Have a thirst for data on skyscrapers? The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat expects to quench it through a new web page, called the Skyscraper Center. The site is a repackaging of information, including tall building lists, previously available on the council's website, with some nifty new interactive features either available or planned.

I took it for a spin to learn whether the planned 1-kilometer-plus Kingdom Tower, which had been scheduled to start construction last month, is indeed under way. I know that design development continues, but the owner has muzzled all members of the building team and is not responsive to questions about construction.

According to the skyscraper center, construction has not yet begun on the Kingdom Tower. The tallest building under construction is the future 660-m Ping An Finance Center in Shenzen. (The list I used to get the council's take on the Kingdom Tower project's status— the 100 tallest buildings in the world under construction—has long been on the council's website.) Kingdom Tower is on the center's "proposed" list.

The home page of skyscraper center features a world map tool that can instantly generate relevant facts and tall building lists on any country in the world. The site also makes it easy to track the latest news and changes to the database, says the council.

CTBUH says it plans to add several significant new elements to the center in the next few months, including city and country profiles that will provide detailed graphs and statistics on specific regions.

Here's a tweaked version of what the council's press release says: The Skyscraper Center contains detailed profiles and images on every completed building in the world taller than 200 meters, as well as thousands of other buildings in various stages of development. Users can easily determine the tower's rank, according to size, globally, regionally and within the country. The website also contains the latest news and data on each project.

“The new site builds on our database compiled through 40 years of research and adds valuable new functions, new information and extensive assets for both professionals and nonprofessionals exploring the world of skyscrapers,” said Timothy Johnson, the council's chairman.