List of tallest buildings in Rio de Janeiro
| Tall buildings in Rio de Janeiro | |
|---|---|
![]() Centro in 2024 | |
| Tallest building | Rio Sul Center (1982) |
| Tallest building height | 163.1 m (535 ft) |
| First 150 m+ building | Rio Sul Center (1982) |
| Number of tall buildings | |
| Buildings above 100 m | 36 (2025) |
| Buildings above 150 m | 2 |

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 2025, 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.
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 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

1920s–1950s
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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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 cylidrical 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.[7] A third unfinished building, Torre H, will eventually be completed in 2025.
1990s–present

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]
Tallest buildings
This lists ranks completed skyscrapers in Rio de Janeiro that stand at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, 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.
| Rank | Building | Image | Coordinates | Height | Floors | Purpose | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rio Sul Center | | 22°57′27″S 43°10′34″W / 22.957367°S 43.176186°W | 163.1 (535) | 48 | Office | 1982 | 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 | 151.4 (497) | 34 | Office | 2010 | Tallest building in Centro.[13] Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 2010s |
| 3 | Lelio Gama 105 | | 22°54′35″S 43°10′41″W / 22.909613°S 43.178169°W | 145.5 (477) | 40 | Office | 1980 | [14]Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1980 to 1982 |
| 4 | Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro | – | 22°54′15″S 43°10′41″W / 22.904125°S 43.178177°W | 145 (476) | 43 | Office | 1976 | [15]Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1976 to 1980. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s |
| 5 | Edificio Santos DuMont | | 22°54′38″S 43°10′24″W / 22.910589°S 43.173454°W | 140.8 (462) | 45 | Office | 1975 | [16]Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1975 to 1976 |
| 6 | Centro Candido Mendes | | 22°54′15″S 43°10′31″W / 22.904181°S 43.175282°W | 140 (459) | 43 | Office | 1982 | [17] |
| 7 | Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado | – | 22°54′30″S 43°10′34″W / 22.908234°S 43.176083°W | 138 (453) | 34 | Office | 1980 | [18] |
| 8 | Edificio Avenida Central | | 22°54′25″S 43°10′39″W / 22.906944°S 43.177513°W | 136 (446) | 34 | Office | 1961 | [19]Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1961 to 1975. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s |
| 9 | Sede do Banerj | – | 22°54′24″S 43°10′35″W / 22.906656°S 43.17635°W | 136 (446) | 34 | Office | 1965 | [20] |
| 10 | Sede BNH | | 22°54′31″S 43°10′52″W / 22.908525°S 43.181076°W | 135 (443) | 30 | Office | 1968 | [21] |
| 11 | Seculo Frontin | – | 22°54′26″S 43°10′35″W / 22.907314°S 43.17638°W | 131.1 (430) | 40 | Office | 1983 | [22] |
| 12 | Banco Centro do Brasil | – | 22°54′07″S 43°10′58″W / 22.901897°S 43.182816°W | 130 (427) | 25 | Office | 1984 | [23] |
| 13 | Edifício Bokel | – | 22°54′40″S 43°10′31″W / 22.911055°S 43.175228°W | 130 (427) | 37 | Office | 1970 | [24] |
| 14 | Edifício BNDES | | 22°54′31″S 43°10′48″W / 22.908545°S 43.180004°W | 128.9 (423) | 29 | Office | 1982 | [25] |
| 15 | Morada do Sol VII | – | 22°57′24″S 43°10′42″W / 22.956709°S 43.17828°W | 124 (407) | 38 | Residential | 1967 | [26]Join-tallest residential building in Rio de Janeiro |
| 16 | Morada do Sol VI | – | 22°57′26″S 43°10′42″W / 22.957153°S 43.178356°W | 124 (407) | 38 | Residential | 1967 | [27]Join-tallest residential building in Rio de Janeiro |
| 17 | Torre Ernest Hemingway | – | 23°00′37″S 43°19′46″W / 23.010242°S 43.329361°W | 122.2 (401) | 36 | Residential | 1990 | [28]Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1990s |
| 18 | Torre Charles de Gaulle | – | 23°00′10″S 43°19′41″W / 23.002644°S 43.327965°W | 122.2 (401) | 36 | Residential | 1977 | [29] |
| 19 | Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil | | 22°54′14″S 43°11′28″W / 22.903795°S 43.191113°W | 122 (400) | 28 | Office | 1945 | [30]Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1945 to 1961. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1940s |
| 20 | Treze de Maio 33 | – | 22°54′33″S 43°10′39″W / 22.909088°S 43.177528°W | 121.6 (399) | 40 | Residential | 1983 | [31] |
| 21 | Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli | – | 22°54′22″S 43°10′40″W / 22.906075°S 43.177776°W | 120.3 (395) | 36 | Office | 1970 | [32] |
| 22 | Torre Almirante | | 22°54′26″S 43°10′30″W / 22.907305°S 43.175137°W | 120 (394) | 36 | Office | 2004 | [33]Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 2000s |
| 23 | Morada do Sol II | – | 22°57′24″S 43°10′46″W / 22.95676°S 43.179443°W | 119.5 (392) | 36 | Residential | 1967 | [34] |
| 24 | Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana | | 22°57′52″S 43°10′24″W / 22.964479°S 43.173275°W | 119.2 (391) | 38 | Hotel | 1976 | [35]Formerly known as the Windsor Atlantica Hotel. Tallest hotel building in Rio de Janeiro |
| 25 | Edifício Sede do Citibank | – | 22°54′21″S 43°10′41″W / 22.905935°S 43.178108°W | 118 (387) | 30 | Office | 1983 | [36] |
| 26 | Morada do Sol V | – | 22°57′23″S 43°10′43″W / 22.956451°S 43.178642°W | 116.4 (382) | 36 | Residential | 1967 | [37] |
| 27 | Morada do Sol III | – | 22°57′24″S 43°10′45″W / 22.956648°S 43.179039°W | 115.6 (379) | 36 | Residential | 1967 | [38] |
| 28 | Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde | – | 22°54′37″S 43°10′22″W / 22.910324°S 43.172688°W | 115.2 (378) | 30 | Office | 1979 | [39] |
| 29 | Manhattan Tower | – | 22°54′08″S 43°10′42″W / 22.902348°S 43.178425°W | 114 (374) | 33 | Office | 1992 | [40] |
| 30 | Hotel Nacional | | 22°59′52″S 43°15′26″W / 22.997829°S 43.257149°W | 113.7 (373) | 34 | Hotel | 1972 | [41]Also known as Hotel Horsa Nacional |
| 31 | Morada do Sol IV | – | 22°57′23″S 43°10′47″W / 22.956415°S 43.179688°W | 113.3 (372) | 34 | Residential | 1967 | [42] |
| 32 | Morada do Sol I | – | 22°57′24″S 43°10′46″W / 22.95676°S 43.179443°W | 111.6 (366) | 34 | Residential | 1967 | [43] |
| 33 | Edifício Sede da Petrobras | – | 22°54′35″S 43°10′46″W / 22.909651°S 43.179371°W | 110 (361) | 24 | Office | 1974 | [44]Also known as Edificio Edise |
| 34 | Residencial Skylux by Tegra | – | 22°53′58″S 43°10′45″W / 22.8994394°S 43.1790472°W | 109 (358)[a] | 32 | Residential | 2024 | [45] |
| 35 | Joseph Gire Building | | 22°53′50″S 43°10′52″W / 22.8971894°S 43.1812272°W | 102 (335) | 22 | Office | 1929 | [46]Tallest building in Rio de Janeiro from 1929 to 1945. Tallest building completed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s |
| 36 | Vista Guanabara | – | 22°53′43″S 43°11′13″W / 22.8953586°S 43.1870694°W | 101 (331)[b] | 23 | Office | 2016 | [47] |
Tallest under construction or proposed
Under construction
As of 2025, Rio de Janeiro has no buildings under construction that are expected to reach a height of 100 m (328 ft) or greater.
Proposed
The following table ranks proposed and approved skyscrapers in Rio de Janeiro that are expected to be at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, based on standard height measurement.
| Building | Height | Floors | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mata Maravilha 1 | Unknown | 70 | Residential | [48] |
| Mata Maravilha 1 | Unknown | 70 | Residential | [48] |
| Porto Maravilha Corporate 1 | 150 m | 36 | Office | [49] |
| Porto Maravilha Corporate 2 | 130 m | 31 | Office | [50] |
Timeline of tallest buildings
| 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 |
| Edificio Santos DuMont | | 1975–1986 | 140.8 | 45 |
| Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro | – | 1976–1980 | 145 | 43 |
| Lelio Gama 105 | | 1980–1982 | 145.5 | 40 |
| Rio Sul Center | | 1982–present | 163.1 | 48 |
Map of tallest buildings
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.
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.
1 Rio Sul Center*2 Ventura Corporate Towers3 Lelio Gama 104 Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro5 Edificio Santos DuMont6 Centro Candido Mendes7 Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado8 Edificio Avenida Central9 Sede do Banerj10 Sede BNH11 Seculo Frontin12 Banco Centro do Brasil13 Edificio Bokel14 Edificio BNDES15 Morada do Sol VII*16 Morada do Sol VI*17 Torre Ernest Hemingway*18 Torre Charles de Gaulle*19 Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil20 Treze de Maio 3321 Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli22 Torre Almirante23 Morada do Sol II*24 Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana*25 Edifício Sede do Citibank26 Morada do Sol V*27 Morada do Sol III*28 Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde29 Manhattan Tower30 Hotel Nacional*31 Morada do Sol IV32 Morada do Sol I*33 Edifício Sede da Petrobras34 Residencial Skylux by Tegra35 Joseph Gire Building36 Vista Guanabara |
Cityscape

References
- ^ "2024 Population Estimates". 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
2024 Population estimate tables for Brazilian municipalities
- ^ "IBGE | Portal do IBGE | IBGE".
- ^ "Rio Sul Center - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Primeiro arranha-céu do Brasil, A Noite passará por obra". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
- ^ Czajkowski, Jorge - Guia da Arquitetura Moderna no Rio de Janeiro, 2000, p. 18
- ^ "Hotel Windsor Atlantica passará a ser Hilton em maio". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Fantasmobrás: o medo de assombração na Petrobras". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "UFRJ busca recursos com permuta de 11 andares de edifício moderno". Agência Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Rio Sul Center - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Ventura Corporate Towers - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Lelio Gama 105 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edificio Conde Pereira Carneiro - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edificio Santos DuMont - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Centro Candido Mendes - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edificio Lineu de Paula Machado - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edificio Avenida Central - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Sede do Banerj - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Sede BNH - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Seculo Frontin - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Banco Centro do Brasil - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edifício Bokel - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edifício BNDES - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Morada do Sol VII - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Morada do Sol VI - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
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- ^ "Torre Charles de Gaulle - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Treze de Maio 33 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edifício Rodolpho De Paoli - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Torre Almirante - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Morada do Sol II - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edifício Sede do Citibank - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Morada do Sol V - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Morada do Sol III - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Palácio Austregésilo de Athayde - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Manhattan Tower - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Hotel Nacional - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Morada do Sol IV - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Morada do Sol I - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edifício Sede da Petrobras - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Residencial Skylux by Tegra - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Edifício Joseph Gire - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Vista Guanabara - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ a b Lançamentos-RJ (2025-04-29). "Mata Maravilha: Novo Vale do Silício Verde no Rio de Janeiro". Lançamentos-RJ (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Porto Maravilha Corporate 1 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Porto Maravilha Corporate 2 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.

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