CTBUH Names Best Tall Buildings for 2012

Jun 13

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Dramatic towers in Canada, Qatar, Australia and Italy have been named the best tall buildings in the world for 2012 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the international not for-profit association. “The winners display remarkable creativity, as well as a respect for the environment, connection with place, and the urban surroundings,” said Richard Cook, awards committee chairman and founding partner of Cook+Fox Architects.

The CTBUH Best Tall Building Awards are an independent review of new projects, judged by a panel of industry executives. 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.

The Council received 78 entries from around the world for the Best Tall Building awards. The majority of the entries were from Asia, followed by the Middle East. The number of entries from the Americas continued to decline, reflecting the impact of the recent global recession.

Best Tall Building Americas:
Absolute Towers

Location: Mississauga, Canada
Completion Date: August 2012
Height: Tower 1, 179.5 m; Tower 2, 158 m
Stories: Tower 1, 56 stories; Tower 2, 50 stories
Use: Residential
Owner: Fernbrook and Cityzen
Design Architect: MAD architects
Associate Architect: Burka Architects
Structural Engineer: Sigmund Soudack
MEP Engineer: Stantec
Project Manager: MAD: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Fernbrook: Anthony
Pignetti, Sergio Vacilotto, Ivano DiPietro, Faruq Ahmad, Jordana Scola

Dubbed the “Marilyn Monroe” building, due to its sexy curves, Absolute Towers has added a new landmark to the skyline of Mississauga, the fast-growing suburb of Toronto. The architects sought to add to something “naturalistic, delicate and human in contrast to the backdrop of listless, boxy buildings.” the design features smooth, unbroken balconies that wrap each floor of the building. The torsional form of the towers is underpinned with a surprisingly simple and inexpensive structural solution. Jury comment: “There have been several curvaceous towers completed in recent years – some using balconies to achieve the free-form edge, and others using the whole façade. With Absolute we see the entire building twisting to achieve the organic form, creating a beautiful new landmark for a developing urban area.”
David Scott, head of structural engineering, Laing O’Rourke

Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia:
1 Bligh Street

Location: Sydney, Australia
Completion Date: July, 2011
Height: 135 m (442 ft)
Stories: 28
Use: Oﬃ ce
Owner: DEXUS Property Group; Cbus Property
Design Architect: ingenhoven architects; Architectus
Structural Engineer: Enstruct Group
MEP Engineer: Arup Sydney
Project Manager: APP Corporation

A difficult site in Sydney’s central business district was transformed by the elliptical tower, which of ers tenants several ground-breaking technological advances. The centerpiece is Australia’s tallest naturally ventilated skylit atrium, trimmed in glass and aluminum, which soars the full height of the building. Other innovations include a doubleskin, naturally-ventilated glass façade and a hybrid system using gas and solar energy to generate cooling, heating and electricity for the building.

Jury comment: “The dramatic, naturally-ventilated central atrium connects the office workers with nature at the inner depths of the plan, giving a sense of openness for the entire building. The series of communal spaces throughout the building, and especially the fantastic rooftop garden, add greatly to the quality of life for the tenants.”
Werner Sobek, award juror, founder Werner Sobek Group

Best Tall Building Europe:
Palazzo Lombardia

Location: Milan, Italy
Completion Date: March, 2011
Height: 161 m (529 ft)
Stories: 40
Use: Government
Owner: Regione Lombardia
Design Architect: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Associate Architect: Paolo Caputo Partnership; Sistema Duemila Architettura e Ingegneria s.r.l.
Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
MEP Engineer: Arup
Project Manager: Infrastrutture Lombarde

Palazzo Lombardia, the first CTBUH award winner from Italy, turns a government office complex into a new public space for Milan. The project, anchored by a 160-meter-tall tower, of ers a variety of open spaces and passageways, linking the project to the nearby Pirelli Tower. Sustainability measures include green roofs and active climate walls with vertical blades that rotate to provide shade. The central piazza is covered by curved glass roof, recalling Milan’s famous Galleria.

Jury comment: “In a city known for history and fashion, the tower is perfectly attuned to the urban environment. More than simply a tower, the project creates a cohesive blend of parks and
commercial space, with an appropriately local flair.”
Antony Wood, executive director, CTBUH

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa:
Doha Tower

Location: Doha, Qatar
Completion Date: March 2012
Height: 238 m (781 ft)
Stories: 46
Use: Oﬃce
Owner: H.E. Sheikh Saoud bin Mohamed bin Ali al-Thani
Design Architect: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Structural Engineer: Terrell International
MEP Engineer: Terrell International

The distinctive cylindrical form is elegant and efficient, creating a distinctive new landmark for the fast-growing Qatar capital. The façade is constructed of multi-layered patterns invoking ancient Islamic screens designed to shade buildings from the sun. Similar in concept to Mr. Nouvel’s Torre Agbar office building in Barcelona, the Doha tower is the first tall building to use a reinforced concrete dia-grid columns in a cross shape. There is no central core, maximizing the interior space available for tenants.

Jury comment: “The skin of the building is a beautiful expression of the local culture, connecting this very modern tower with ancient Islamic designs. It also provides a fantastic
pattern of light within the building, while ei ciently dampening the impacts of the sun’s rays.”
Richard Cook, awards committee chairman and founding partner of Cook + Fox Architects.

Innovation Award:
Al Bahar Towers

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Completion Date: June, 2012
Height: 145 m (476 ft)
Stories: 29
Use: Oﬃce
Owner: Abu Dhabi Investment Council
Design Architect: Aedas Architects Ltd
Associate Architect: Diar Consult
Structural Engineer: Arup
MEP Engineer: Arup
Project Manager: Mace International

The tower’s innovative dynamic façade opens and closes in response to the movement of the sun, reducing solar gain by more than 50 percent, creating a more comfortable internal environment for occupants and producing a distinctive external aesthetic which helps to define the building as a gateway to the UAE capital. The façade was conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Islamic “mashrabiya”; a popular form of wooden lattice screen found in vernacular Islamic architecture and used as a device for achieving privacy while reducing glare and solar gain.

Jury comment: “The dynamic façade on Al Bahar, computercontrolled to respond to optimal solar and light conditions, has never been achieved on this scale before. In addition, the expression of this outer skin seems to i rmly root the building in its cultural context.”
Chris Wilkinson, principal and founder of Wilkinson Eyre Architects