The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Awards Jury has announced Best Tall Buildings in the world and named Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China the “Best Tall Building Worldwide” at the 15th Annual CTBUH Awards Ceremony and Dinner, celebrated on November 3 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.

Shanghai Tower was chosen from among four regional Best Tall Building winners, including Shanghai Tower by Gensler, Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia, VIA 57 West by BIG, Best Tall Building Americas, The White Walls by Jean Nouvel, Best Tall Building Europe, and The Cube by Orange Architects, 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.

Shanghai Tower by Gensler. Image © Gensler 

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.

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.

VIA 57 West designed by BIG. Image © Iwan Baan

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 made their pick for Best Tall Building selecting VIA 57 West, New York City, USA.

BIG completed VIA 57 West this year in New York and BIG’s project in NY is a hybrid between the European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise, West 57th has a unique shape which combines the advantages of both: the compactness and efficiency of a courtyard building providing density, a sense of intimacy and security, with the airiness and the expansive views of a skyscraper. 

Image © Iwan Baan

The 830,000 square foot highrise combines the density of the American skyscraper with the communal space of the European courtyard, offering 709 residential units with a lush 22 000 square foot garden at the heart of the building.

By keeping three corners of the block low and lifting the north-east corner up towards its 467 foot (142-metre) peak, the courtyard opens views towards the Hudson River, bringing low western sun deep into the block and graciously preserving the adjacent Helena Tower’s views of the river.

Image © Yiorgis Yerolymbos

In the competition, Jean Nouvel's project The White Walls was selected Best Tall Building of Europe. Jean Jouvel completed the 'Tower 25-White Walls' in Cyprus earlier this year, and the building is a vertical greenery residential tower and dominated by 'pixelated' facade. The project has been developed in collaboration with local architecture firm Takis Sophocleous Architects. 

The iconic tower is located at the centre of Nicosia, next to Eleftheria Square, Jean Nouvel Tower 25 is the tallest building in the capital, and indeed a striking point of reference. Its verticality, in relation to the horizontality of the medieval walls and the Moat that encloses the old part of the city, sets the stage for a series of inversions which reflect the building’s distinct character.

Image © Yiorgis Yerolymbos

Along the south façade, large planting areas run the length of the tower and create a vertical “green” screen modulating the sunlight that spills into the interior of the apartments / offices. 

A natural brise soleil reaching the height of its vegetation during the summer months, it protects the apartments from the intense heat of the day. In the winter it sheds most of its foliage, allowing the sun to pervade the apartments.

Image © Matthijs van Roon

The Cube designed by Orange Architects named Best Tall Building of Middle East & Africa. Located in Lebanon, the construction of the residential tower The Cube in Beirut completed earlier this year and Orange Architects designed the iconic tower for the Lebanese development corporation Masharii.

The Cube is located on a prominently visible location on Plot 941 in Sin el Fil, an eastern district of Beirut, Lebanon. The concept of the 50 meter high tower is simple but extraordinarily effective: 'maximize'; making optimal use of the client’s wishes, the site's potential, the local building code and the fantastic views on Beirut and the Mediterranean.

Image © Matthijs van Roon

The Cube is presenting a whole new level to the concept of high rise, or the architecture of towers. No extrusion of a singular floor plan, but a unique and iconic sculpture of individual villas, all with perfect views on the cityscape of Beirut.

The rotation of the volumes on each level offers residents magnificent outdoor areas on the roof of the apartment below, as well as panoramic windows up to 12 meters wide. Each level consists of one or two apartments. The single apartments have the fabulous opportunity to enjoy Beirut from a 360 panorama.

Image © Foster+Partners

Several additional awards and honors were bestowed during the Ceremony. The Hearst tower designed by Foster+Partners was also awarded with 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.

Using 26% less energy than a building constructed to normal code, the Hearst Headquarters features a distinct, thermal efficient diagrid design that provides an open interior with a panoramic view over Central Park. The building’s unique design saved 2,000 tons of steel, involved 90% of steel made from recycled material and required only 10% of all materials to be imported during construction, reducing overall cost and emissions.

Image © Shui On Land

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 master plan has transformed an underutilized district in Wuhan, China, into a unique destination that is sustainable, transit-oriented, and pedestrian friendly, with walkable blocks and courtyard housing, elements rarely seen in new developments in China. The project is registered as a U.S. Green Building Council LEED® pilot project for Neighborhood Development.

Image (via taipei-101.com.tw)

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.

TAIPEI 101 designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners, Standing in the Xinyi District of Taipei, an area known for its financial services and vibrant shopping malls, TAIPEI 101 represents a worldwide precedent for sustainable skyscraper development. It achieved a LEED Platinum certification for Operations and Maintenance in 2011, an impressive feat for a tower of its size and complexity.

The tower rises from its base in a series of eight-story modules that flare outward, evoking the form of a Chinese pagoda. The top of each module houses mechanical floors that accommodate garbage systems, ventilation equipment, water storage, and MEP services. 

Near the top, a smaller tower caps the structure, forming a pinnacle that has become a familiar sight for the city. The façade of the tower features double-paned green glass curtain walls that are highly reflective and block solar heat gain by 50 percent. Other sustainable features include energy efficient luminaries, custom lighting controls, low-flow water fixtures, and a smart Energy Management and Control System.

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.

Top image © Gensler

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