10-Story Building Named Best Tall Building in the World

The crowning of the annual award was announced yesterday, November 16, following the CTBUH 2022 International Conference held last week in Chicago, where the organization is based. The selection is a bit of a surprise for an organization that oversees the "official" heights of skyscrapers around the world, and which tends to give its top annual award to high-rises that tower over their surroundings, such as Shanghai Tower in 2016 and Salesforce Tower in 2019. The David Rubenstein Forum, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Brininstool + Lynch, is just 171 feet (52 m) tall — shorter than the iconic Rockefeller Chapel on the University of Chicago campus (visible in the distance in the photo at top).

In its selection this year's award recognizes the importance of site, form, and the building's unique vertical stacking that is a departure from many tall buildings. Sited on the Midway Plaisance, a remnant of the 1893 Columbian Exposition, the 10-story buildings stands out among the lower buildings along both edges of the wide east-west landscape. In terms of form and function, the cantilevered volumes clearly express the stacked and shifted "neighborhoods" that are comprised of various meeting rooms and pre-function spaces. Unlike most conference centers, which sprawl horizontally across one or two floors, The David Rubenstein Forum is oriented vertically to frame generous views toward the Loop on the north and across low-rise neighborhoods to the south. In a denser, taller urban context the building would get lost in its surroundings and would not be able to frame distant views at its upper floors.

CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Una said in a statement: "“It is no longer enough to simply build tall. We must approach density in ways that are meaningful, creative, innovative, carbon neutral and affordable. Only then can we support balanced and healthy living, working and civic and social engagement. The [LEED Gold] David Rubenstein Forum, and all of this year's Award of Excellence winners, demonstrate that it is possible to consider the built environment — transportation, public and cultural institutions, green spaces, commercial enterprises, and other crucial infrastructure — holistically and adapt it broadly and equitably for positive, sustainable outcomes."

The full list of winners is below and on the CTBUH website.

• Best Tall Building Worldwide: David Rubenstein Forum, Chicago, United States
• Best Tall Building Americas: David Rubenstein Forum, Chicago, United States
• Best Tall Building Asia: Qingdao Hai Tian Center, China
• Best Tall Building Australia: Collins Arch, Melbourne, Australia
• Best Tall Building Europe: One Crown Place South, London, UK
• Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa: Azrieli Town Tower, Tel Aviv, Israel

• Best Tall Building Under 100 Meters: David Rubenstein Forum, Chicago, United States
• Best Tall Building 100–199 Meters: Olderfleet, Melbourne, Australia
• Best Tall Building 200–299 Meters: One Dalton Street, Boston, United States
• Best Tall Building 300–399 Meters: The St. Regis Chicago, United States
• Best Tall Building 400 Meters and Above: One Vanderbilt Avenue, New York City, United States

• Best Tall Office Building: Trinity, Puteaux, France
• Best Tall Residential or Hotel Building: 111 West 57th Street, New York City, United States
• Best Tall Mixed-Use Building: Collins Arch, Melbourne, Australia
• Best Tall Non-Building: CopenHill, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Urban Habitat, Single-Site Scale: OōEli, Hangzhou, China
• Urban Habitat, District/Master Plan Scale: Wesley Place, Melbourne, Australia

• Innovation Award: Hydroskin
• Renovation Award: 55 Southbank, Melbourne, Australia
• Construction Award: Sydney Greenland Centre, Australia
• Structural Engineering Award: Ten Degrees Croydon, London, UK
• Systems Award: Trlllple, Austria, Vienna
• Geotechnical Engineering Award: 18 Robinson, Singapore
• Façade Engineering Award: Arlozorov 17, Tel Aviv, Israel
• Life Safety Design Award: Mjøstrånet, Brumunddal, Norway
• 10-Year Award: De Karel Doorman, Rotterdam Netherlands