List of tallest buildings in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is the capital and largest city of the state of the same name, and the second largest city in Brazil, with an estimated population of 6,729,894[1] as of 2024. Its metropolitan area is also the second largest in Brazil and the third largest in South America, with a population of 12,022,050.[2] Rio de Janeiro has a relatively short skyline for a city of its size; nevertheless, it is the largest skyline in its state. As of 2026, Rio de Janeiro has 36 buildings over 100 meters (328 ft). The tallest building in Rio de Janeiro is the Rio Sul Center, an 48-story office skyscraper with a height of 163 m (535 ft) and completed in 1982.[3] It is one of two skyscrapers taller than 150 m (492) ft, the other being the Ventura Corporate Towers.

Skyline of Rio de Janeiro
Skyline de Rio de Janeiro
Centro in 2024
Tallest buildingRio Sul Center (1982)
Tallest building height163.1 m (535 ft)
First 150 m+ buildingRio Sul Center (1982)
Number of tall buildings (2026)
Taller than 100 m (328 ft)36
Taller than 150 m (492 ft)2
High-rises nestled among hills, with Corcovado in the background

As Brazil's most populated city in the early 20th century, the city had some of Brazil's earliest high-rises, such as the Art Deco Joseph Gire Building in 1929, and the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, with a habitable clock tower, in 1945. The majority of high-rises above 100 m (328 ft) in the city were built between the 1960s and 1980s; since then, relatively few tall buildings have been completed. Only 5 high-rises that reach a height of 100 m (328 ft) have been built since 1990. The tallest of these are the Ventura Corporate Towers, completed in 2010.

Most of the tallest buildings of Rio de Janeiro are concentrated in the central business district of Centro. However, the city's tallest, Rio Sul Center, is located in Botafogo, in the south of the city. Shorter high-rises can be found in various neighborhoods throughout the rest of the city, including along the coast of the famed Copacabana Beach. In addition to its high-rises, Rio de Janeiro's skyline is also famed for its natural backdrop, particularly the peaks of Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado, above which sits the statute of Christ the Redeemer.

History

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Number of buildingsYear0102030401920194019601980200020202040Buildings taller than 100 m (328 ft)Buildings taller than 150 m (492 ft)Growth of skyscrapers in Rio de Janeiro

1920s–1950s

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Praça Mauá, with the Joseph Gire Building on the right

Rio de Janeiro was the capital and most populous city of Brazil during the early 20th century. The city, and the central neighbourhood of Centro, is home to some of Brazil's first high-rises, the most notable of which was the Joseph Gire Building, completed in 1927 on the Praça Mauá. It was the first building in the city to reach a height of 100 m (328 ft). It was the tallest building in all of Brazil and Latin America until it was surpassed by the Martinelli Building in São Paulo in 1929.[4] An office building, it initially served as the headquarters of the newspaper A Noite. From 1937 onwards, it was also home to the Rádio Nacional.

The Joseph Gire Building remained the tallest building in Rio de Janeiro until 1945, when a high-rise building located at the then newly rebuilt Central do Brasil train station was completed. The Art Deco office tower served as the seat of the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil. The building was part of major improvement works undertaken by the new authoritarian regime in Brazil, the Estado Novo, which included the construction of new buildings for public institutions and the widening and opening of streets.

1960s–1980s

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The Central do Brasil building (left) in 1979

In the 1960s, many high-rise office buildings started to be built in Centro, such as the headquarters of the Banco do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Bank of the State of Rio de Janeiro) and Sede BNH. More office buildings were built during the 1970s and 1980s. Development also spread to the beachfront Botafogo neighbourhood, with Morada do Sol residential complex, consisting of seven buildings above 100 m, completed there in 1967. Nearby, the Rio Sul Center became the tallest building in the city in 1982, and remains the tallest today. The brutalist-style skyscraper[5] is part of a commercial complex that contains a shopping mall.

A few more buildings above 100 m were also built further afield. The Windsor Atlantica hotel, built in 1976, is situated on Rio's famous Copacabana beach. Now renamed the Hilton Copacabana Hotel, it remains the tallest building in Copacabana today.[6] The upper-middle class neighbourhood of Barra da Tijuca has two notable cylindrical buildings, Torre Ernest Hemingway and Torre Charles Degaulle, built in 1977 and 1990, respectively. Originally conceived in the 1960s as part of an ambitious project of 76 cylindrical buildings by Oscar Niemeyer, only those two buildings were ever completed. A third unfinished building, Torre H, will eventually be completed after 2025.[7]

1990s–present

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The Ventura Corporate Towers

Since the 1990s, few high-rises above 100 m have been built in Rio de Janeiro. The only office building built in Centro above that height in the 1990s was the Manhattan Tower. The 2000s also saw only one new building above 100 m, Torre Almirante. It was built on the site of the former Andorinha Building, which was destroyed by a fire in 1986.[8] The new high-rise incorporates the facade of the destroyed building. The Ventura Corporate Towers were completed in 2010, becoming the city's second tallest building.[9] Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox associates, the building among the most significant high-rise projects completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 21st century.

Currently, the tallest building completed during the 2020s is Residential Skylux by Tegra. Notably, it is the first residential high-rise above 100 m in Centro, a predominantly commercial area. The high-rise is part of a potential trend to encourage greater residential density in Rio's central areas.[10] On the side of the building is a 75-meter tall mural painted by local artist Bruno Big with 780 liters of paint.[11]

Cityscape

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A panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro in 2024

Map of tallest buildings

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Centro

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This map shows the location of buildings in Centro in Rio de Janeiro that are taller than 100 m (328 ft). Buildings located outside of Centro are not shown. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion.

Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
260m
283yds
36
35
35 Joseph Gire Building
35 Joseph Gire Building
34
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
14 BNDES Building
14 BNDES Building
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
6 Cândido Mendes Center
6 Cândido Mendes Center
5
5 Santos Dumont Building
5 Santos Dumont Building
4
4 Conde Pereira Carneiro Building
4 Conde Pereira Carneiro Building
3
3 Sedan Building
3 Sedan Building
2
2 Ventura Corporate Towers
2 Ventura Corporate Towers
1
1 Rio Sul Center*
1 Rio Sul Center*
Buildings taller than 100 m (328 ft) in Rio de Janeiro. An asterisk (*) next to the name of the building indicates it is located outside the map.
  •  1950s and before 
  •  1960s 
  •  1970s 
  •  1980s 
  •  1990s 
  •  2000s 
  •  2010s 
  •  2020s 
1
Rio Sul Center*
2
Ventura Corporate Towers
3
Sedan Building
4
Conde Pereira Carneiro Building
5
Santos Dumont Building
6
Cândido Mendes Center
7
Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado
8
Avenida Central Building
9
Sede do Banerj
10
Sede BNH
11
Seculo Frontin
12
Banco Centro do Brasil
13
Edificio Bokel
14
BNDES Building
15
Morada do Sol VII*
16
Morada do Sol VI*
17
Torre Ernest Hemingway*
18
Torre Charles de Gaulle*
19
Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil
20
Treze de Maio 33
21
Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli
22
Torre Almirante
23
Morada do Sol II*
24
Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana*
25
Edifício Sede do Citibank
26
Morada do Sol V*
27
Morada do Sol III*
28
Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde
29
Manhattan Tower
30
Hotel Nacional*
31
Morada do Sol IV
32
Morada do Sol I*
33
Edifício Sede da Petrobras
34
Residencial Skylux by Tegra
35
Joseph Gire Building
36
Vista Guanabara

Tallest buildings

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This lists ranks completed buildings in Rio de Janeiro that stand at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The “Year” column indicates the year of completion. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.

  Was the tallest building in Rio de Janeiro upon completion
Rank Name Image Location Height
m (ft)
Floors Year Purpose Notes
1 Rio Sul Center 22°57′27″S 43°10′34″W / 22.957367°S 43.176186°W / -22.957367; -43.176186 (Rio Sul Center) 163.1 (535) 48 1982 Office Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro and in Botafogo since 1982.[12] Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1980s
2 Ventura Corporate Towers 22°54′33″S 43°10′54″W / 22.909218°S 43.181732°W / -22.909218; -43.181732 (Ventura Corporate Towers) 151.4 (497) 34 2010 Office Tallest building in Centro.[13] Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 2010s
3 Sedan Building 22°54′35″S 43°10′41″W / 22.909613°S 43.178169°W / -22.909613; -43.178169 (Lelio Gama 185) 145.5 (477) 40 1980 Office Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1980 to 1982.[14]
4 Conde Pereira Carneiro Building 22°54′15″S 43°10′41″W / 22.904125°S 43.178177°W / -22.904125; -43.178177 (Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro) 145 (476) 43 1976 Office Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1976 to 1980. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s.[15]
5 Santos Dumont Building 22°54′38″S 43°10′24″W / 22.910589°S 43.173454°W / -22.910589; -43.173454 (Edificio Santos DuMont) 140.8 (462) 45 1975 Office Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1975 to 1976.[16]
6 Cândido Mendes Center 22°54′15″S 43°10′31″W / 22.904181°S 43.175282°W / -22.904181; -43.175282 (Centro Candido Mendes) 140 (459) 43 1982 Office [17]
7 Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado 22°54′30″S 43°10′34″W / 22.908234°S 43.176083°W / -22.908234; -43.176083 (Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado) 138 (453) 34 1980 Office [18]
8 Edificio Avenida Central 22°54′25″S 43°10′39″W / 22.906944°S 43.177513°W / -22.906944; -43.177513 (Edificio Avenida Central) 136 (446) 34 1961 Office Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1961 to 1975. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s.[19]
9 Sede do Banerj 22°54′24″S 43°10′35″W / 22.906656°S 43.17635°W / -22.906656; -43.17635 (Sede do Banerj) 136 (446) 34 1965 Office [20]
10 Sede BNH 22°54′31″S 43°10′52″W / 22.908525°S 43.181076°W / -22.908525; -43.181076 (Sede BNH) 135 (443) 30 1968 Office [21]
11 Seculo Frontin 22°54′26″S 43°10′35″W / 22.907314°S 43.17638°W / -22.907314; -43.17638 (Seculo Frontin) 131.1 (430) 40 1983 Office [22]
12 Banco Centro do Brasil 22°54′07″S 43°10′58″W / 22.901897°S 43.182816°W / -22.901897; -43.182816 (Banco Centro do Brasil) 130 (427) 25 1984 Office [23]
13 Edifício Bokel 22°54′40″S 43°10′31″W / 22.911055°S 43.175228°W / -22.911055; -43.175228 (Edificio Bokel) 130 (427) 37 1970 Office [24]
14 BNDES Building 22°54′31″S 43°10′48″W / 22.908545°S 43.180004°W / -22.908545; -43.180004 (Edificio BNDES) 128.9 (423) 29 1982 Office [25]
15 Morada do Sol VII 22°57′24″S 43°10′42″W / 22.956709°S 43.17828°W / -22.956709; -43.17828 (Morada do Sol VII) 124 (407) 38 1967 Residential Join-tallest residential building in Rio de Janeiro.[26]
16 Morada do Sol VI 22°57′26″S 43°10′42″W / 22.957153°S 43.178356°W / -22.957153; -43.178356 (Morado do Sol VI) 124 (407) 38 1967 Residential Joint-tallest residential building in Rio de Janeiro.[27]
17 Torre Ernest Hemingway 23°00′37″S 43°19′46″W / 23.010242°S 43.329361°W / -23.010242; -43.329361 (Torre Ernest Hemingway) 122.2 (401) 36 1990 Residential Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1990s.[28]
18 Torre Charles de Gaulle 23°00′10″S 43°19′41″W / 23.002644°S 43.327965°W / -23.002644; -43.327965 (Torre Charles de Gaulle) 122.2 (401) 36 1977 Residential [29]
19 Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil 22°54′14″S 43°11′28″W / 22.903795°S 43.191113°W / -22.903795; -43.191113 (Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil) 122 (400) 28 1945 Office Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1945 to 1961. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1940s.[30]
20 Treze de Maio 33 22°54′33″S 43°10′39″W / 22.909088°S 43.177528°W / -22.909088; -43.177528 (Treze de Maio 33) 121.6 (399) 40 1983 Residential [31]
21 Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli 22°54′22″S 43°10′40″W / 22.906075°S 43.177776°W / -22.906075; -43.177776 (Edificio Rodolpho De Paoli) 120.3 (395) 36 1970 Office [32]
22 Torre Almirante 22°54′26″S 43°10′30″W / 22.907305°S 43.175137°W / -22.907305; -43.175137 (Torre Almirante) 120 (394) 36 2004 Office Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 2000s.[33]
23 Morada do Sol II 22°57′24″S 43°10′46″W / 22.95676°S 43.179443°W / -22.95676; -43.179443 (Morada do Sol II) 119.5 (392) 36 1967 Residential [34]
24 Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana 22°57′52″S 43°10′24″W / 22.964479°S 43.173275°W / -22.964479; -43.173275 (Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana) 119.2 (391) 38 1976 Hotel Formerly known as the Windsor Atlantica Hotel. Tallest hotel building in Rio de Janeiro.[35]
25 Edifício Sede do Citibank 22°54′21″S 43°10′41″W / 22.905935°S 43.178108°W / -22.905935; -43.178108 (Edificio Sede do Citibank) 118 (387) 30 1983 Office [36]
26 Morada do Sol V 22°57′23″S 43°10′43″W / 22.956451°S 43.178642°W / -22.956451; -43.178642 (Morada do Sol V) 116.4 (382) 36 1967 Residential [37]
27 Morada do Sol III 22°57′24″S 43°10′45″W / 22.956648°S 43.179039°W / -22.956648; -43.179039 (Morada do Sol III) 115.6 (379) 36 1967 Residential [38]
28 Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde 22°54′37″S 43°10′22″W / 22.910324°S 43.172688°W / -22.910324; -43.172688 (Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde) 115.2 (378) 30 1979 Office [39]
29 Manhattan Tower 22°54′08″S 43°10′42″W / 22.902348°S 43.178425°W / -22.902348; -43.178425 (Manhattan Tower) 114 (374) 33 1992 Office [40]
30 Hotel Nacional 22°59′52″S 43°15′26″W / 22.997829°S 43.257149°W / -22.997829; -43.257149 (Hotel Nacional) 113.7 (373) 34 1972 Hotel Also known as Hotel Horsa Nacional.[41]
31 Morada do Sol IV 22°57′23″S 43°10′47″W / 22.956415°S 43.179688°W / -22.956415; -43.179688 (Morada do Sol IV) 113.3 (372) 34 1967 Residential [42]
32 Morada do Sol I 22°57′24″S 43°10′46″W / 22.95676°S 43.179443°W / -22.95676; -43.179443 (Morada do Sol I) 111.6 (366) 34 1967 Residential [43]
33 Edifício Sede da Petrobras 22°54′35″S 43°10′46″W / 22.909651°S 43.179371°W / -22.909651; -43.179371 (Edificio Sede da Petrobras) 110 (361) 24 1974 Office Also known as Edificio Edise.[44]
34 Residencial Skylux by Tegra 22°53′58″S 43°10′45″W / 22.8994394°S 43.1790472°W / -22.8994394; -43.1790472 (Residencial Skylux by Tegra) 109 (358)[a] 32 2024 Residential [45]
35 Joseph Gire Building 22°53′50″S 43°10′52″W / 22.8971894°S 43.1812272°W / -22.8971894; -43.1812272 (Joseph Gire Building) 102 (335) 22 1929 Office Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1929 to 1945. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s.[46]
36 Vista Guanabara 22°53′43″S 43°11′13″W / 22.8953586°S 43.1870694°W / -22.8953586; -43.1870694 (Vista Guanabara) 101 (331)[b] 23 2016 Office [47]

Tallest under construction or proposed

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Under construction

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As of 2026, Rio de Janeiro has no buildings under construction that are expected to reach a height of 100 m (328 ft).

Timeline of tallest buildings

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Name Image Years as tallest Height (m) Floors
Joseph Gire Building 1929–1945 102 22
Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil 1945–1961 122 28
Edificio Avenida Central 1961–1975 136 34
Santos Dumont Building 1975–1986 140.8 45
Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro 1976–1980 145 43
Sedan Building 1980–1982 145.5 40
Rio Sul Center 1982–present 163.1 48

Notes

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  1. This height is an estimate by The Skyscraper Center.
  2. This height is an estimate by The Skyscraper Center.

See also

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References

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  1. "2024 Population Estimates". 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-05. 2024 Population estimate tables for Brazilian municipalities
  2. "IBGE | Portal do IBGE | IBGE".
  3. "Rio Sul Center - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  4. "Primeiro arranha-céu do Brasil, A Noite passará por obra". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  5. Czajkowski, Jorge - Guia da Arquitetura Moderna no Rio de Janeiro, 2000, p. 18
  6. "Hotel Windsor Atlantica passará a ser Hilton em maio". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  7. Serra, Victor (2025-03-13). "Antiga 'Torre H', na Barra, se adapta à 'onda' dos estúdios e entregará mais de 400 unidades até o final do ano - Diário do Rio de Janeiro" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  8. "Fantasmobrás: o medo de assombração na Petrobras". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  9. "UFRJ busca recursos com permuta de 11 andares de edifício moderno". Agência Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  10. Fernandes, Raphael (2020-10-28). "Novo residencial no Centro do Rio promete 'revolucionar' região no âmbito habitacional - Diário do Rio de Janeiro" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  11. Silva, Luiz (2023-10-31). "Centro do Rio de Janeiro ganha um dos maiores painéis artísticos verticais do mundo". Super Rádio Tupi (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  12. "Rio Sul Center - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  13. "Ventura Corporate Towers - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  14. "Lelio Gama 105 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  15. "Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  16. "Edificio Santos DuMont - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  17. "Centro Candido Mendes - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  18. "Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  19. "Edificio Avenida Central - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  20. "Sede do Banerj - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  21. "Sede BNH - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  22. "Seculo Frontin - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  23. "Banco Centro do Brasil - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  24. "Edifício Bokel - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  25. "Edifício BNDES - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  26. "Morada do Sol VII - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  27. "Morada do Sol VI - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  28. "Torre Ernest Hemingway - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  29. "Torre Charles de Gaulle - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  30. "Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  31. "Treze de Maio 33 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  32. "Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  33. "Torre Almirante - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  34. "Morada do Sol II - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  35. "Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  36. "Edifício Sede do Citibank - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  37. "Morada do Sol V - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  38. "Morada do Sol III - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  39. "Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  40. "Manhattan Tower - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  41. "Hotel Nacional - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  42. "Morada do Sol IV - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  43. "Morada do Sol I - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  44. "Edifício Sede da Petrobras - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  45. "Residencial Skylux by Tegra - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  46. "Edifício Joseph Gire - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  47. "Vista Guanabara - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
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