New York City
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Park Avenue Plaza has 12 corner offices per floor which overlook the Manhattan skyline while its mirrored façade reflects other skyscrapers in the area.
Featured Buildings Involving SOM
London
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Winner of a 2019 Best Tall Building Award of Excellence, this building uses the intersections of the city around it to inform its unique geometry and create a welcoming lobby.
Featured Buildings Involving SOM
Beijing
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The Beijing Greenland Dawangjing Tower’s distinct trapezoidal facade was developed to take advantage of the building’s site positioning and as a means to catch and refract sunlight.
Featured Buildings Involving SOM
The dramatic and highly visible structural system employed on Broadgate Tower is an innovative solution to the challenge of spanning the pre-existing railways that run under the site.
The triangulated, serrated façade treatment is interesting, adding depth and texture to the imposing form while allowing natural ventilation throughout.
Greenland's Suzhou Center, Suzhou
The Suzhou Center incorporates passive ventilation techniques in the the design to create a unique interior "lung" that appears as a large opening.
One World Trade Center, New York City
Part of the ambitious World Trade Center redevelopment, the symbolic 1,776-foot One World Trade Center rises on the northwest corner of the Lower Manhattan site.
Trump International Hotel & Tower, Chicago
Urbanistically and architecturally, Trump Tower represents a high standard of contextual design—fitting very well into the city.
The art of high-rise building design embraces, at least in part, how the observer reads the rise of the form from the earth to the sky.
The tower sits amidst the exuberance that is the tall building development of Dubai’s main thoroughfare. The building comes as a breath of fresh air among the crowd of towers.
The John Hancock Center, Chicago
Over forty years after its completion, the John Hancock Center has established itself as one of the world’s most recognized skyscrapers and an iconic example.
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.
Undoubtedly one of the wonders of the modern world, Burj Khalifa is graceful and elegant as it reaches upward with seeming ease.
Located in Chicago's Magnificent Mile area, the Art Deco influenced office tower serves as a link between the Near North Side and the Loop.
Once the home to the five-star Carlton Hotel, the Carlton Centre provides a birds-eye view of downtown Johannesberg.
A centerpiece of a neighborhood development, the design features curved surfaces, accentuated by perforated metal light shelves to enhance the building's environmental performance.
Standing at over 300 meters, Cayan Tower stood as the world's tallest high rise building with a twist of 90 degrees when it was completed in 2013.
10 Universal City Plaza, Los Angeles
10 Universal City Plaza is a 35-story, rhombic skyscraper in the Universal City/Studio City and Burbank Media District submarket of Los Angeles, California.
Kingtown International Center, Nanjing
This tower uses a distinctive external bracing system, which creates more efficient lateral support, requiring less steel and an overall 20% reduction in building material.
222 Main is Utah’s first LEED Gold-certified high-rise; the structure features a 20-foot glass veil that is illuminated with different colors at various times of the year.
Park Avenue Plaza, New York City
Park Avenue Plaza has 12 corner offices per floor which overlook the Manhattan skyline while its mirrored façade reflects other skyscrapers in the area.
650 California is visible from every direction except from the southeast, where the nearby Financial District skyscrapers block the view.
Through the integration of greenery, Shum Yip Upperhills blurs the boundary between project, city and natural environment, responding to the climate and the history of Shenzhen.
Baccarat Hotel & Residences, New York City
Baccarat Hotel & Residences form and craftsmanship is inspired by the eponymous luxury crystal brand that owns the building.
Rizal Tower sets a standard in urban regeneration projects within a city where the highest levels and most progressive visions of urban life must be taken into consideration.
Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza, Nanchang
The Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza includes two identical towers clad in a sleek glass curtain wall whose shapes morph from base to top.
Beijing Greenland Dawangjing Tower, Beijing
The Beijing Greenland Dawangjing Tower’s distinct trapezoidal facade was developed to take advantage of the building’s site positioning and as a means to catch and refract sunlight.
Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin
Located in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, Tianjin CTF Finance Centre features a mix of uses including office space, luxury serviced apartments, and a hotel.
China Merchants Tower, Shenzhen
Office use building.
Manhattan Loft Gardens, London
Winner of a 2019 Best Tall Building Award of Excellence, this building uses the intersections of the city around it to inform its unique geometry and create a welcoming lobby.
Tanjong Pagar Center, Singapore
A mixed-use complex that contains office, residential, retail and hospitality spaces and won a 2019 CTBUH Urban Habitat Award of Excellence.
Five Manhattan West, New York City
Winner of a CTBUH 2019 Renovation Award of Excellence, this building had once been a warehouse, and has been redeveloped as office and retail space.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world. Since its founding more than 80 years ago, SOM has earned a reputation for design excellence with a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries, and has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment.
The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with nearly 2,000 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996.
CTBUH NY Chapter Holds Demolition Seminar
25 Sep 2019, Event Report – Over 50 attendees enjoyed a networking reception followed by engaging presentations…
In Their Own Words: The Story of the John Hancock Building
12 Sep 2019, Event Report – Members of the original architecture and engineering team behind Chicago’s John…
IIT Final Reviews and Annual Open House
3 May 2019, Event Report – Final reviews were held for the “Sustainable Vertical Urbanism: Towards Net-Zero…
CTBUH Chairman, 1979 – 1982
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Board of Trustees, 2008 – 2014
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Advisory Group, 2015 – 2018
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Chairman, 1979 – 1982
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Board of Trustees, 2008 – 2014
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Advisory Group, 2015 – 2018
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Advisory Group, 1999
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Advisory Group, 1999 – 2015
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Chapter Board Member, 2018 – Present
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Chapter Board Member, 2018 – Present
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Awards Jury, 2004
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Awards Geotechnical Engineering Jury, 2020
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Expert Peer Review Committee, 2014 – Present
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Skyscraper Center Editorial Board, 2014 – 2015
New York City, United States
CTBUH Future Leaders Committee, Shanghai, 2018 – Present
Shanghai, China
CTBUH Skybridges Research Project Steering Committee, 2019 – Present
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Working Group: Outrigger Design, 2011 – 2012
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2019
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2019
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2019
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2018
London, United Kingdom
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2018
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
Hong Kong, China
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2012
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2019
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2018
Chicago, United States
Darren Rizza
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2006
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
Shanghai, China
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2019
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2016
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2019
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2017
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Presenter, 2018
San Francisco, United States
Brant E. Coletta
CTBUH Annual Conference, Session Chair, 2016
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Session Chair, 2017
Hong Kong, China
CTBUH Annual Conference, Poster Presenter, 2019
New York City, United States
CTBUH Annual Conference, Steering Committee, 2016
Hong Kong, China
CTBUH Annual Conference, Steering Committee, 2013
London, United Kingdom
CTBUH Innovation Conference, Speaker, 2018
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Innovation Conference, Speaker, 2019
Shanghai, China
CTBUH Innovation Conference, Speaker, 2019
London, United Kingdom
CTBUH Awards Symposium, Speaker, 2014
Chicago, United States
CTBUH Awards Symposium, Speaker, 2016
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH China Awards Symposium, Speaker, 2016
Chicago, United States
CTBUH International Research Seed Funding, Peer Review Panel, 2012
Chicago, United States
CTBUH International Research Seed Funding, Peer Review Panel, 2012
New York City, United States
Austin Devin
CTBUH IJHRB Research Journal, 2017
New York City, United States
Tobias Fast
CTBUH IJHRB Research Journal
Vancouver, Canada
Hal Iyengar
CTBUH Advisory Group, 1985 – 1998
San Francisco, United States
CTBUH Awards Jury, 2005
Chicago, United States
The CTBUH Awards recognize projects and individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level.
An Outdoor Room for the Center of the City
10 Apr 2019 – Valerie Wong, GuocoLand Limited; Ame Engelhart, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
From Ungainly Ziggurat to Glamorous Zenith
10 Apr 2019 – Ame Engelhart, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Creating Vertical Communities – A New Model for High-Rise Living
9 Apr 2019 – Harry Handelsman, Manhattan Loft Corporation; Christopher Wollaston, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Polycentric Cities: The Future of Vertical Urbanism
Oct 2018 –
CTBUH Journal 2018 Issue IV
CTBUH 2018 Conference Speakers
A Tall Building Ethos of Integration
Mar 2018 –
International Journal of High-Rise Buildings Volume 7 Number 1
Brian Lee, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Tall Buildings as Severe-Weather Shelters?
31 Jan 2018 –
CTBUH Journal, 2018 Issue I
Ilana Judah, FXCollaborative; Luke Leung, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
150m+ Buildings | 188 Completed • 33 Under Constr. |
300m+ Buildings | 27 Completed • 10 Under Constr. |
Average Building Age | 20 Years |
Most Common Function | office, 131 Buildings |
Most Common Material | Composite, 64 Buildings |
All building-related facts are for 150m+ buildings currently in the database.
1 | Burj Khalifa | 2010 | 828 m | Dubai | |
2 | One World Trade Center | 2014 | 541 m | New York City | |
3 | Tianjin CTF Finance Centre | 2019 | 530 m | Tianjin | |
4 | Greenland Centre | 2024 | 498 m | Xi’an | |
5 | Zifeng Tower | 2010 | 450 m | Nanjing | |
6 | Willis Tower | 1974 | 442 m | Chicago | |
7 | One Bangkok O4H4 | 2025 | 436 m | Bangkok | |
8 | Trump International Hotel & Tower | 2009 | 423 m | Chicago | |
9 | Jin Mao Tower | 1999 | 421 m | Shanghai | |
10 | Al Hamra Tower | 2011 | 413 m | Kuwait City |
Completed | Arch. Topped Out | Struct. Topped Out | Under Constr. |
1 | Grand Rama 9 Tower | - | 615 m | Bangkok | |
2 | Greenland Jinmao International Financi… | - | 600 m | Nanjing | |
3 | Burj Jumeira | - | 550 m | Dubai | |
4 | Pertamina Tower | - | 523 m | Jakarta | |
5 | Guizhou Culture Plaza Tower | - | 521 m | Guiyang | |
6 | Guohua Financial Center Tower 1 | - | 465 m | Wuhan | |
7 | COFCO Landmark Tower | - | 390 m | Tianjin | |
8 | Wenzhou Lucheng Plaza Landmark Tower | - | 350 m | Wenzhou | |
9 | 625 Fulton Street | 2023 | 287 m | New York City | |
10 | Guohua Financial Center Tower 2 | - | 279 m | Wuhan |
1 | Burj Khalifa | 2010 | 828 m | Dubai | |
2 | Grand Rama 9 Tower | - | 615 m | Bangkok | |
3 | Greenland Jinmao International Financi… | - | 600 m | Nanjing | |
4 | Burj Jumeira | - | 550 m | Dubai | |
5 | One World Trade Center | 2014 | 541 m | New York City | |
6 | Tianjin CTF Finance Centre | 2019 | 530 m | Tianjin | |
7 | Pertamina Tower | - | 523 m | Jakarta | |
8 | Guizhou Culture Plaza Tower | - | 521 m | Guiyang | |
9 | Greenland Centre | 2024 | 498 m | Xi’an | |
10 | Guohua Financial Center Tower 1 | - | 465 m | Wuhan |
Completed | Under Constr. | Proposed |
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