Panama City’s skyline has been changing drastically in recent years. The tallest buildings in Panama City is now the 70-story JW Marriot Panama, ancient called Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower with a height of 932 ft (284 m). Despite this being one of the tallest buildings in Central America and Latin America, there are many more skyscrapers in Panama City and more under construction. Let us tell you all about the city with the tallest buildings in Latin America.
The tallest buildings IN Panama City
The tallest building of Panama City is, as mentioned before, the JW Marriot Panama. Located in the neighborhood of Punta Pacifica. Its original name was Trump Ocean Club International and locals like to call it The Sail (La vela), because it has the shape of a boat’s sail.
This magnificent building was started in 2007 and completed in 2011. It was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier, who is known for his minimalist aesthetic and use of white stone on most of his buildings. It is ranked as the 263 tallest building in the world.
In Latin America, only the Gran Torre Santiago, in Santiago de Chile, with a height of 984 ft (300 m), is taller than our JW Marriot. But we are still far from some of the highest buildings in the world, like the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai which is almost 3 times bigger, with 2.716 ft (828 m) or the Shanghai Tower 2.073 ft (632 m), the second tallest building in the world.
Panama is the city with the largest number of skyscrapers built in Latin America
Panama City is the home of 7 of the 10 tallest buildings in Latin America. There are 66 buildings taller than 490 feet (150 m) in Panama City, and 24 higher than 656 feet (200 m) according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, (CTBUH) the non-profit group that tracks tall buildings. Panama City ranks 25th in the world for number of skyscrapers, trailing only New York and Chicago in the Americas, and ahead of Miami, Moscow, Houston and Sydney, according to the CTBUH.
Why so many skyscrapers in Panama
The bulk of the Panama City skyscraper construction occurred in the historic growth period between 2008 and 2012. The biggest year for completions was 2009, when 11 towers taller than 320 ft (100 m) were completed. Ten were completed in 2011, according to CTBUH data. And it’s worth noting that construction has returned in the last years, with three towers of more than 320 feet (100 m) completed in 2015, according to the CTBUH data.
Beyond the fast-growing economy, Panama City has many attributes that make it an ideal location for tall building development. There are no hurricanes or earthquake zones, which can wreak havoc on the engineering and construction costs of skyscraper projects
What’s a skyscraper?
A skyscraper is a tall building with a height of at least 150 meters (492 ft). The word “skyscraper” comes from “sky” and “scrape/scrape down” because these buildings scrape against the sky and scrape down on their surroundings.
Panama not only has the tallest buildings in Latin America, but also is one of the fastest growing cities for high-rise construction around the world!
The five tallest buildings in Panama City are all skyscrapers
It’s true that the Panama City skyline is dominated by skyscrapers. In fact, there are 66 skyscrapers in the city that are taller than 492 ft (100 m). Did you know that? You will be surprised to see this kind of modernity and so close the jungle and the rain forest. Panama is truly amazing.
These are the 5 tallest buildings in the city:
1 JW Marriott Panamá 932 feet (284 m)
2 Bicsa Financial Center 876 ft (267 m)
3 The Point 873 ft (266 m)
4 Torre Vitri 853 ft (260) m
5 Ocean Two 843 ft (257 m)
But there are a couple of very nice buildings that we want you to visit, even though they are not in the top five skyscrapers:
F&F Tower: Popularly known as El tornillo (the screw) due to its shape like a screw.
Biomuseum: Designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, and incorporates colorful multicolored forms.
The skyline of Panama City is changing rapidly. The city has some of the tallest buildings in Central America and Latin America in general, with plans to build even more. We hope this article has been informative and help you form an idea of what’s the shape of our beautiful city.
So remember, when you are ready to visit the city, with a certified bilingual tour guide, who can really show you the beauties of this marvelous city of Panama, just click here and and Tour Now will send you a guide right away.
Let us take care of you.
