Here's a look at the 9 biggest skyscrapers due to complete in the next 12 months, including the world's tallest office tower, a building topped by a huge diamond and a structure designed to resemble ship sails.

1. Ping An Finance Center, China, by Kohn Pedersen Fox

The tallest building completing in 2016 is a 599-metre tower in Shenzhen by US firm Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). Once complete, it will steal the title of world's tallest office building from One World Trade Center in New York. It will also be the fourth tallest building on earth.

The project had to be temporarily halted in 2013 when it was discovered that concrete made with unprocessed sea sand had been used in the construction, putting the building at risk of collapse.

Featuring a facade of four chevron-shaped stone verticals, it will house more than 100 floors of offices and five levels of shops.

2. Goldin Finance 117, China, by P&T Group

A diamond-like form will top this 597-metre-high skyscraper due to complete this year in Tianjin, China.

Designed by Chinese firm P&T Group, Goldin Finance 117 was originally planned with a fin-like shape at its summit, but this was later replaced with the faceted glass. The tower will house both offices and a hotel.

3. Lotte World Tower, Korea, by Kohn Pedersen Fox

The Lotte World Tower near Seoul is set to become the tallest structure on the Korean peninsula this year, surpassing the current title holder – the Northeast Asia Trade Tower in Incheon – by over 200 metres.

Also designed by KPF, the 555-metre-high skyscraper will accommodate shops, offices and a seven-star hotel within a tapered form intended to be "reflective of Korean artistry". It hit the headlines in 2014 when sinkholes were discovered around its base, but is still on target to complete in October 2016.

4. CTF Finance Center, China, by Kohn Pedersen Fox

The fourth tallest building opening in 2016 is the CTF Finance Center in Guangzhou, China – KPF's third design in this list. With a height of 530 metres, it is the second of two towers built on a site overlooking the Pearl River.

The skyscraper's 111 floors will include offices, a conference centre, a hotel, a shopping centre and a viewing deck.

5. Wuhan Center Tower, China, by ECADI

Two matching curtain walls of curved glass will frame the Wuhan Center Tower, designed by the East China Architectural Design and Research Institute (ECADI) for the southwest corner of Chinese city's central business district.

According to the firm, these curved walls are intended to resemble a ship's sails. The 438-metre-high building will include apartments, offices and a hotel.

6. Marina 101, UAE, by National Engineering Bureau

Having failed to meet its targeted opening date in 2015, the Marina 101 tower in Dubai is now expected to complete in 2016.

It is still set to be the second-tallest building in the United Arab Emirates, with its height of 426.5 metres only surpassed by the world's title holder, the Burj Khalifa. The lower portion of the 101-storey tower will house the Middle East's first Hard Rock Hotel, while the upper levels will accommodate holiday apartments and a restaurant with panoramic views of the city.

7. Eton Place Dalian Tower 1, China, by NBBJ

The fast-developing city of Dalian already has 11 skyscrapers over 200 metres in height, and even more under construction. The tallest completing in 2016 is the Eton Place Dalian Tower 1, which is four years overdue.

Designed by architects NBBJ, the 381-metre skyscraper is the the biggest of five towers that will make up the mixed-use Eton Place Dalian complex, and will house offices, two hotels, and an elevated observation deck.

8. Vostok Tower, Russia, by NPS Tchoban Voss and Schweger Associated Architects

The 373-metre Vostok Tower is another building that missed its 2015 completion target. Set to take the crown of Europe's tallest building from the nearby Mercury City tower, the building forms part of Moscow's Federation Tower complex.

It was designed as a collaboration between Peter Schweger of Schweger Associated Architects and Sergei Tchoban of NPS Tchoban Voss, and is located within Moscow-City, the Russian capital's new business district.

9. Dalian International Trade Center, China, by Dalian Architectural Design & Research Institute

The 370-metre Dalian International Trade Center is another of the many skyscrapers nearing completion in Dalian.

Featuring a rectilinear glass form with chamfered corners, the building will house both apartments and offices. It is designed by local firm Dalian Architectural Design & Research Institute, which also partnered with Coop Himmelb(l)au on its Dalian International Conference Center.

The information for the countdown was sourced from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats, the world's leading authority on skyscraper construction.

This story has been amended to remove a building that had already completed.