Tall Buildings Construction Guide 2026

Contact

Steve Watts

Director, Real Estate, UK

Email

Share

Our inaugural global Tall buildings construction guide

Urbanization, rising land values, changing workplace needs, housing demand, and sustainability pressures are driving more tall buildings globally—defined as buildings over 200m.

Understanding the costs of tall building construction is more critical than ever. Our data shows global high-rise development costs rising significantly over the next five years. As commercial pressures persist, the industry is being asked to do more with less.

This first edition of our Tall buildings construction guide provides a comprehensive view of the global tall buildings market. It includes focused insights and data on six key cities: London, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, New York, and Dubai.

Common commercial challenges for high-rise markets, explored in this guide:

Sustained, elevated construction costs.
Inflationary environment, higher interest rates, and challenging financing conditions.
Constrained supply chains and skilled labor shortages, driving up labor and materials costs.
Ongoing uncertainty, adding to risk premiums.
Competitive tendering conditions for clients looking to secure tier 1 contractors.

How this guide helps the tall buildings sector

High-rises are often a city’s most valuable commercial assets, especially in space-constrained locations. The world is getting taller, with the number and height of tall buildings increasing globally.

Despite this growth, completions are slightly down from a 2023 peak, and a record number are on hold. While many have made substantial construction progress and are likely to restart, this reflects a more cautious global approach to high-rise development.

Investment is gravitating toward markets with strong fundamentals. To compete, teams must shape projects from the outset, follow best practices, and build on sound fundamentals.

In this report, we combine expert insight with our sector-leading data to help developers find the right balance of value versus cost for their projects.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE REPORTS