2017 Skyscraper Awards: The Top 10

The winner of the annual Emporis Skyscraper Award for the best new Skyscraper of the year is spectacular 34-story residential building VIA 57 West in New York City, USA. The winner was picked by an international panel of experts from a worldwide pool of more than 700 eligible skyscrapers which were completed in 2016 and are at least 100 meters tall. The award, given by Emporis (www.emporis.com), the leading international provider of building data, is being presented for the 17th time this year.

The pyramid shaped winner, designed by the Danish architects BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, was recognized by the award jury for its fascinating and extraordinary shape which breaks new ground in design. VIA 57 West is a hybrid between an European perimeter block and a classic American skyscraper. “It’s impressive how the architect rethinks the whole idea of a skyscraper. The building is a fantastic addition to the New York skyline”, one jury member said.

Emporis Skyscraper Award 2016

Claiming the second place is Torre Reforma from Mexico City, Mexico. With a height of 245 meters, it is Mexico City’s tallest skyscraper and also the world’s tallest exposed concrete structure. The jury specifically praises the intelligent environmental solution for a skyscraper. The building is composed of two exposed concrete walls and one main glass façade. The concrete walls protect the interior from direct sunlight and reduces the cooling load. Mexico City is known for its high seismic activity. For this reason, Torre Reforma has a triangular footprint and combined with the latest engineering knowledge, it is supposed to withstand heavy winds and earthquakes for the next 2,500 years.

In third place the expert jury voted Oasia Hotel Downtown, in Singapore. The project stands out with a remarkable red façade and 21 different species of plants in 1793 planter boxes turning into an urban oasis. The facade is overgrown with different vines to ensure the building’s facade is always lush and resilient during different weather conditions. Moreover, the tower offers four open sky gardens which allows wind to pass through the building for good ventilation.

This year buildings from Asia dominate the Top 10 of the Emporis Skyscraper Award. The winners‘ list cotains a total of five Asian projects. New York City, known as the world capital of high-rise architecture, wins the award for the fourth time. The Sofitel in New York was the very first building to receive the sought-after award back in 2000.

Number 10: Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower

Interesting Facts:

• Architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd
• The tower has the largest passenger type elevators in Japan
• It’s located in the Roppongi district of Tokyo adjacent to the Izumi Garden Tower
• It is the headquarter of TV Tokio, a television station

Number 9: Beijing Greenland Dawangjing Tower

Interesting Facts:

• Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
• The Tower is located in the Dawangjing business district
• It features a trapezoid-clad exterior with glass panels
• The building has a self-shading facade to enhance the building’s environmental performance

Number 8:  The L Tower

Interesting Facts:

• Architects: Studio Daniel Libeskind, Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects
• The tower is part of the redevelopment of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
• The L tower is a bridge between the buildings of the financial district and the historic St. Lawrence cultural neighborhood
• The form of the Tower ensures that it doesn’t cast shadows on Berczy Park towards the north

Number 7:  Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre

Interesting Facts:

• Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Leigh & Orange, Guangzhou Design Institute
• Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is the tallest completed tower in 2016 and currently the tallest building in Guangzhou, China
• The building features the world’s fastest elevators, altogether there are 95 elevators
• It’s part of a two tower complex called the Guangzhou Twin Towers. The other tower was completed in 2010

Number 6:  56 Leonard Street

• Architects: Herzog & de Meuron, Costas Kondylis & Partners LLP Architects
• It has been nicknamed Jenga Tower due to its cantilevered balconies
• A sculpture, designed by Anish Kapoor, sits at the base of the building.
• Every floor of the building is different and rotated from the floors above and below

Number 5:  Elbphilharmonie

Interesting Facts:

• Architects: Herzog & de Meuron, Hohler+Partner Architekten und Ingenieure
• The plaza is accessible to the general public. It offers a view of Hamburg and the Elbe
• The glassy construction is reminiscent of a sail or a water wave
• The building has one of the largest and acoustically advanced concert halls in the world
• The design leaves the existing former storage facility Kaispeicher A intact and makes use of it as its base structure, for it was built to withstand even biggest loads

Number 4:  MahaNakhon

Interesting Facts:

• Architect: Buro Ole Scheeren Group through HLS
• MahaNakhon is currently the tallest completed tower in Thailand
• The building is also known as the Pixel Tower. The pixaled cutaway wraps around the exterior of MahaNakhon
• MahaNakhon’s name is inspired by the Thai name for Bangkok which means city of angels, the great city

Number 3:  Oasia Hotel Downtown

Interesting Facts:

• Architect: WOHA Architects Pte. Ltd
• In addition to 21 species of facade creepers, another 33 species of plants and trees are selected, making a total of 54 species of plants and trees
• The architects adopted a club sandwich approach by creating a series of different strata, each with its own sky garden
• The plants bloom at different times of the year, which creates a beautiful and varied mosaic of colors

Number 2:  Torre Reforma

Interesting Facts: 

• Architect: LBR&A Architectos
• In 2016 Torre Reforma achieved LEED Platinum certification
• The design of the tower refers to an open book
• Torre Reforma is organised into fourteen clusters. Every cluster has its own interior garden

Number 1:  VIA 57 West

Interesting Facts:

• Architects: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, Schuman, Lichtenstein, Claman & Efron
• VIA 57 West is BIG’s first completed residential building in North America and first completed skyscraper anywhere
• The shape of the building changes depending on the viewer’s vantage point
• It has a large courtyard at it’s centre with 47 species of native plants
• It offers residents an array of amenities like a poker room and a golf simulator
• The building also offers 36 affordable apartments among its ultraluxe residences

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About Emporis

Emporis is a leading database of information about building and construction projects, based in Germany. For over a decade Emporis has helped companies, organizations and individuals stay informed about the building industry. The Emporis Skyscraper Award is the world’s most renowned prize for high-rise architecture.

About the Award

The Emporis Skyscraper Award has been given since 2000. The jury is formed of architecture experts from all over the world, who judge nominated buildings according to aesthetic and functional design criteria. Previous winners include Shanghai Tower (2015) in Shanghai, Wangjing SOHO (2014) in Beijing, and The Shard in London (2013).