines are in Asia, as interesting as Asian skylines are.


----------



## KlausDiggy (Jan 21, 2013)

*Best European Skylines*

*1# Moscow IBC (Russia)*


















*2# Istanbul (Turkey)*























*3# Paris / La Defence (France)*













*4# London (United Kingdom)*













*5# Frankfurt/Main (Germany)*


















*6# Warsaw (Poland)*








*7# Benidorm | Spain*


















*8# Rotterdam (Netherlands)*








*9# Milan (Italy)*













*10. Vienna - Donaucity (Austria)*









*11. Yekaterinburg (Russia)*









*12# Madrid (Spain)*









*13# Naples (Italy)*









*14# The Hague (Netherlands)*









*15# Barcelona (Spain)*










*16# Brussels (Belgium)*









*17# Amsterdam - Zuidas (Netherlands)*
Old video but unfortunately the only one on YouTube.


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

^^Those are some excellent non-Asian skylines!


----------



## Protected Lucifers (Feb 25, 2017)

i really like this thread !


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

*KlausDiggy:* I quite enjoyed those. Thanks for the contribution. Especially like what's happening in Warsaw. I've always liked Rotterdam as well but it doesn't seem to be keeping pace with some of the other skylines in Europe.

*steppenwolf:* There's a new thread in this section about what people look at when judging a skyline. It's quite interesting. There will always be differing opinions and no right/wrong answers. What one person finds tacky another might find cool. Inversely what I find classic another might find boring. From my 10 years on SSC I would say that most people on here agree with the premise of this thread though.


----------



## Harryx5 (Jun 29, 2006)

Panama City has a World class skyline that has not been properly rated. With Dubai and other cities it has changed a lot in the past decade, and it is still evolving.


Kadzman said:


> Panama City
> Warm afternoon by thyngum, on Flickr
> 
> Panama City by night by Anton Best, on Flickr


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

Here's an interesting photo of *Melbourne*:
https://flic.kr/p/qhXwar

*Miami*:
Miami Skyline by Eustaquio Santimano, on Flickr


----------



## SASH (Apr 15, 2005)

isaidso said:


> I've always liked Rotterdam as well but it doesn't seem to be keeping pace with some of the other skylines in Europe.


If you compare it to the plans London has got it doesn't, but don't be fooled by what you find and see here in several Threads. We Dutch forumers don't post like idiots here on SSC about our future Skyline(s).
I personally can tell you that the comming year(s) a lot of contructions will start in Rotterdam.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

SASH said:


> If you compare it to the plans London has got it doesn't, but don't be fooled by what you find and see here in several Threads. We Dutch forumers don't post like idiots here on SSC about our future Skyline(s).
> I personally can tell you that the comming year(s) a lot of contructions will start in Rotterdam.


It's a good point. Most cities only have a few of their main projects with a thread. I was more basing my perception on the SSP data base and watching skylines develop since I joined SSC.

I still like Rotterdam.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Harryx5 said:


> Panama City has a World class skyline that has not been properly rated. With Dubai and other cities it has changed a lot in the past decade, and it is still evolving.


Panama City's skyline was the biggest surprise for me when I joined SSC. I expected it to look like other central American cities. It's one of the reasons I made this thread. I'd rank it as one of the best skylines outside Asia and in my top 10. It's too heavily skewed to residential but still a very good skyline.


----------



## JuanPaulo (Feb 26, 2004)

^^ *Panama City, Panama*


Panama City by Danny Guardia, on Flickr


Panama by Mario Cuitiño, on Flick


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

^^Whoa!
San Diego Skyline by Martin Osiadly, on Flickr
San Diego has an interesting waterfront skyline that is almost tropical.


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

*Montréal*:
Montreal Skyline by Jonathan Keller, on Flickr


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

You certainly have a very chipper positive energy to you Chicagoan.


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

^^I can't say that's a bad thing. :lol:


----------



## steppenwolf (Oct 18, 2002)

In addition, with the exceptions of Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo, I think relatively few Asian cities have achieved internationally recognisable or iconic skylines. 

I wrote this a decade ago on this forum when I was doing a Master dissertation on skylines:

"a skyline should represent a shorthand for a great city. In the skyline we should be able to see all that we want from a great city - Energy, progress, history, opportunity, fun, beauty, natural drama nearby, variety. If a skyline fails to satisfy these things we may subconciously get the message that it represents an inadequate city.

A skyline can become an icon. This is because of much more than density, height, variety, setting etc. Skylines such as New York's and Sydney's are so associated with success, urbanity and urban energy and opportunity, plus they have been featured in movies for years, that they have become something more than a collection of buildings. some impressive skylines have failed to achieve this iconic status "


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

^^If you're not interested in this thread, why don't you just go and post on the other ones?

*London*:

The City London [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], by kloniwotski (Flickr), from Wikimedia Commons


City of London skyline from London City Hall - Sept 2015 - Crop [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], by Colin (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

*steppenwolf:* you seem to have a very rigid view of what makes a great skyline. The 2nd western skyline you think of is Sydney? Sydney may have a sky high profile in the UK (the UK and Australia seem glued at the hip) but globally it's not exactly a city most people think of when one says 'skyline' It's not even the best one in Australia imo. Melbourne's is a ton better.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

*Montreal*









Courtesy of Jasonzed

Mont....grrrr...éal! by Christian Barrette, on Flickr


Montréal by Alain CarrIR, on Flickr


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

*Vancouver*


Big West Volleyfest 2016 by Gord Gallagher, on Flickr


Baker by Chris Yakimov, on Flickr


From a distance by lindakatee, on Flickr


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

*Toronto*

Top of the city by Russell Sutherland, on Flickr

East bound by Russell Sutherland, on Flickr

East of Yonge by Russell Sutherland, on Flickr

Untitled by Russell Sutherland, on Flickr


----------



## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Brisbane









https://www.instagram.com/p/BPGv-JAg51_/









https://www.instagram.com/p/BPWVfXBhFAS/









https://www.instagram.com/p/BO3CIObA9OG/









https://www.instagram.com/p/BM0rL2IhXMq/









https://www.instagram.com/p/BQRKr8sgPU5/









https://www.instagram.com/p/BMnrOfABW3-/


----------



## A Chicagoan (Aug 9, 2016)

*Istanbul*:
Modern Istanbul skyline at sunset by Ben Morlok, on Flickr


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

'Best' and 'Largest' aren't the same thing but I've compiled a quantitative list of the 30 largest skylines outside of Asia using a study that counts the number of meters over 90m that exist in a city. So a 100m building counts for 10 points and a 300m building counts for 210 points. 

It gives a fairly good representation of the scale of a skyline. It's a good starting point and puts into perspective the relative size of skylines. New York's is 3.5 times the size of Toronto's, for example. 


*Biggest Skylines outside of Asia*

01. New York 39,772
02. Chicago 17,830
03. Toronto 10,901
04. Panama City 9,731
05. Moscow 7,901
06. Miami 6,684
07. Istanbul 5,836
08. Sao Paulo 5,646
09. Sydney 5,477
10. Houston 5,293

11. Melbourne 5,005
12. Mexico City 4,319
13. Los Angeles 3,858
14. San Francisco 3,791
15. Atlanta 3,597
16. Las Vegas 2,916
17. Paris 2,899
18. Dallas 2,858
19. Buenos Aires 2,810
20. Philadelphia 2,738

21. Calgary 2,737
22. London 2,714
23. Seattle 2,469
24. Brisbane 2,372
25. Boston 2,356
26. Frankfurt 2,006
27. Vancouver 1,952
28. Montreal 1,839
29. Recife 1,808
30. Gold Coast 1,798


http://tudl0867.home.xs4all.nl/skylines.html


----------



## Blackhavvk (Dec 23, 2013)

Moscow





























+ bonus









lanchevsky


----------



## KlausDiggy (Jan 21, 2013)

isaidso said:


> http://tudl0867.home.xs4all.nl/skylines.html


It is from Sep. 2015

Frankfurt for now... 

1. Europaturm | 337.5m / 2 - 90m = 78.5m
2. Commerzbank Tower 259m - 90m = 169m
3. Messeturm | 256.5 - 90 = 166.5
4. Westend Tower | 208m - 90 = 118m
5. Tower 185 | 200m - 90 = 110m
6. MainTower | 200m - 90 = 110m
7. Trianon | 186m - 90 = 96m
8. ECB-HQ | 185m - 90 = 95m
9. Taunusturm | 170m - 90 = 80m
10. Opernturm | 170m - 90 = 80m
11. Silberturm | 166m - 90 = 76m
12. Westend Tower | 159m - 90 = 69m
13. D-Bank Towers | 155m - 90 = 65m
14. D-Bank Towers | 155m - 90 = 65m
15. Skyper | 154m - 90 = 64m
16. Euro Tower | 148m - 90 = 58m
17. City Haus | 142m - 90 = 52m
18. FBC | 142m - 90 = 52m
19. Henninger Tower (T/O) | 140m | - 90 = 50m
20. Gallileo | 136m - 90 = 46m
21. Nextower | 136m - 90 = 46m
22. Pollux | 130m - 90 = 40m
23. Garden Tower | 127m - 90 = 37m
24. Messe Torhaus | 117m - 90 = 27m
25. Japan Center | 115m - 90 = 25m
26. Park Tower | 115m - 90 = 25m
27. Westhafen Tower | 112m - 90 = 22m
28. IBC | 112m - 90 = 22m
29. Eurotheum | 110m - 90 = 20m
30. B.C, Nibelungenplatz | 110m - 90 = 20m
31. WinX Tower | 110m (T/O) | 110m - 90 = 20m
32. Neue Mainzer Str. 32-36 | 109m - 90 = 19m
33. Leonardo Royal Hotel | 100m - 90 = 10m
34. Jumeirah Hotel | 99m - 90 = 9m
35. Arabella B.C. | 96m - 90 = 6m
36. Hh. am Park | 96m - 90 = 6m
37. WestendDuo | 96m - 90 = 6m
38. Kastor | 95m - 90 = 5m
39. Deutsche Bank IBCF | 93m - 90 = 3m
40. Commerzbank Trading C. | 93m - 90 = 3m
41. Union Investment Center | 93m - 90 = 3m
*Points = 2074*

Skyscraper under construction

OmniTurm | 189m
Grand Tower | 172m
Marienturm | 155m
Forty One Frankfurt | 140m
Kulturcampus /Office | 100m


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Great work KlausDiggy! I got tired of waiting for the 2016 numbers to come out so I posted the 2015. I suspect that Melbourne, London, and Brisbane will move up a few spots. I'll do the 4 Canadian entries later tonight.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Vancouver buildings 90m+ completed in 2016

Trump Hotel | 188m - 90m = 98m
Solo District Status | 149m - 90m = 59m
Telus Garden | 136m - 90m = 46m
M3 | 125m - 90m = 35m
Marine Gateway North | 105m - 90m = 15m
MC2 South | 91m - 90m = 1m

1952 + 253 = *2205 Points*


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Toronto buildings 90m+ completed in 2016

ICE Condos East | 234m - 90m = 144m
ICE Condos West | 202m - 90m = 112m
Bay-Adelaide East | 196m - 90m = 106m
Ernst & Young | 188m - 90m = 98m
U Condos 2 | 184m - 90m = 94m
Casa 2 | 184m - 90m = 94m
INDX | 179m - 90m = 89m
Lago | 168m - 90m = 78m
Karma | 166m - 90m = 76m
One York | 163m - 90m = 73m
Five | 161m - 90m = 71m
Key West | 146m - 90m = 56m
Pace | 146m - 90m = 56m
Studio 2 | 133m - 90m = 43m
Alto at Atria | 131m - 90m = 41m
Jade | 130m - 90m = 40m
Picasso | 128m - 90m = 38m
Tableau | 123m - 90m = 33m
Velocity | 122m - 90m = 32m
Madison West | 121m - 90m = 31m
Milan | 119m - 90m = 29m
Backstage | 118m - 90m = 28m
King Charlotte | 114m - 90m = 24m
Avani I | 111m - 90m = 21m
30 Roehampton | 111m - 90m = 21m
Madison East | 111m - 90m = 21m
Eighty-Eight | 106m - 90m = 16m
1000 Bay | 105m - 90m = 15m
Studio 1 | 103m - 90m = 13m
Exhibit | 100m - 90m = 10m
Balliol Park South | 91m - 90m = 1m

10,901 + 1,604 = *12,505 Points*


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Montreal buildings 90m+ completed in 2016

Tour des Canadiens | 167m - 90m = 77m
Roccabella | 147m - 90m = 57m

1,839 + 134 = *1,973 Points*


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Calgary buildings 90m+ completed in 2016

City Centre | 162m - 90m = 72m
Guardian South | 147m - 90m = 57m
Guardian North | 147m - 90m = 57m
Eau Claire | 120m - 90m = 30m
Versus West | 119m - 90m = 29m
Mark on Tenth | 110m - 90m = 20m
Evolution Pulse | 107m - 90m = 17m

2,737 + 282 = *3,019 Points*


----------

