Tallest in South America. Gran Torre Santiago, Chile
The Gran Torre going up back in 2012 (Photo: Kyle Pearce via Flickr / CC By 2.0)
Proof, if proof were needed, that skyscrapers are a wholly global phenomenon, the Gran Torre Santiago, topping out at 300 metres, is the tallest building in South America, and boasts a quite remarkable degree of human traffic coming to and from its site every day.
The reason for this is that its base constitutes part of the Costanera Center complex, which includes the largest shopping mall in Latin America, daily accommodating a whopping 240,000 people.
Not all was smooth sailing in its construction, which began in 2006; the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 forced it to pause for a year, while funds were shored up, meaning that the structure was not fully completed until 2013.