As the 2016 Olympics come to a close in Rio, Brazil, we thought it would be appropriate to continue our series on tallest skyscrapers by continent (see Tallest Skyscrapers in North America), by moving on to the tallest skyscrapers in South America. The rule of limiting each country will not apply here, as we needed to limit the United States, otherwise the previous list would have just been Tallest Skyscrapers in the USA. South America has a total of twelve countries. They are as follows (listed by population size); Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, and Suriname. There are nearly 200 skyscrapers standing 100 meters (328 feet) or more in all of South America. We will be covering the four skyscrapers in South America standing over 200 meters (656 feet), one of them still being under construction.
Gran Torre Santiago
This 300 meter (984 feet) skyscraper is located in Santiago, Chile. It is also known as the Costanera Center Torre 2 (Great Santiago Tower). It stands at 64 storeys high and is the tallest skyscraper in Latin America. It is the second tallest building (by highest architectural feature and highest occupied floor) in the Southern Hemisphere. It was completed in 2013 at a cost of one billion dollars. It is part of the Costanera Center complex which has the largest shopping mall in Latin America. An observation deck opened in August 2015, called Sky Costanera. It offers 360 degree views of Santiago.
BD Bacatá
This 260-meter (853-foot) skyscraper is currently under construction in Bogota, Colombia and when complete will be the tallest in the country, surpassing Torre Colpatria. It will be the second tallest in South America as well. It will be 67 stories and actually will consist of two towers. The south one is as previously mentioned, 260 meters, and the north one will be 216 meters (709 feet). It will be composed of 1.2 million square feet and contain apartments, office and retail space, as well as a 364 room hotel. It is expected to be completed later this year as construction began in 2012. Its name is taken from the former name of the city and the towers will be the 2 tallest buildings in Colombia. It is the world’s first crowdfunded skyscraper and the first skyscraper to be built in Colombia in 35 years. Over 3,800 ordinary Colombian citizens financed it.
Parque Central Complex (East and West Towers)
Located in Caracas, Venezuela, this skyscraper was fully completed in 1983 and stands at 255 meters (836 feet) tall. It is actually a set of buildings, known at the Twin Towers of Parque Central. They have become an architectural icon in Caracas and were the tallest in Latin America until the Torre Mayor were built in Mexico City in 2003. They are currently the tallest twin buildings in Latin America. They house many government and cultural institutions
As South America continues to build higher and higher, we will turn our attention to the next continent in our series of tallest skyscrapers when we cover the tallest skyscrapers in Europe. Have you been to any of these skyscrapers? Sound off in the comments section below.
