New Residential Tower Set to Top Tallest US Building Nears Major Milestone

Detailed summary

The world’s tallest buildings have been concentrated in Asia in recent years. But a new structure rising in South America is expected to become the world's tallest residential…

The world’s tallest buildings have been concentrated in Asia in recent years. But a new structure rising in South America is expected to become the world's tallest residential tower upon completion.

The Senna Tower in Brazil will soar to 1,785 feet in the coastal city of Balneário Camboriú and aims to be a symbol of a “new era” for tall buildings. Upon completion, the tower will surpass the height of the tallest building in the United States—the One World Trade Center in New York City, which stands 1,776 feet high—and is expected to be the tallest building outside Asia, based on the latest height data from The Skyscraper Center of the Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU).

Speaking to Newsweek at the 2026 Vertical Urbanism (VU) Summit of the CVU, civil engineer Stephane Domeneghini, executive director of Talls Solutions, who is leading the project, said the Senna Tower is an “icon for the new generation.” That is why the tower’s name comes from Ayrton Senna, the late Brazilian race car driver who won dozens of Grand Prix titles before he died in a crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

“The project is named Senna Tower because Ayrton Senna is a hero for Brazil and represents the best version of Brazil,” Domeneghini said, noting that locals admire the athlete’s history.

According to the engineer, there are expected to be six or seven more years of work to go before the tower’s completion “because we have some restrictions in Brazil.”

“We can work only from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day and not during the weekends," Domeneghini said. "So, it's very different from the other markets like New York, Dubai, and China, where they may work 24 hours a day. We cannot, so we are facing this challenge.”

Under construction since last year, the tower’s foundation has been finished, and the team is poised to showcase “the superstructure,” the portion of the building that is above ground level, including the columns, beams, walls, and floors, by the end of next year, Domeneghini said.

The…

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