America's Tallest Building in each State

[wolverine]

I don't understand why office towers are built so tall for so few floors i.e. Bank of America in Atlanta is 1023 ft. for only 55 floors. Doesn't seem very energy efficient. Also I didn't realize Key Tower in Cleveland was taller than the Ren Cen.

I don't think you are looking at right. It isn't 1023 feet divided by 55. Some of that is mechanical, equipment penthouse screening and spire. That 1023 is referred to as the pinnacle height. The last rentable floor is around 760' feet or so. Subtract the double height lobby and the possibility of a transfer floor or mechanical floor and you have around 13' per level....which is relatively standard. I work in a building with 13'-6" floors which seems to be the new standard in modern Class A office.

People want high ceilings in offices now.......having 10' foot clear minimum is desirable. Some will go as far as to take the ceiling up to underside of deck and just expose all of the ducts and piping to create a loft type of environment. The days of those crappy Class C offices with 8 to 9' drop ceilings slicing through the windows is finally coming to an end, which will go by the way of the antiquated 6' high cubicle walls that have disappeared from offices since the 1990's.

What's more interesting is to ask: What is the tallest floor in a building that someone can either live on, work on, dine or visit?

432 Park in NYC will hold that title at about 1400 feet tall. It's 60 feet shy of mechanical rooftop of Willis Tower and will be residential.