2021 CTBUH Awards, Best Tall Buildings Prize News, New Skyscraper Designs, Tower Images

CTBUH Awards 2021 News

Aug 20, 2020

Best tall building americas

Submissions are due in two weeks, on 4 September, for the 2021 CTBUH Awards. A panel of judges will evaluate projects and individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level.

Awards will be given in over 20 categories across Best Tall Building, Urban Habitat, Innovation, Renovation, Interior Design, Construction, and Engineering.

Award-winning projects will be recognized at the annual Tall + Urban Innovation Conference in Chicago, from 19-20 April 2021, where selected teams will present their projects for live judging in front of an international audience.

CTBUH Award Categories:

Best Tall Buildings by Height
Best Tall Buildings by Function
Best Tall Buildings by Region
Urban Habitat
Innovation
Construction
10 Year
Interior Design
Renovation
Structural Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
MEP Engineering
Facade Engineering
Fire & Risk
CTBUH Fellows
Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement
Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement
Global Icon

Submit to 2021 CTBUH Awards

Previously on e-architect:

Jan 15, 2020
Council on Tall Buildings News

53 West 53 – photo © Hines Interests
CTBUH News
CTBUH is pleased to announce the speakers confirmed so far for the 2020 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference.

Jun 6, 2018

CTBUH 2018 Award Winners

Oasia Hotel Downtown Named Best Tall Building Worldwide

American Copper Buildings – photo © Max Touhey
CTBUH 2018 Award Winners
This category recognizes projects that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level. The winning projects exhibit processes and innovations that have added to the profession of design and enhance the cities and the lives of their inhabitants.

Nov 6, 2016

CTBUH Awards 2016

CTBUH Awards

Best Tall Building Worldwide
– Shanghai Tower
Shanghai, China

Best Tall Building Americas

photo © Nic Lehoux
– VIA 57 West
New York City, USA

Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia

photo © Connie Zhou
– Shanghai Tower
Shanghai, China

Best Tall Building Europe

photo © Yiorgis Yerolymbos, courtesy of Nice Day Developments
– The White Walls
Nicosia, Cyprus

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa

photo © Matthijs van Roon
– The Cube Tower
Beirut, Lebanon

Urban Habitat Award

photo © Shui On Land
– Wuhan Tiandi Site A
Wuhan, China

10 Year Award

photo © Hearst Corporation
– Hearst Tower Building
New York City, USA

Innovation Award

image © SOM
– Pin-Fuse Seismic System

Performance Award

photo © Taipei Financial
– Taipei 101 Tower Building
Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Lynn S. Beedle Achievement Award
– Dr. Cheong Koon Hean
Singapore

Fazlur R. Khan Medal Award
– Ron Klemencic
San Francisco, USA

Shanghai Tower was chosen from among four regional Best Tall Building winners, including Shanghai Tower, Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia; VIA 57 West, Best Tall Building Americas; The White Walls, Best Tall Building Europe; and The Cube, Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa. The final decision was the climax of a year-long selection process that saw 132 entries from 27 countries around the globe.

The winning project impressed the Jury for a variety of reasons; as the tallest building in China, Shanghai Tower has quickly reached iconic status by rooting an innovative design scheme in traditional Shanghainese architectural traditions. Building off the concept of shikumen, a vernacular housing style that blends indoor and outdoor space, Shanghai Tower incorporates stunning multi-story atria between the tower’s pioneering double-skin façade. The twisting profile of the development works in conjunction with its innovative exterior to provide a sustainably minded design, leading to a 24 percent reduction in wind loading. Sustainable and people-oriented, Shanghai Tower represents the pinnacle of progressive skyscraper design.

Jury member Antony Wood, Executive Director, CTBUH, cited its unique double-skin façade and innovative atria as decisive factors in their decision: “Shanghai Tower shows the greatest commitment to communal space in a tall building since Commerzbank Tower completed in 1997. It contains the world’s first truly ‘inhabitable’ double-skin façade on a skyscraper, which is not only remarkable for its intended greenery, but its incorporation into the tower’s overall ventilation strategy. The sacrifice of valuable floor area to realize this social amenity proves that the aspirations for Shanghai Tower went far beyond mere commercial gain.”

Jianping Gu, General Manager, Shanghai Tower Construction & Development, accepted the prestigious award along with colleagues from his company and the project architect, Gensler. Mr. Gu expressed that he was honored to receive the award and stressed that the success of the tower was only possible through the collaboration of countless stakeholders who relentlessly pursued a high standard of completion for the tower.

Senior representatives of the four regional winners presented their projects earlier in the day at the Awards Symposium, and the winner was selected by the Awards Jury immediately thereafter, which was announced during the Dinner and Ceremony following the Symposium.

Along with the Jury’s selection, the audience had a chance to weigh in on their pick for Best Tall Building selecting VIA 57 West, New York City, USA.

photo © Gensler

Several additional awards and honors were bestowed during the Ceremony. Ellen Lou, Director of Urban Design and Planning, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) accepted the 2016 Urban Habitat Award on behalf of Wuhan Tiandi Site A, which was honored for its exemplary master plan that incorporates intimate low-rise commercial gathering spaces in a high-rise setting. The 10 Year Award – accepted by Louis Nowikas, Vice President, Hearst Corporation – was bestowed upon Hearst Tower, New York, for its leading influence on environmental and heritage strategies in New York and around the world. Meanwhile, TAIPEI 101 received the Performance Award for its commitment to continuous top-line energy upgrades, and the Innovation Award went to the Pin-Fuse Seismic System – designed by SOM – for its advancements in structural stability and resilience for tall buildings in seismic regions.

Along with the above awards, Ron Klemencic, Chairman & CEO, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, received the Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal, and Dr. Cheong Koon Hean, CEO, Housing and Development Board of Singapore, was awarded the Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award. Finally, CTBUH Fellowships were bestowed upon Israel David, David Engineers; Mark Sarkisian, SOM; and Cathy Yang, Shanghai Tower Construction & Development.

The CTBUH Awards are an independent review of new projects, judged by a prestigious panel of experts. The Awards aspire to provide a more comprehensive and sophisticated view of these important structures, while advocating for improvements in every aspect of performance, including those that have the greatest positive effect on the people who use these buildings and the cities they inhabit.

2016 CTBUH Awards Winner – Shanghai Tower

The full list of 2016 CTBUH Awards Winners and Finalists can be found here:

2016 CTBUH Awards Winners

9 Apr 2014

CTBUH Awards 2014

CTBUH Awards Deadline Approaching + Jury Announced

The submission deadline for the CTBUH’s 13th Annual Awards – April 30, 2014 – is rapidly approaching. Submit your tall building projects for consideration for one of the Council’s Best Tall Building awards, and have your projects profiled in the Annual Awards Book and promoted around the world.

This year, the Council has launched its new Urban Habitat Award. This award is intended to recognize significant contributions to the urban realm, in connection with tall buildings.

2013 CTBUH Awards Main Jury: Jeanne Gang (Jury Chair), Studio Gang Architects; Sir Terry Farrell, Farrells; David Gianotten, OMA; Saskia Sassen, Columbia University; David Scott, Laing O’Rourke; Thomas Tsang Wai Ming, Ping An; and Antony Wood, CTBUH/IIT.

In addition, the Council is pleased to announce the 2014 jury, led by Chair Jeanne Gang, Principal, Studio Gang Architects, including a new Technical Jury this year, which is being led by David Scott, Lead Structural Director, Laing O’Rourke.

Aqua Tower Chicago – designed by Studio Gang Architects:

image from architects

An involvement of your company’s project(s) in the CTBUH Awards program will ensure a high degree of promotion internationally. In particular the Awards Book – which profiles all submitted projects – is an important capture of tall building construction each year, and is distributed all around the world. In addition, Winning and Finalist projects are recognized at our annual awards symposium, ceremony and dinner in Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, Chicago, to be held this year on Thursday, November 6th.

22 Jul 2013

CTBUH 10 Year Award Winner

The Gherkin Wins CTBUH 10 Year Award

CHICAGO, July 22 — The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has announced its first 10 Year Award recipient: 30 St. Mary Axe, London, United Kingdom, popularly known as “The Gherkin.”

photograph © Adrian Welch

The 10 Year Award has been created from this year to focus the industry on performance against design intent. It recognizes proven value and performance, across one or more of a wide range of criteria, over a period of at least 10 years. This new award gives an opportunity to reflect back on buildings that have been completed and operational for at least a decade, and acknowledges those projects that have performed successfully long after the ribbon-cutting ceremonies have passed.

The uniquely-shaped Gherkin, completed in 2003, cleared the way for a new generation of tall buildings in London and beyond. Ten years on, its tapering form and diagonal bracing structure afford numerous benefits: programmatic flexibility, naturally ventilated internal social spaces that provide user comfort while reducing energy demand, and ample, protected public space at the ground level.

The Gherkin

photo © webbaviation

“The Gherkin changed the landscape with respect to what’s possible,” said juror Antony Wood, CTBUH Executive Director. “It turned the tide in an environment that was anti-tall-building.”

The 10 Year Award winner will be featured in the annual CTBUH Awards Book, which is published in conjunction with a major global publisher and distributed internationally each year. All 2013 CTBUH awards will be conferred at the 12th Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner at Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Nov. 7, 2013.

CTBUH Best Tall Building Awards 2013

CTBUH Best Tall Building Worldwide 2013

CTBUH Awards 2013

Shortlisted Buildings for 2013 that didn’t make the final cut – added 1 Jul 2013:

ADAC:

photo © Jan Bitter

C&D International Tower:

photo © Gravity Partnership

Devon Energy Center:

photo © Simon Hurst

Gate Towers, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore:

photo © Sorouh

New Babylon Towers:

photo © MVSA Architects

Parkroyal On Pickering, Singapore

photo : Patrick Bingham-Hall

Pearl River Tower:

photo © Pearl River Tower Properties Co., Ltd.

Remez Tower:

photo © Moshe Zur Architects

Tour Total:

photo © Johannes Foerster

Tree House Residence:

photo © Peter Vanderwarker

19 Oct 2012

CTBUH Best Tall Building Awards 2012

CTBUH Best Tall Building Worldwide 2012

CHICAGO, Oct. 18 – The distinctive and innovative Doha Tower, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, was named Best Tall Building Worldwide by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat tonight in a ceremony in the Illinois Institute of Technology’s seminal Crown Hall.

Doha Tower, which was first named the Best Tall Building in the Middle East and Africa, took the overall award out of the four regional winners. The building was honored for incorporating elements of traditional regional design with modern technologies to create an environmentally-sensitive icon for Qatar’s capital.

Doha Tower:

image Courtesy Ateliers Jean Nouvel

The eye-catching cylindrical facade is constructed of multi-layered patterns invoking ancient Islamic screens designed to shade buildings from the sun.

“The skin of the building is a beautiful expression of the local culture, connecting this very modern tower with ancient Islamic designs,” said Richard Cook, awards chairman and partner in Cook + Fox Architects.” It also provides a fantastic pattern of light within the building, while efficiently dampening the heat gains internally of the sun’s rays.”

Doha Tower:

image Courtesy Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Doha Tower is the first tall building to use reinforced concrete dia-grid columns internally. There is also no central core, maximizing the interior space available for tenants.

“Doha Tower is an excellent example of an efficient modern tower that is inspired by its local culture and setting,” said Antony Wood, executive director of the CTBUH. “In an age of homogenized slick towers globally, Doha Tower is rooted to its place. This is not a non-specific icon which you could drop into any city of the world”.

Doha Tower:

image Courtesy Ateliers Jean Nouvel

In addition to naming the Worldwide Winner, Thursday night’s ceremony honored the other regional winners–the Absolute Towers in Mississauga, Canada (Americas); 1 Bligh Street, Sydney (Asia and Australia); and Palazzo Lombardia, Milan (Europe).

The Al Bahar Towers in Abu Dhabi won the CTBUH’s first Innovation Award for the project’s computer-controlled opening-closing sun-screen.

This year the CTBUH Board of Trustees also awarded the Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award to Helmut Jahn, the architect known for his simple and elegant designs.

The Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal went jointly to Charles Thornton & Richard Tomasetti, founders of Thornton & Tomasetti, the structural engineers who helped design many of the most innovative and advanced tall buildings around the world.

The CTBUH Best Tall Building Awards are an independent review of new projects, judged by a panel of industry experts. Projects are recognized for making an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and for achieving sustainability at the broadest level.

Winners and finalists are featured in the annual CTBUH Awards Book, which is published in conjunction with a major global publisher and distributed internationally each year.

19 Mar 2012

CTBUH Best Tall Building Awards

Call for CTBUH Best Tall Building Awards 2012

Nominations are now being accepted for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s 11th Annual Awards program. Submit your tall building projects for consideration for one of the Council’s Best Tall Building awards, and have your projects profiled in the Annual Awards Book and promoted around the world.

In addition to the regional Best Tall Building Awards, the Council announces two new awards this year: the Performance award and the Innovation award:

Performance Award:
It is increasingly being recognized that the industry needs to focus on actual “performance” rather than “best intentions.” This award recognizes proven value and performance over a period of time. This performance can be assessed in any category, including but not limited to: environmental performance, energy reductions, energy creation, quality of internal environment and occupant satisfaction, contribution to urban realm, etc.

Innovation Award:
This award recognizes a specific area of recent innovation in a tall building project that has been incorporated into the design, or implemented during construction, operation, or refurbishment. Unlike the CTBUH Best Tall Building awards, which consider each project holistically, this award is focused on one special area of innovation within the project. The areas of innovation can embrace any discipline, including but not limited to: technical breakthroughs, construction methods, design approaches, urban planning, building systems, façades, interior environment, etc.

All nominated buildings must meet the eligibility requirements as stipulated in the awards criteria. Deadline for receipt of nominations is April 30, 2012, at which time the Awards Committee will deliberate and choose the winners. Full information on the CTBUH Awards including past winners can be found at http://awards.ctbuh.org. The prestigious Awards Ceremony and Dinner will take place in Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, Chicago on Thursday October 18, 2012.

CTBUH Best Tall Building Awards information from CTBUH

CITAB-CTBUH 2016 China Tall Building Awards

CTBUH Awards 2011 – highlights below

CTBUH Articles

“9/11 – Ten Years On : CTBUH Reflections”
Tenth anniversary of collapse of the World Trade Center

image : Foster + Partners
9/11 – Ten Years On : CTBUH Reflections

CTBUH Awards Regional Best Tall Buildings

Best Tall Building Americas 2011

Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia 2011
Guangzhou International Finance Center

photo © Jonathan Leijonhufvud
Guangzhou International Finance Centre

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa 2011
The Index

photo © Nigel Young/Foster + Partners
CTBUH Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa – 2011 : The Index

CTBUH Awards 2010 – ‘Best Tall Buildings’ for 2010

Burj Khalifa honored as first recipient of CTBUH’s new Tall Building “Global Icon” Award

image from Emaar
CTBUH Best Tall Building Overall in 2010 : Burj Khalifa Tower

CTBUH Best Tall Building Overall – 2009

Linked Hybrid by Steven Holl Architects as the “Best Tall Building Overall” for 2009

photo : Courtesy Steven Holl Architects, photograph © Shu He
CTBUH Best Tall Building Overall – 2009 : Linked Hybrid complex, Beijing

About the CTBUH

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, based at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, is an international organization sponsored by architecture, engineering, planning, and construction professionals, designed to facilitate exchanges among those involved in all aspects of the planning, design, construction and operation of tall buildings.

The CTBUH is the world’s leading body in the field of tall buildings, and the recognized source of information on tall buildings internationally. It is the arbiter of tall building height, determiner of the title of ‘The World’s Tallest Building’ and maintains a significant database of built, under construction and proposed tall building. For more information on the Council contact: info(at)ctbuh.org

CTBUH Events : Congress 2012 in Shanghai, China

CTBUH Awards Symposium : Dinner / Ceremony / Symposium in Chicago

Location: Chicago, IL, USA