Architecture

The International Highrise Award

Cooperation: The City of Frankfurt, DekaBank, and the Deutsches Architekturmuseum
Since 2004 the International Highrise Award (IHP) has been awarded every two years by the city of Frankfurt am Main. It is initiated, curated, and organized in a partnership between the Deutsches Architekturmuseum DAM and DekaBank, with DekaBank providing financing for the award. For the fourth time, in 2010, the International Highrise Award will be given to a building that distinguishes itself in its particular aesthetic, pioneering design, urban integration, as well as in its innovative technology, economic efficiency and, above all, its sustainability. An international jury of experts determines the winner. The prize is awarded jointly to both architects and developers, who receive a statuette by acclaimed artist Thomas Demand as well as a monetary award of 50,000 euros that is donated to a good cause. The fourth presentation of the International Highrise Award will take place on November 5, 2010, at 4 pm in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt.

Award Winners 2004-2008
2008: The 2008 winner was Norman Foster for the Hearst Tower in New York, which was commissioned by the Hearst Corporation. Out of a total of twenty-six nominated building projects from eleven countries, the international jury of architects, engineers, real estate experts, and architectural critics chose five finalists. These finalists competed for the prize, which was awarded in a festive ceremony at the Paulskirche. In addition, an exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum showcased their designs.
2006: Jean Nouvel, who has since also won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, was the 2006 winner for his 142-meter-high building Torre Agbar in Barcelona. Layetana Developments commissioned the building and was likewise honored.
2004: The first International Highrise Award in 2004 went to the architectural design firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and ING Vastgoed for De Hoftoren, the headquarters of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science in The Hague.

Deka HighRise Lectures

Lectures for Architecture Enthusiasts
The Deka HighRise Lectures is a series of lectures in conjunction with the International Highrise Award. Public lectures are given at regular intervals at the Trianon, our corporate headquarters in Frankfurt. Renowned experts discuss central issues and trends in architecture and highrise construction. Previous speakers have included star architects Christoph Ingenhoven and Ole Scheeren.