COUNCIL ON TALL BUILDINGS AND URBAN HABITAT (CTBUH) SELECTED ТНЕ BEST HIGH BUILDINGS OF 2021
Each year, the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats (CTBUH) - an international organization, focused on the design of towering structures - chooses skyscrapers from around the world, which are a combination of sustainability, technical innovation, and attractive design. Earlier this month, CTBUH also announced the grand winners at the 18th consecutive CTBUH 2021 Grand Building Awards Ceremony.
Described by Best Tall Building Jury Chair Karl Fender, Founding Partner, Fender Katsalidis Architects, as a “formally striking building brilliantly conceptualized to enhance its surroundings from a seemingly improbable development site,” Vancouver House was recognized for its inventive inverted massing concept, which functions as a gateway to Vancouver, and its meaningful engagement with the community via a richly programmed podium. The residential building sits at the main entrance to Vancouver on a tight, triangular site where a major bridge forks in three directions upon reaching downtown. A 30-meter setback from the busy area ensures residents can enjoy views free of noise and traffic, and which are still exposed to maximum sunlight. From its canted clusters of green roofs to a playful mixture of cool and warm tones and materials, the tower’s exterior and interior are animated with movement, creating a vivid template for urban living.
Vancouver House was selected from the “Best Tall Building” track, which falls into five height thresholds: under 100 meters, 100–199 meters, 200–299 meters, 300–399 meters, and 400 meters and above. Additional categories include Urban Habitat, Innovation, Renovation, Interior Design, and Construction, alongside five categories focused specifically on Engineering achievements. The program also features (d/s) additional Best Tall Building projects in functional designations including Office, Mixed-Use, and Residential Building, and five regional categories. Notably new this year is an interactive Audience Awards program, where attendees cast their votes in each category.
In addition to the winners in the Best Grand Building category at the conference, a number of other outstanding notable projects were recognized, including the DUO Tower (Singapore) for the Urban Habitat Award; Hudson Yards - East Yards (New York) for the Urban Habitat Award - Master Plan Area; Rainier Square Tower (Seattle) took the "Award for Construction"; UTS Central (Sydney) - "Interior Design Award"; and Hanwha's headquarters in Seoul received the "Renewal Award".
Among the awarded projects stands out the winner of three awards - the skyscraper Lakhta Center, rising in St. Petersburg, Russia. The building won the grand prize in the "facade engineering" category, as well as the audience awards in the categories "The best tall building in the world" for projects over 400 meters and the Construction Award.
With its 462 m skyscraper Lakhta Center, at present, is the tallest building in Russia, the tallest building in Europe, and the fourteenth highest building in the world. There are several interesting facts behind the construction of the building. On December 24, 2018, Lakhta Center was certified according to the criteria of environmental efficiency LEED Platinum, which makes it one of the five most environmentally friendly skyscrapers in the world. There is also a registered Guinness record - the concrete pouring of the bottom plate on the base Lakhta of Center was registered by the World Records as the largest continuous pouring of concrete – 19,624 cubic meters of concrete were poured for 49 hours. The facade of the building also holds a record – it is the largest cold-curved facade in the world in terms of its surface.
In 2019, ETEM officially became a member of CTBUH. The accession of ETEM to the expert organization is part of the company's strategy to follow the latest trends in tall buildings and the sustainable development of the urban environment, in order to satisfy the specific needs of each market and offer advanced system solutions for the most challenging projects.
