Shimao International Plaza has two spires on its top, which make its total construction height to 333.3 metres.

Other materials could allow the tower to reach a greater height, if a tapered structure, but cost increases exponentially with construction height.

As construction heights reached 10 to 15 stories in the 1800s, the crowning element of the cornice became the standard for how a building should meet the sky.

The area on the south of the castle, around the Roman Odeon and the church of Pantokrator, in the Upper Town (Ano Poli), is the most appealing of the city, due to its status as the only area where construction height is limited to two-storey buildings.