Press releases
01.09.2010
4th INTERNATIONAL HIGHRISE AWARD
Five buildings nominated for the world’s best high-rise
The finalists of the International Highrise Award have been selected: In Frankfurt/Main an international jury of architects, engineers and property specialists chose five projects for the final shortlist. They will compete for the award and EUR 50,000 in prize money, which is bestowed by the city of Frankfurt/Main, Deutsches Architekturmuseum and DekaBank in a ceremony on 5 November 2010 in Frankfurt‘s renowned Paulskirche.
The 2010 Finalists:
Aqua Tower, Chicago by Studio Gang Architects (developer: Magellan Development Group)
Burj Khalifa, Dubai by SOM Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (developer: EMAAR Properties)
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Tokyo by Tange Associates (developer: Mode Gakuen)
The Met, Bangkok by WOHA Architects/ associated architects: Tandem Architects (developer: Pebble Bay Thailand)
Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (developer: Mori Building Company).
The most important international architectural prize for high-rises is open to architects and developers, whose buildings must be at least 100 meters high and have been commissioned within the last two years. On the basis of extensive research, in 2010 Deutsches Architekturmuseum nominated 27 high-rise projects from 16 different countries for the competition; the jury then judged them in line with six fundamental criteria:
“Whether commercial, residential or conceived as a vertical ‘city-within-a-city’, our five finalists are all examples of mixed-use high-rise buildings,“ commented Spencer de Grey, Jury Chairman and Head of Design at Foster + Partners, London. In social, urban and also in ecological terms the final five demonstrate “a positive trend that has the opportunity of exploring new building forms.”
Finalists in focus
The residential high-rises Aqua Tower in Chicago and The Met in Bangkok address the concept of living outdoors and in green settings, and thereby develop new, unusual designs. The Jury decided that the over 200-meter-high buildings with balconies, terraces and communal open spaces fostered an augmented, vertical way of life which delivers long-term savings in energy resources.
The Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower in Tokyo also treads new ground. Thanks to innovative layout planning it brings together three independent educational institutions with over 10,000 students inside one highly expressive cocoon-like shell. The building represents a new typology for school buildings and is simultaneously a motor for the further development of the quarter.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai represents high performance in contemporary high-rise architecture in several regards: Not only did the object convince the Jury with its record height of 828 meters, but also in particular thanks to the new, innovative structural solution developer and the elevator technologies that were employed in order to enable the dream of a vertical city to be realized.
Last but by no means least, the body of experts chose Shanghai World Financial Center as a finalist. As a new symbol of the global metropolis it stands out for its simple, elegant design, which also permits a great diversity of views outside and is realized in an innovative support structure.
The international jury was chaired by Spencer de Grey (Head of Design Foster + Partners, London). Other members of the Jury were: Joachim Faust (HPP Hentrich-Petschnigg & Partner, Düsseldorf), Harald Kloft (osd office for structural design, Frankfurt/Main), Matthias Sauerbruch (Sauerbruch Hutton, Berlin) Peter Cachola Schmal (Director, Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt/Main), Thomas Schmengler (Managing Director, Deka Immobilien GmbH, Frankfurt/Main), Felix Semmelroth (Head of the Frankfurt/Main Culture Department) and Ma Yansong (MAD, Beijing).
For further information or to download photos visit:
www.international-highrise-award.com
www.dam-online.de
Coordination of the IHP 2010 | Curator of the exhibition
Dipl.-Ing. Michaela Busenkell | Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM)
International Highrise Award of the city of Frankfurt/Main
The competition began in 2004. The International Highrise Award (IHA) is bestowed every two years by the City of Frankfurt/Main. It is initiated, curated and organized as a joint venture between Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) and DekaBank, which also finances the IHA. The International Highrise Award goes to a building that stands out for its special aesthetic appeal, pioneering design, integration into the cityscape, sustainability but also innovative technology and cost-effectiveness. The winner is selected by an international jury of experts. Planners and developers are awarded the prize jointly, a statuette by the internationally famous artist Thomas Demand and prize money totaling EUR 50,000.
More Information
Previous winners
2008 Foster + Partners received the award for their 182 meter high Hearst Building in New York, together with the developer Hearst Corporation.
2006 Jean Nouvel was awarded the prize for his 142 meter high building Torre Agbar in Barcelona together with Layetana as developer.
2004 the award went to Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (International) PA, London, for their 144 meter tall de Hoftoren building in The Hague, ING Vastgoed as developer, and the Rijksgebouwendienst as owner.
The current finalists
