Featured Tall Building Archive 2011


Twice a month the Council features a seminal tall building as a case study. These projects, typically either recently completed or historically significant, are examples of influential tall building development, design, engineering and/or construction.




		Aqua Tower, Chicago Studio Gang Architects, posted December 2011 The signature cantilevered balconies are breathtaking and exemplary of where concrete technology can take tall building design today. The balconies create an organic and free “motion” across the tower’s façades unlike anything before seen in tall building design, and yet they are carefully planned to provide solar shading, views, and to correspond to the units within.

		KfW Westarkade, Frankfurt Sauerbruch Hutton, posted December 2011 Already being touted as one of the most energy-efficient office buildings in the world, KfW Westarkade stands out as a shining example of a truly environmentally-responsible project. The building has been carefully integrated into its context, forming relationships with its neighboring buildings, streets and parkland, while simultaneously standing out through the playful use of color.

		Shanghai Tower, China Gensler, posted November 2011 As the third tower in the trio of supertall buildings at the heart of Shanghai’s new Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Shanghai Tower embodies a new prototype for tall buildings. Placed in close proximity to Jin Mao tower and the World Financial Center, the tower will rise above the skyline, its curved façade and spiraling form symbolizing the dynamic emergence of modern China.

		Manitoba Hydro Place, Winnipeg Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, posted November 2011 Designed to be completely site specific, this building could not be transplanted to another city in the form we see here; making it the perfect response to the seeming homogenization of the world’s skylines. Manitoba Hydro Place points the way to finding an architecture that is intended for its site, and only for its site.

		Shanghai World Financial Center, China Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, posted October 2011 The 492-meter Shanghai World Financial Center has become an icon of Shanghai and China, with its clear and elegant form and revolutionary structural design. SWFC's developers targeted a cutting-edge, mixed use mega-complex that would serve a multitude of tenant lifestyle demands.

		Haeundae I'Park, Busan Studio Daniel Libeskind, posted October 2011 The Haeundae I’Park is a 511,805-square meter high-density mixed-use development in Busan, South Korea which includes three high-rise residential towers and a total of 1,631 units. Busan, a rapidly growing city with approximately 3.6 million residents, is located on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula.

		One World Trade Center, New York SOM, posted September 2011 Part of the ambitious World Trade Center redevelopment, the 541-meter One World Trade Center (1WTC), designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, rises on the northwest corner of the Lower Manhattan site. Even with all of the high-profile projects, 1WTC dominates the site, not merely as New York City’s (and North America’s) tallest building, but as an icon representing perseverance, innovation, and urban modernism.

		Strata, London BFLS, posted September 2011 From the outset, sustainability has been key to the building's evolution. The developer, professional team and contractor have developed and implemented a comprehensive sustainability strategy that details all processes and procedures from project concept, design and construction to post-occupation. This holistic approach to sustainable high-rise design will prove to be very useful for the future of tall buildings.

		iSQUARE, Hong Kong Rocco Design Architects, posted August 2011 iSQUARE, a 28-story tall retail mall, achieves height with grace and transparency. The form is generated entirely in response to contextual view angles, circulation arrangements, and functional needs. The architecture permeates the public domain throughout the façade allowing the site to assume an enhanced civic significance.

		One Madison Park, New York City CetraRuddy, posted August 2011 One Madison Park is situated in a unique location on the Manhattan grid. The strong yet simple form rises from a seemingly impossibly small New York City site, presenting an elegant infill solution for increasing density in our land-constricted cities and embracing the challenge of creating a modern form while maintaining a respect for its historical context.

		Westraven, Utrecht cepezed architects, posted July 2011 The radical renovation of the existing 85-meter tall construction along with the new extension of the Westraven Office Complex exemplifies the potential of sustainable practice in the existing built condition. The complex achieves a fine balance between low energy consumption and an optimal work environment through its use of thermal façades, day lighting, and other sustainable strategies.

		The Pinnacle @ Duxton, Singapore ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism, posted July 2011 The Pinnacle @ Duxton is a large, dense development, but great effort was made towards the sustainable quality of life and sense of place on a project that otherwise may have become a relentless wall in the landscape. This provides a fascinating experiment in high density living and how we can make best use of that most precious of resources—land.

		Boutique Monaco, Seoul MASS Studies, posted June 2011 Boutique Monaco pushes beyond the extruded glass box, creating a dynamic and varied massing with its 15 voids distributed throughout its overall “U”-shaped form. In utilizing these voids to introduce gardens throughout the tower, the architects have provided a rich living experience for the tower’s residents, and the rare access to private, open green space.

		The Bank of America Tower, New York City Cook + Fox Architects, posted June 2011 The Bank of America Tower produces a high level of sustainability within the commercial market place, creating a strong identity for itself and acting as an exemplary execution of sustainabledesign. With its chamfered top and crystalline geometry, the form of the building eschews the orthogonal blocks of the Modernist tradition creating a sculptural addition to the New York skyline.

		Northeast Asia Trade, Incheon KPF, posted May 2011 The Northeast Asia Trade Tower (NEATT) symbolizes the region’s role as a center of economic activity and development. The tower embodies the planning principles of New Songdo City, a 607 hectare (1,500 acre), master-planned community on the Incheon waterfront. The tallest building in Korea at the time of its completion, NEATT rises above the new city offering stunning views.

		Capital City Towers, Moscow NBBJ, posted May 2011 After more than a decade in the planning, a new mixed-use business district rising 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) west of the Kremlin, is a symbol of Russia’s ascent in the global economic playing field. The Capital City development, completed in 2010, is the fourth to be realized among more than 20 projects which comprise Moscow City and, it is currently the tallest building in Europe.

		Veer Towers, Las Vegas Murphy/Jahn, posted April 2011 Veer Towers takes on the challenge of building a sustainable, all glass tower in the desert environment of Las Vegas through its exquisitely detailed facades. The facade is executed in such a way that it adds vibrancy and interest to the buildings and, when combined with the use of colored glass and the countering leaning of each tower, creates a playful and dynamic addition to the city.

		Broadcasting Place, Leeds Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, posted April 2011 With its sculptural elevations, Broadcasting Place, a 23-story university building, forms a prominent icon in the Leeds skyline. The building addresses issues of day lighting and optimization of cooling loads and energy use through the placement of cor-ten steel cladding panels, while adding a level of dynamism to the historical landscape.

		Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Safdie Architects, posted March 2011 The 929,000-square meter Marina Bay Sands is conceived as not just a mere building project, but as a city microcosm rooted in Singapore’s culture, climate, and contemporary life, the project anchors Singapore’s waterfront, creating a gateway to Singapore, and providing a dynamic setting for vibrant public life.

		The John Hancock Center, Chicago Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, posted March 2011 Over forty years after its completion, the John Hancock Center has established itself as one of the world’s most recognized skyscrapers and an iconic example of late 20th century Chicago design, construction and engineering. The building’s structural and architectural innovations create a design which has become a symbol of the city in which it exists.

		The Met, Bangkok WOHA, posted February 2011 The Met, currently Thailand’s fourth tallest building at 228 meters in height, demonstrates creative ideas for high-rise, high-density living in the tropics. The project explores how aspects of low-rise tropical housing can be adapted to provide high amenity through indoor-outdoor spaces in the sky.

		The New York Times Building Renzo Piano Building Workshop, FXFowle Architects, posted February 2011 The New York Times Building is a 1.5-million-SF, 52-story building on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, anchoring the west side of the redevelopment of Times Square. The transparent design mirrors the principles of a free press. The life within is as lively and visible as the street life outside, contributing to the growing vitality and revitalization of the neighborhood.

		O-14, Dubai Reiser + Umemoto, posted January 2011 O-14 is a 24-story commercial tower characterized by 1,326 openings, randomly located and varying in size, throughout the whole exterior shell. O-14, named after its lot designation, is located along the extension of Dubai Creek in the Business Bay area of Dubai, occupying a prominent location on the waterfront esplanade.

		International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong Kohn Pederson Fox, posted January 2011 Soaring 484 meters (1,588 feet) above Victoria Harbor, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) is the essence of Hong Kong in one destination: high-powered finance, global tourism and world-class hospitality, all gathered in a single tower built over a sophisticated transportation network.