CTBUH Skyscraper Award
The Tall Building Awards or CTBUH Awards recognizes projects and individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of tall buildings and urban environment, as well as achieving sustainability at the highest and broadest level. The annual awards are judged by a independent panel of experts commissioned by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a non-profit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2019, there are two individual lifetime achievement awards, The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award and Fazlur Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal, and several categorical awards for projects and structures.
In 2019 the CTBUH award categories were changed from buildings in specific regions to buildings based on height, region, function, innovation, construction, design, engineering, and safety. The most prestigeous annual award, the Overall Best Tall Building Worldwide is awarded to one of the specific categorical winners. In 2010, the CTBUH conferred the Global Icon Award, an award for a unique tall building with a profound impact both locally and globally, to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Awards Criteria
Individual awards
Originally conceived in 2002, the first CTBUH Award, the Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment during his or her professional career. The 2002 award was given and named after Lynn S. Beedle, an American structural engineer and founder of the Council on Tall Buildings And Urban Habitat. In 2004 a second lifetime award was created, the Fazlur R. Kahn Lifetime Award, named after Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect Fazlur Rahman Khan, which recognizes an individual for demonstrated excellence in technical design and/or research that has made a significant contribution to a discipline for the design of tall buildings and the built urban environment. The award was first given in 2004 to Leslie E. Robertson, an American engineer and lead structural engineer of the Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center in New York City.Beginning in 2006 the CTBUH Awards began recognizing CTBUH Fellows for their contribution to the Council over an extended period of time, and in recognition of their work and the sharing of their knowledge in the design and construction of tall buildings and the urban habitat. The first CTBUH Fellows in 2006 were A. Eugene Kohn, Charles A. DeBenedittis, Gilberto do Valle, and Henry Jack Cowan.
Structural awards
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat added two categories starting in 2007 which recognize completed structures for excellence. The Best Tall Building Award recognizes projects that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability and wellness at the highest and broadest level. The Beetham Tower, completed in 2006 in Manchester, England was the first recipient of the award. The second award added in 2007 was the Best Sustainable Building Award, which was awarded to Hearst Tower, completed in 2006 in New York City.In 2008, the second year of CTBUH Awards for structures, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat added four geographical categories for the best tall building, the regions were Americas, Asia & Australasia, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. The Best Tall Building Award was then awarded to one of the regional award winners. In 2008 the CTBUH Best Tall Building Award winners were New York Times Building in New York City; Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, China; 51 Lime Street in London, England; and Bahrain World Trade Center in Manama, Bahrain. The Best Tall Building Award Winner Worldwide was announced as the Asia & Australasia winner the Shanghai World Financial Center. The Best Tall Building Award categories based on the four regions would remain in place until 2019, when new categories were added based on sustainability and building height.
In 2013 a new 10 Year Award was added. In 2014 the Urban Habitat and Performance awards were issued for the first time.
The CTBUH uses the following award criteria for skyscrapers.
- The project must be completed and occupied, no earlier than 1 January of the previous year, and no later than 1 October of the current awards year.
- The project advanced architectural form, structure, building systems, sustainable design strategies, and provides life safety for its occupants.
- The project must exhibited sustainable qualities at a broadest level.
- The project must have achieved a high standard of excellence and quality.
- The site planning and response to its immediate context must ensure rich and meaningful urban environments.
- The contributions of the project should be generally consistent with the values and mission of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
- Demonstrate a specific area of innovation within design or construction.
- Should be applicable to other tall building projects.
- Single innovative element
- Building can also be submitted for Best Tall Building Award
- Demonstrate successful performance over time.
- Must have been completed between 10–12 years since the current award year.
Former CTBUH Awards Chair Gordon Gill, of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture said:
"There was discussion amongst members of the jury that the existing 'Best Tall Building of the Year' award was not really appropriate for the Burj khalifa. We are talking about a building here that has changed the landscape of what is possible in architecture a building that became internationally recognized as an icon long before it was even completed. 'Building of the Century' was thought a more appropriate title for it."
Award winners
Individual award winners
Structural awards
2007
2008
2009
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall Award | Linked Hybrid Building |  Beijing |
| Best Tall Building Award Americas | Manitoba Hydro Tower |  Winnipeg |
| Best Tall Building Award Asia and Australasia | Linked Hybrid Building | Beijing |
| Best Tall Building Award Europe | Broadgate Tower |  London |
| Best Tall Building Award Middle East & Africa | Tornado Tower |  Doha |
2010
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | Broadcasting Place | Leeds |
| Best Tall Building Americas | Bank of America Tower |  New York City |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | Pinnacle @ Duxton |  Singapore |
| Best Tall Building Europe | Broadcasting Place | Leeds |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | Burj Khalifa |  Dubai |
| Global Icon Award | Burj Khalifa | Dubai |
2011
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat announced the winners of its annual "Best Tall Building" awards for 2011 on June 15, 2011.| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | KfW Westarkade |  Frankfurt |
| Best Tall Building Americas | 8 Spruce Street | New York City |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | Guangzhou International Finance Center | Guangzhou |
| Best Tall Building Europe | KfW Westarkade | Frankfurt |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | The Index | Dubai |
2012
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | Doha Tower | Doha |
| Best Tall Building Americas | Absolute Towers | Mississauga |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | 1 Bligh Street |  Sydney |
| Best Tall Building Europe | Palazzo Lombardia |  Milan |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | Doha Tower | Doha |
| Tall Building Innovation Award | Al Bahar Towers | Abu Dhabi |
2013
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | CCTV Headquarters | Beijing |
| Best Tall Building Americas | The Bow | Calgary |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | CCTV Headquarters | Beijing |
| Best Tall Building Europe | The Shard | London |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | Sowwah Square | Abu Dhabi |
| Tall Building Innovation Award | Broad Sustainable Building Prefabricated Construction Process | Changsha |
| KONE UltraRope |  Espoo | |
| 10 Year Award | 30 St Mary Axe | London |
2014
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | One Central Park | Sydney |
| Best Tall Building Americas | Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building | Portland |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | One Central Park | Sydney |
| Best Tall Building Europe | De Rotterdam |  Rotterdam |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | Cayan Tower | Dubai |
| Urban Habitat Award | The Interlace | Singapore |
| 10 Year Award | Post Tower | Bonn |
| Tall Building Innovation Award | BioSkin | |
| Performance Award | International Commerce Centre | Hong Kong |
2015
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | Bosco Verticale | Milan |
| Best Tall Building Americas | One World Trade Center | New York City |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | CapitaGreen | Singapore |
| Best Tall Building Europe | Bosco Verticale | Milan |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower | Abu Dhabi |
| Urban Habitat Award | PARKROYAL on Pickering | Singapore |
| 10 Year Award | Turning Torso |  Malmö |
| Tall Building Innovation Award | HOLEDECK® | |
| Performance Award | Chifley Tower | Sydney |
2016
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | Shanghai Tower | Shanghai |
| Best Tall Building Americas | VIA 57 West | New York City |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | Shanghai Tower | Shanghai |
| Best Tall Building Europe | The White Walls |  Nicosia |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | The Cube |  Beirut |
| Urban Habitat Award | Wuhan Tiandi Site A | Wuhan |
| 10 Year Award | Hearst Tower | New York City |
| Tall Building Innovation Award | Pin-Fuse | |
| Performance Award | TAIPEI 101 |  Taipei |
2018
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Overall | Oasia Hotel Downtown | Singapore |
| Best Tall Building Americas | American Copper Buildings | New York City |
| Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia | Oasia Hotel Downtown | Singapore |
| Best Tall Building Europe | The Silo |  Copenhagen |
| Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa | Zeitz MOCAA |  Cape Town |
| Urban Habitat Award | World Trade Center Master Plan | New York City |
| 10 Year Award | Shanghai World Financial Center | Shanghai |
| Tall Building Innovation Award | MULTI | |
| Construction Award | The EY Centre | Sydney |
2019
| Award | Building/Person | Location |
| Best Tall Building Worldwide | Salesforce Tower | San Francisco |
| Best Tall Building under 100 meters | Forma Itaim |  São Paulo |
| Best Tall Building 100-199 meters | Amorepacific Headquarters |  Seoul |
| Best Tall Building 200-299 meters | Shenzhen Energy Headquarters | Shenzhen |
| Best Tall Building 300-399 meters | Salesforce Tower | San Francisco |
| Best Tall Building 400 meters and above | Ping An Finance Center | Shenzhen |
| Best Tall Office Building | European Patent Office | Rijswijk |
| Best Tall Residential or Hotel Building | 277 Fifth Avenue | New York City |
| Best Tall Mixed-Use Building | Kampung Admiralty | Singapore |
| Urban Habitat - Single Site Scale | Kampung Admiralty | Singapore |
| Urban Habitat - District/Master Plan Scale | Central Park, Sydney | Sydney |
| Renovation Award | CHAO Hotel | Beijing |
| Interior Space Award | Amorepacific Headquarters | Seoul |
| Structural Engineering Award | 181 Fremont | San Francisco |
| MEP Engineering Award | Britam Tower |  Nairobi |
| Geotechnical Engineering Award | 181 Fremont | San Francisco |
| Façade Engineering Award | Azrieli Sarona Tower |  Tel Aviv |
| Fire & Risk Engineering Award | Morpheus | Macau |
| 10 Year Award | The Pinnacle@Duxton | Singapore |
| Tall Building Innovation Award | Viscoelastic Coupling Damper | |
| Construction Award | Atira La Trobe Street | Melbourne |