VIA 57 West in New York City and The Cube in Beirut, Lebanon, were among the winners named in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's 2016 Tall Building Awards.
The triangular window-covered VIA 57 earned the Best Tall Building in the Americas nod, and The Cube, a 186-foot building made of stacked concrete levels, got the distinction of being the Best Tall Building in Middle East & Africa.
Eight projects were named winners across five categories. Best Tall Buildings were named in Asia & Australia, and Europe, in addition to the Americas and the Middle East & Africa. Shanghai Tower won the Asia region and The White Walls building in Nicosia, Cyprus, took the Europe category.
The four winners, and 12 finalists, “exhibit processes and innovations that have added to the profession of design and enhance the cities and the lives of their inhabitants,” according to CTBUH.
Other winners were named for the Urban Habitat Award, a master plan which has led to a quality urban environment; the Innovation Award, a notable aspect of the design, construction, or operation of a project; the Performance Award, a project that has the least environmental impact on the urban realm; and the 10 Year Award, a culmination of value and performance of buildings that have operated for a decade. CTBUH said it received 132 submissions in total.
A seven-member multidisciplinary Main Jury selected the regional Best Tall Building winners and the Urban Habitat award, and a seven-person engineering-focused Technical Jury chose the Innovation Award and the Performance Award winners. The Technical Jury also aided the Main Jury in selecting Best Tall Building winners. The CTBUH Board of Trustees picked the 10 Year Award winner.
Winners and finalists’ projects can be viewed at the CTBUH’s website.
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