What happened to world’s tallest towers in 2015?

Year 2015 was a landmark year in the tall building world, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) said, stating that “perhaps no one could have anticipated the degree to which innovation and novelty would be embraced at every turn.”

The following are the council’s list of the top 12 happenings.

# January

New York's 111 West 57th Street gets final approval

The slender tower at 111 West 57th Street received final approval by the New York City Department of Buildings on January 6, 2015. The 426-meter supertall tower is one of several luxury skyscrapers along 57th street that are reshaping the skyline of Midtown Manhattan.

# February

57-Story prefabricated skyscraper completes in Changsha

Broad Group, a company specializing in prefabricated high-rises, completed their tallest building to date, the 57-storey J57 in Changsha China. Using modular construction techniques, the building was constructed in a short time-span with limited environmental impact.

# March

London proposal offers a solution to skyscraper shadows

A proposal for a two-tower complex in London was significant for its attempt to create towers that cast no shadow. Using computer modelling, the firm discovered they could reduce shadows by as much as 60 per cent by positioning the two curved towers in such a way that, when one blocks the sun from the public plaza below, the other reflects light back down.

# April

Paris receives first housing project of 50 meters since 1970s

After more than three decades, Paris completed its first housing project over 50 meters thanks to a change in building regulations that allow for high-rises in the city’s 13th arrondissement. The new complex features 200 apartments with terraces that spiral upwards. It seeks to connect to the rigid grid of the surrounding neighbourhood while transitioning the built environment from horizontal to vertical.

# May

Ping An Finance Center structurally topped out in Shenzhen

Developers and designers of the Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen, China celebrated the structural topping out of the mega-tall building, meaning that the highest primary structural element was put in place. Attendees of the topping out ceremony watched as the final structural beam was hoisted and fixed into its permanent position atop the building’s core.                    

# June

World’s tallest wood building proposed in Paris

Architects specializing in wooden buildings proposed what could become the tallest wooden building in the world for Paris. The 35-story Baobab was developed as a carbon-neutral proposal for the city’s Réinventer Paris competition, which aims to alleviate the city’s urban housing challenges.

# July

Jerusalem’s Downtown to get Pyramid-Shaped High-Rise

In a marked shift from the city’s typical built environment, a Jerusalem municipal committee approved the construction of a high-rise building as part of a drive to revitalize the city’s downtown core. The pyramid-shaped skyscraper will feature a boutique hotel, luxury apartments, retail amenities, a rooftop restaurant, and a public plaza.             

# August

Japan’s tallest building planned near Tokyo Station

Tokyo is set to receive its first supertall skyscraper after plans were revealed for a 390-meter high-rise located near Tokyo Station, the main rail terminal in Tokyo, the busiest station in Japan. As part of a long-term plan to redevelop the station, the new skyscraper – which will be the tallest in the country – will have a lengthy gestation period. The building is not expected to be completed before 2027.

# September

Bogotá’s crowdfunded skyscraper architecturally tops out

The under-construction BD Bacatá skyscraper in Bogotá, Colombia reached a milestone when it architecturally topped out in September. The project is notable not just because it will be the tallest building in the country when completed, but because it is the first skyscraper to be crowdfunded, having been financed to the tune of $170 million by more than 3,800 Colombians.

# October

Work begins on Australia 108 in Melbourne

Construction officially began on Australia 108, which will be the tallest building in Melbourne and the tallest residential tower in the Southern Hemisphere when completed. Although the project is not expected to complete until 2020, some residents could move in as early as 2018 due to a staged construction process.

# November

Bosco Verticale named CTBUH 2015 best tall building worldwide

CTBUH Awards Jury selected Bosco Verticale as the “2015 Best Tall Building Worldwide”. The pair of residential towers are located in the Porta Nuova district of Milan, Italy and have a height of 110 metres and 76 metres, respectively. They will host more than 900 trees (approximately 550 and 350 trees in the first and second towers, respectively) on 8,900 square metres of terraces. Within the complex is also an 11-story office building; its facade does not host plants.

# December

Chicago Plan Commission approves Vista Tower

The Chicago Plan Commission set the stage for the city’s third tallest building when it gave approval for the $1 billion Vista Tower. The riverfront skyscraper, which will start construction in 2016, will be 361 meters when completed, placing it between the 346-meter Aon Center and 442-meter Trump International Hotel & Tower. As of today, it would be the city’s seventh supertall skyscraper in existence.

 


 

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