Sydney towers among world’s best

Sydney towers among world’s best

2 February 2018

Three tower buildings in central Sydney have been shortlisted for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Heritage’s Best Tall Building (CTBUH) awards, which celebrate the very best in the design, planning, and construction of tall buildings worldwide, says The Urban Developer.

The three International Towers in Barangaroo, by developer Lendlease, have made it to the last nine in the category of the Best Tall Building: Asia and Australasia, competing against other office and hotel buildings from Singapore, China, and South Korea.

Mirvac’s celebrated EY Centre on George Street, which features Australia’s first pressurised closed-cavity double-skin façade, joins four other finalists from New York, Salt Lake City, and Shenzen, China, in the Best Construction category.

The Lumiere apartment building, also on George Street, is among eight final competitors vying for the special Ten Year Award, recognising the proven value and performance of a building over a period of time.

“The finalists truly represent the pinnacle of excellence in the field of tall buildings,” said awards jury chair Karl Fender, director of Australian firm Fender Katsalidis Architects.

“Being recognised by the world’s premier authority on tall buildings is a great honour, and the opportunity to showcase these quality projects to a global audience helps drive innovation across all disciplines in our industry,” Mr Fender added.

Fender will chair the awards jury, which includes H.E. Mohamed Ali Allabar, (chairman, Emaar Properties); Kamil Merican (chief executive officer, GDP Architects); Steve Watts (CTBUH chairman and partner, Alinea Consulting); and Antony Wood (executive director, CTBUH).

“Part of our mission at CTBUH is to investigate and highlight the cutting-edge in sustainable urbanism in order to promote a better urban future,” said Mr Wood.

“This year’s finalists exemplify the world’s foremost examples in this regard.”

The final winners will be announced at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Heritage (CTBUH) conference in Chicago in May 2018.

The annual awards are known as not only a celebration of the world’s best tall buildings but as also being influential in awarding future contracts for projects globally.