Latest news with #JavierQuintanadeUña
Business Upturn
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Announces 2025 Award of Excellence Winners, Recognizes Projects Driving the Future of Vertical Urbanism in an Unpredictable Climate
Chicago, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has announced the winners of its 2025 Award of Excellence competition, a robust slate of built and unbuilt projects from around the world that respond to current global challenges and demonstrate the vital role of tall buildings in the 21st century. (View the full list of winning projects here.) Spanning 20 countries and more than 20 categories, this year's winners exemplify creative and technical leadership across the gamut of sustainable vertical urbanism. From carbon-negative towers to adaptive reuse strategies that extend the life of existing structures by decades, the 2025 awardees are unified by an evolution of values: growth as well as stewardship, height and impact. 'This year's cohort demonstrates not only technical sophistication and design ingenuity but also an ability to respond to the circumstances shaping the world right now—from regional issues and economic challenges to the accelerating climate crisis,' according to Javier Quintana de Uña, CEO of CTBUH. 'These projects prove that tall buildings and the vertical urbanism they engender can instigate better quality of life, ecological resilience and urban equity simultaneously. That's the direction our industry must move in.' In categories such as Best Tall Building, Innovation and Urban Habitat, this year's winners emphasize reuse, low-carbon materials, equitable housing and integrated infrastructure. Submitting companies were also asked to share data on the carbon and material usage in their projects—part of the CTBUH 2025 Awards Carbon Pilot Program—which attempts to consolidate embodied carbon data from across the globe and serve as a benchmark for sustainable development practices. Several projects introduce hybrid programmatic models, blurring the line between public and private realms and prioritizing circularity from the outset. 'Vertical urbanism isn't just about going taller—it's about rethinking how height intersects with livability, connectivity and the relationship of tall buildings with the street,' said James Parakh, Urban Design Manager at the City of Toronto Planning Division and a juror in the Urban Habitat category. 'This year's submissions illustrate how tall buildings can do more than dominate skylines—they can animate streets, enliven their contexts and shape cohesive, healthy neighborhoods. The most compelling projects treat the base, the tower and the spaces between towers as a continuous urban experience. That kind of holistic thinking can benefit cities, improve livability and create vibrant places where people thrive.' CTBUH's call for entries drew its broadest global participation yet, with submissions from firms working in cities as diverse as Brisbane, Göteborg, New Cairo, Tokyo and Toronto, among many others. Each submission was evaluated by multidisciplinary juries comprising leaders in architecture, engineering, planning, construction and real estate development. The selection criteria prioritized performance—environmental, cultural and operational—over prestige or aesthetics alone. Awardees will present their work during the CTBUH 2025 International Conference, themed From the Ground Up: Tall Buildings and City-Making, taking place 6–9 October in Toronto, where they'll vie for 'best in category' recognition. Results will be announced during the conference's prestigious award ceremony and dinner. Now in its 22nd year, the CTBUH awards program can enhance the reputation and marketability of the companies responsible for selected projects. 'Receiving the CTBUH Award of Excellence for One Za'abeel has been a defining moment—both personally and for our entire team,' expressed Dr. Mohamed Hegazy, Director of Property & Buildings Construction Supervision in the Middle East at WSP. The project was named overall winner in the Best Tall Building, Middle East & Africa category in the 2024 competition. 'As professionals leading complex projects, we navigate diverse challenges while aligning stakeholder interests. We're proud of the industry-leading engineering that made this achievement possible—advancing standards and integrating it seamlessly with the community—which marks a meaningful evolution in the architectural landscape,' continued Hegazy. 'The award showcased our work on the global stage, inspiring new conversations about what's possible when visionary thinking, purposeful execution and ambition converge to raise the bar and pave the way for the next generation of transformative structures.' 'Our awards have always spotlighted excellence, but in 2025 excellence looks different,' added Quintana de Uña. 'We're now measuring success not by spectacle but by a building's capacity to support life—human and otherwise—for generations to come.' For more information on the CTBUH awards program, including jury members by category and all prior Award of Excellence winners, please visit Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to smarter, more sustainable cities and a more viable future for global populations. Specifically, CTBUH focuses on the critical role of density in addressing climate change. CTBUH is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in Shanghai, China, and Venice, Italy. CTBUH's worldwide membership network includes companies from fields such as real estate development, architecture, engineering, cost consulting, building management and construction, among others. In addition to hosting leading industry events, CTBUH produces research and reports on issues of significant consequence to its membership. Its most utilized asset is the database, a comprehensive compendium of detailed figures, images and technical information on more than 40,000 tall buildings throughout the world. CTBUH is best known to the public for developing international standards for measuring tall building height and is recognized as the arbiter of the 'World's Tallest Building' designation. For more information, please visit Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 2025 Trends & Forecasts Report Reveals Shifting Global Skyline and New Market Realities
Chicago, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) today released its , which delivers an in-depth analysis of the current state and trajectory of tall building construction worldwide. The report captures key industry movements, including new geographic milestones, economic opportunities and challenges and the ongoing evolution of skyscraper design and function. It is an essential resource for architects, engineers, developers, urban planners and other professionals navigating the ever-changing international tall building landscape. "The global tall building industry is experiencing a dynamic transformation," explained CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Uña. "We continue to witness significant completions and milestones—such as Africa's first-ever supertall building—and we're encouraged by an accelerating trend for renewing and repositioning older structures, a movement that simultaneously preserves architectural heritage and advances the prospect of more sustainable urban development.' Key findings from the 2025 Trends and Forecasts report: The global count of 200m+ buildings now exceeds 2,400, doubling since 2017. 2024 marked the 11th consecutive year with over 100 completions of 200m+ buildings. Iconic Tower, Cairo (393.8m), became Africa's first supertall (300m+) building and the tallest completion of 2024. For the first time, buildings in Egypt and Türkiye entered the World's 100 Tallest Buildings list, marking a significant geographic diversification in high-rise construction. A record 256 stalled or 'on hold' projects worldwide contributed to fewer completions in 2024, signaling continued challenges into 2025. 'There's a need for vigilance, too,' continued Quintana de Uña. 'The rise in stalled projects underscores the volatility in today's construction landscape. As we move forward, resilience and adaptability will be crucial in shaping the future of vertical urbanism." Geographic and functional shifts China remains a dominant player in the worldwide tall building arena, accounting for more than 60% of global 200m+ completions in 2024. But the composition of the World's 100 Tallest Buildings is evolving: Asia's share declined slightly from 63% in 2023 to 61% in 2024, while the Middle East gained one entry, and Africa rejoined the rankings for the first time since 1985. Mumbai completed five tall buildings this year, the most of any city outside China. From 2020 to 2024, the city added 32 buildings over 200 meters, matching Hangzhou, which ranks 20th globally for such structures. Some projects in Mumbai faced long construction pauses before resuming, highlighting opportunities for future completions. One example is Palais Royale, an imminently anticipated 300m+ tower that began in 2008 and started delivering residences after receiving a partial occupancy permit in October. Functional shifts are also apparent: Two new hotel buildings entered the World's 100 Tallest Buildings list, displacing mixed-use projects, while office and residential tall buildings remained steady at 36 and 10, respectively. Buildings under 200 meters tall are increasingly being converted or repurposed to meet changing market demands and sustainability goals. With office vacancy rates rising, many of these buildings are being transformed into residential, hotel, or mixed-use spaces. This shift highlights a growing industry preference for adapting and reusing existing structures rather than tearing them down, making better use of underutilized buildings in more flexible and resilient ways. Economic and supply chain pressures The tall building sector is feeling the impact of rising interest rates, post-pandemic supply chain corrections and tightened financing. Delays in construction timelines have increased, and developers worldwide are reassessing their portfolios amid uncertain economic conditions. "The combination of financial uncertainty and evolving urban demand is reshaping the global skyline," said Jason Barr, Professor of Economics at Rutgers University-Newark and a member of the CTBUH Height and Data Committee. "We are witnessing a recalibration period where developers are more cautious, and this is reflected in the number of stalled projects." Predictions for 2025 At least 135 buildings 200 meters or taller are expected to be completed, with 12 to 20 reaching supertall status (300m+). Jeddah Tower, the world's first planned 1,000-meter building, resumed construction in late 2024, signaling renewed optimism for megatall (600m+) projects. While market pressures persist, new geographic entries and advancements in construction technology will shape the next wave of tall buildings. The CTBUH 2025 Trends & Forecasts report provides a wide range of interactive data—including breakdowns of the World's 100 Tallest Buildings by region, function, material, and average height trends—that help industry professionals keep abreast of these developments. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to smarter, more sustainable cities and a more viable future for global populations. Specifically, CTBUH focuses on the critical role of density in addressing climate change. CTBUH is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in Shanghai, China, and Venice, Italy. CTBUH's worldwide membership network includes companies from fields such as real estate development, architecture, engineering, cost consulting, building management and construction, among others. In addition to hosting leading industry events, CTBUH produces research and reports on issues of significant consequence to its membership. Its most utilized asset is the database, a comprehensive compendium of detailed figures, images and technical information on more than 40,000 tall buildings throughout the world. CTBUH is best known to the public for developing international standards for measuring tall building height and is recognized as the arbiter of the 'World's Tallest Building' designation. For more information, please visit . CONTACT: Charles Mutscheller The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat cmutscheller@
