Grattacieli sulla Carta (Skyscrapers on Paper)

An exhibition in March 2024 at the Università Iuav di Venezia’s (IUAV) Library

A history of CTBUH publications are on display in the Library of Università Iuav di Venezia (IUAV). Image courtesy IUAV.

During March 2024, the Università Iuav di Venezia hosted in its library a captivating exhibition titled "Grattacieli sulla Carta (Skyscrapers on Paper)," a curated exhibition that showcased the past 15 years of skyscraper history through a collection of publications from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). 

The exhibition, organized thematically, featured an array of technical guides, research reports, book series, conference proceedings, and journals. These publications are invaluable resources that document the evolution of strategies, innovations, and developments in vertical urbanism. Among the highlights were a selection of publications addressing "Vertical Sustainability"  including notable works such as Timber Rising (2020), Tall Timber: Mass Timber for High-Rise Buildings (2023) and The Sustainable Tall Building: A Design Primer (2019). Additionally the exhibition displayed technical guides such as Green Walls in High-Rise Buildings (2014), Natural Ventilation in High-Rise Office Buildings, (2012) and the research report on Vertical Greenery (2015). 

Visitors also had the opportunity to explore recent writings like Stack Effect in Tall Buildings (2023), The Space Across: Skybridges and the Future City (2020), The Space Between: Urban Places, Public Spaces & Tall Buildings (2017), and the now out-of-print Performance-Based Seismic Design for Tall Buildings (2017) which had a 2nd edition published in 2019 and is still available in digital form.  

A prominent feature of the exhibition was the Best Tall Buildings series, with the first edition in 2009 and evolved into Tall Buildings + Urban Habitat in 2018. Both series offer insights into tall building design and construction trends over the years, and serve as a global snapshot of innovations and best practices in a given year. Furthermore, the In Detail series (2014–2015), provided an immersive exploration of some of the world's most significant tall buildings, enriching the visitors' understerstanding of architectural marvels.

Complementing the display of written works were 3D-printed models of iconic skyscrapers, including the Shanghai Tower, the One World Trade Center, New York City, and the Shard, London, among others. These offered a visual representation of the buildings discussed in the publications, and a comparison of their scale.

The exhibition underscored the significance of hard copies and books in architectural discourse, emphasizing the wealth of knowledge accumulated through CTBUH publications. It celebrated the organization's commitment to sustainable, innovative, and inclusive tall building design practices, fostering a more resilient and vibrant urban future. 

In addition, on 27 March, a conference was held featuring CTBUH Research Manager and Regional Europe Director Dario Trabucco, alongside esteemed guests CTBUH Regional Asia Director Peng Du, who is also the current Director of Master of Urban Design—Future Cities Program at Thomas Jefferson University, and CTBUH Director of Research and Thought Leadership Daniel Safarik. Their discussions further enriched the exploration of skyscraper design and technology, solidifying the exhibition's role as a hub for academic and professional discourse in the field of vertical urbanism.

The exhibition was curated by CTBUH Research Manager Dario Trabucco, with collaborators Alberto Balzan, Claudia Cabrera, and Giovanni Perrucci.

 

Image courtesy Università Iuav di Venezia.
Image courtesy Università Iuav di Venezia.
Image courtesy Università Iuav di Venezia.
Image courtesy Università Iuav di Venezia.
Image courtesy Università Iuav di Venezia.
Image courtesy Università Iuav di Venezia.
Image courtesy Università Iuav di Venezia.