_{CTBUH Chairman, Steve Watts, and Partner, alinea Consulting}

_{22 DECEMBER 2021}

I am writing to you at the end of another year to extend my warmest wishes and pause with gratitude to acknowledge all that we have been able to achieve together. After such a long time apart, it was absolutely thrilling to be able to come together in person for the CTBUH 2021 International Conference. What an achievement that was, with our chapters around the world working in concert with CTBUH headquarters to create a novel distributed format for the conference which allowed the maximum level of engagement possible, according to conditions on the ground.

For my part, it was wonderful to be able to see some of you in person at the London and Copenhagen events and share in the spirit of excitement and collaboration with the other events happening around the world. There is no doubt that the experiment was a resounding success. It was truly an all-out team effort and just goes to show what is possible when the collective brilliance of the CTBUH membership puts its mind on a shared task. As the conference theme directly addressed, it is just such collaborative all-out effort that is required to face the macro challenges at hand in the world.

It is wonderful to see the robust engagementand ambitious 

thought leadership we have collectively been able to achieve even in this

complex moment of transformation and extended challenge.

Steve Watts, CTBUH Chairman, Partner, alinea Consulting

The conference looms large due to its recency but 2021 was a year full of events and achievements throughout. Looking back on the highlights of the year, it is wonderful to see the robust engagement and ambitious thought leadership we have collectively been able to achieve even in this complex moment of transformation and extended challenge. CTBUH hosted a successful 2021 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference with 28 category-award winners and published Tall Buildings + Urban Habitat Volume 4. The research division has blossomed this year on topics such as robotics, mass timber and steel-timber hybrid structures in tall buildings. And, for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Council published a very revealing report on how 9/11 affected the growth of tall buildings globally.

Having persevered thus far despite a cocktail of pressures, as an organization and as individuals we have learned about the depths of our resilience, the bracing strength of collaboration, and the unexpected transformative growth that can result. We look to the new year hopeful for the best and excited to embrace change and new opportunities, fresh perspectives, and the boundless horizon of possibility.

My very best,

Steve

Steve Watts, CTBUH Chairman
Partner, alinea Consulting