The Bank of Manhattan Photo by: Phillip Kalantzis Cope
Different countries have always been in competition with each other - usually with their very close neighbours. This is true in the realm of architecture also.
In 1996, for example, the Chrysler Building and the Bank of Manhattan Building were rivals to gain the tallest building accolade. At that time, spires could be included in the total height of the building, so the Bank of Manhattan secretly constructed an antennae within the building itself, revealing this, then, at the final moment.
The Chrsyler Building Photo by: temprb0
The Chrysler Building complained bitterly about the deception. In the end, both of their spires were excluded and the Chrysler Building won the battle as it possessed the highest usable floor of the two (the observation deck, which was 30 metres above that of its rival). The tallest building, now, is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
