In many ways, skyscrapers have the ability to define a city. If you consider the fact that they are typically the first object people see when visiting (through air, land, or sea), skyscrapers provide a vital first-impression of the area. What's more, not only do these same structures become tourist attractions, but they also house office and residential spaces throughout the world. Indeed, with all of this power, these buildings have become cultural expressions of their own, be it the competitiveness to build the world's tallest structure during the 1920s and '30s in America with the Empire State Building, or a sign of Asia's rise to global power, with more recent structures such as the Taipei 101. Due to their significance (and large cost), often times, many of the biggest names in architecture will be tapped to design the structures. And in an effort to both ensure the city's skyline is properly being defined, and the architect's name is being enhanced, investors and government officials will spend billions in the process. Below, AD rounds up the 15 most expensive skyscrapers built in the past 15 years.

Name: Antilia Architect: Perkins+Will Cost to Build: Upward of $1 billion Location: Mumbai, India Year completed: 2010

Name: Kingdom Centre Architect: Ellerbe Becket; Omrania and Associates Cost to Build: $1 billion Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Year completed: 2002

Name: European Central Bank Architect: Coop Himmelb Cost to Build: $1.3 billion Location: Frankfurk Year completed: 2014

Name: Burj Khalifa Architect: Adrian Smith (SOM) Cost to Build: $1.5 billion Location: Dubai Year completed: 2010

Name: Taipei 101 Architect: C.Y. Lee and Partners Cost to Build: $1.8 billion Location: Taipei, Taiwan Year completed: 2004

Name: The PalazzoArchitect: HKS, Inc.Cost to Build: $1.9 billion Location: Las VegasYear completed: 2007

Name: Princess Tower Architect: Eng. Adnan Saffarini Cost to Build: $210 million Location: Dubai Year completed: 2012

Name: The Venetian Macao Architects: Aedas and HKS, Inc. Cost to Build: $2.4 billion Location: Macau, China Year completed: 2007

Name: Wynn Las Vegas Architect: Butler/Ashworth Cost to Build: $2.7 billion Location: Las Vegas Year completed: 2005

Name: Emirates Palace Architect: John Elliot Cost to Build: $3 billion Location: Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Year completed: 2005

Name: One World Trade Center Architects: Daniel Libeskind and David Childs Cost to Build: $3.8 billion Location: New YorkYear completed: 2013

Name: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Architect: Rockwell Group Cost to Build: $3.9 billion Location: Las Vegas Year completed: 2010

Name: Apple Park Architect: Foster + Partners Cost to Build: $5 billion Location: Cupertino, California Year completed: 2017

Name: Marina Bay Sands Architect: Moshe Safdie Cost to Build: $5.8 billion Location: Singapore Year completed: 2010

Name: Rawabi Abraj Al-Bait Towers Architects: SL Rasch GmbH and Dar Al-Handasah Architects Cost to Build: $15 billion Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia Year completed: 2011