CTBUH Selects the 4 Best Tall Buildings for 2013

By Bustler Editors|

Tuesday, Jul 9, 2013

Winner - Europe: The Shard in London, UK by Renzo Piano Building Workshop © Sellar Property Group

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has announced the four regional winners in the race for the title Best Tall Building Worldwide 2013. The top regional towers include The Shard in London (Winner Europe); CCTV in Beijing (Winner Asia and Australia); Sowwah Square in Abu Dhabi (Winner Middle East and Africa); and The Bow in Calgary (Winner Americas).

The overall Best Tall Building winner will be named from the four regional winners at the CTBUH 12th Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner at the Illinois Institute of Technology, November 7, in the iconic Mies van der Rohe-designed Crown Hall. The 10-Year and Innovation awards will be announced separately prior to the ceremony.

“The winners and finalists include some of the most striking buildings on the global landscape,” said Jeanne Gang, awards jury chair and principal of Studio Gang Architects. “They represent resolutions to a huge range of contemporary issues, from energy consumption to integration with the urban realm on the ground.”

These are the Council's four regional Best Tall Buildings for 2013:

Winner Europe: The Shard
London, United Kingdom

Height (Architectural): 306.0 meter / 1,004 feet (59th tallest in the world, tallest in Europe)
Design Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Associate Architect: Adamson Associates
Structural Engineer: WSP Group

Winner Asia and Australia: CCTV Headquarters
Beijing, China

Height (Architectural): 234.0 meter / 768 feet (324th tallest in the World, 4th tallest in Beijing)
Design Architect: Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)
Associate Architect: ECADI
Structural Engineer: Ove Arup & Partners; East China Architectural Design and Research

Winner - Asia and Australia: CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, China by OMA © Philippe Ruault

Winner Middle East and Africa: Al Khatem Tower/Sowwah Square
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Height (Architectural): 155.0 meter / 509 feet (202nd tallest in Middle East)
Design Architect: Goettsch Partners
Structural Engineer: Oger International

Winner - Middle East and Africa: Al Khatem Tower/Sowwah Square in Abu Dhabi, UAE by Goettsch Partners © Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure

Winner Americas: The Bow
Calgary, Canada

Height (Architectural): 237.5 meter / 779 feet (303rd tallest in the World, tallest in Calgary)
Design Architect: Foster + Partners
Associate Architect: Zeidler Partnership Architects
Structural Engineer: Halcrow Yolles