Featured Tall Buildings

CTBUH features seminal tall buildings as case studies. These projects, typically either recently completed or historically significant, are examples of influential tall building development, design, engineering, and/or construction. Click a project to view more information about it.

15 August 2014 | Tokyo

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

Turning the traditional configuration for school design literally on its side by projecting it vertically, the Cocoon tower presents an incredible case-study for creating a university.

1 August 2014 | Dubai

Burj Khalifa

Undoubtedly one of the wonders of the modern world, Burj Khalifa is graceful and elegant as it reaches upward with seeming ease.

15 July 2014 | Luxembourg

Court of Justice of the European Communities

A simple and powerful form, this is Perrault doing what he does best; rejecting the experiment with flamboyant form and instead injecting creative thought into materiality and detail.

1 July 2014 | Guangzhou

Pearl River Tower

The building’s siting and its evocative curving shape are performance driven, and represent an example of a 21st century tower that responds responsibly to local climactic conditions.

15 June 2014 | Nagoya

Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers

The Spiral Towers stands in marked contrast to hypothetical-only designs; a real, incredibly-spiraling form standing vibrant on the Nagoya skyline.

1 June 2014 | Berlin

Tour Total

Tour Total establishes a strong anchor for a new urban district in the heart of Berlin. It achieves a remarkable balance between economics and sustainable performance.

15 May 2014 | London

30 St Mary Axe

Rarely does a single building have such a profound impact on the history of the high-rise as 30 St Mary Axe – The Gherkin.

1 May 2014 | The Hague

New Babylon

This project takes the extraordinary step of converting a high-concept but dated design into something wholly different, more ambitious but more contextually appropriate creation.

15 April 2014 | Tel Aviv

6 Remez Tower

As Tel Aviv urbanizes and rapidly grows its skyline, it is refreshing to see a building that gives over so much of its site to public space.

1 April 2014 | Singapore

PARKROYAL on Pickering

In PARKROYAL on Pickering the green strategies work together in a way that is both operationally sound and aesthetically captivating.

15 March 2014 | Houston

BG Group Place

Located in central Houston, adjacent to the new metro system, BG Group Place yields a host of green features while providing a breath of fresh air to the Houston skyline.

15 March 2014 | Munich

ADAC Headquarters

ADAC is instantly recognizable for the playful color pattern of its curtain walls, but from a structural and environmental standpoint, this is a building that means serious business.

1 March 2014 | Chengdu

Sliced Porosity Block

The buildings of Sliced Porosity Block, with their carefully shaped exteriors, bring the environmental needs of today into the cultural framework of local history.

15 February 2014 | Boston

Tree House Residence Hall

Created on a limited public-university budget and an aggressive schedule, the Tree House represents a well-considered solution that announces itself as a foundry of inspiration.

1 February 2014 | Abu Dhabi

Sowwah Square

Sowwah Square stands out as consciously sustainable and warmly inviting, yet a formally disciplined project in a region where achieving such aims have historically proven difficult.

1 January 2014 | London

The Shard

The developers of The Shard showed remarkable tenacity in bringing it to fruition.

15 December 2013 | Xiamen

C&D International Tower

The C&D International Tower anchors a comprehensive project, with great potential to form the new Central Business District for Xiamen.

1 December 2013 | Abu Dhabi

Gate Towers

The Gate Towers allude to a future in which tall buildings appear at such density that many of the amenities of urban habitat on the ground can and should be replicated at height.

15 November 2013 | Doha

Tornado Tower

The use of the diagrid as an appropriate structural system for high rise buildings seems to be gathering pace around the world, and Tornado demonstrates its advantages perfectly.

1 November 2013 | Calgary

The Bow

The Bow is both stunning as a form and functions well from an environmental and urban standpoint, especially in the context of a harsh northern climate.