Research
22 August 2022
The World’s Highest Pools: A Deep Dive
S. Isaac Work & Shawn Ursini, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
Tall building design has diversified and adapted to accommodate increased demand for distinctive amenities at a range of heights. Swimming pools are a classic feature...
17 September 2021
Sustainable Tall Building Design Exemplars
Will Miranda & Daniel Safarik, CTBUH
Some 97 cities worldwide, including most of the world’s megacities with a population of 10 million or more, have signed onto the C40 Cities Climate...
01 March 2021
Comparative Study on the Development Trends of High-rise Buildings Above 200 Meters in China, th
Jiaqi Qu, CTBUH; Zhendong Wang, Tongji University; Peng Du, Texas Tech University,
Since 2006, the number of completed high-rise buildings over 200 meters have increased rapidly. Although there were some short-term cyclical troughs, the overall trend has...
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12 December 2018
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2018
CTBUH Research
The astronomical growth in tall building construction observed over the past decade continued in 2018, though the total number of completed buildings of 200 meters’...
20 October 2018
Polycentric Cities: The Future of Vertical Urbanism
CTBUH 2018 Conference Speakers
As we approach the new normality of cities housing 10 million or more inhabitants, those best positioned for the future are evolving along polycentric, multi-nodal...
20 October 2018
The Middle East: 30+ Years of Building Tall
CTBUH Research
The Middle East region is hosting its first CTBUH International Conference since 2008. In that year, there were 119 completed buildings of 150 meters or...
20 October 2018
The Tall, Polycentric City: Dubai and the Future of Vertical Urbanism
Daniel Safarik, Shawn Ursini & Antony Wood, CTBUH
The development pattern of Dubai, host city of the 2018 CTBUH Middle East Conference core program, typifies the polycentric city phenomenon more than most cities....
01 September 2018
Developments of Structural Systems Toward Mile-High Towers
Kyoung Sun Moon, Yale University School of Architecture
Tall buildings which began from about 40 m tall office towers in the late 19th century have evolved into mixed-use megatall towers over 800 m....
30 April 2018
How to Protect High-Rise Egress Routes?
Grzegorz Sypek, SMAY Group
Recent, tragic high-rise fires have underscored a fundamental issue: the lack of protected escape routes in tall buildings. As we build a greater volume of...
Tim Griffith for KPF.jpg)
05 February 2018
2017: Skyscraper History’s Tallest, Highest- Volume, and Most Geographically Diverse Year
This 2017 Tall Building Year in Review / Tall Buildings in Numbers data analysis report shows that more buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater...
30 October 2017
Empirically Evaluating the Livability Of Local Neighborhoods and Global Cities
Christian Derix, Lucy Helme, Fabio Galicia & Alexander Kachkaev, Woods Bagot
CIVITAS is a search engine for urban conditions, developed to allow stakeholders to identify qualities of livability and urban experiences that suit their tacit desires...
08 August 2017
Improving Energy Performance In Gulf-Region Residential High-Rises
Noura Ghabra & Dr. Lucelia Rodrigues, University of Nottingham; Dr. Philip Oldfield, The University of New South Wales
Energy consumption in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been rising over the last four decades. The residential building sector alone accounts for more than...
08 August 2017
Ten Significant Tall Buildings, and the Significant Women Behind Them
Leading Women in Tall Buildings
Recently, there has been a growing and overdue recognition in the architecture discipline that women are under-represented, not just in terms of leadership positions held,...
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10 January 2017
Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2016
Jason Gabel, Annan Shehadi, Shawn Ursini & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
CTBUH has determined that 128 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed around the world in 2016 – setting a new record for...
17 October 2016
Paints in Extreme Exposures: Long-Term Durability and Cost Savings Throughout Building Life Cycle
Huan Wu & Ashraf Wassef, The Jotun Group
A protective coating is applied as a long term anti-corrosion method in steel protection; it can save the operation costs of buildings across entire life...
17 October 2016
The Space Between: Urban Spaces Surrounding Tall Buildings
James Parakh, City of Toronto Planning Division
This paper is intended to introduce the upcoming CTBUH technical guide titled “The Space Between,” which investigates the importance of publicly accessible spaces surrounding tall...
Nicolas CornetEPA.jpg)
28 April 2016
Debating Tall: Do Cladding Fire Codes & Tests Need Changing?
Phil Barry, CWB Fire Safety Consultants Ltd; Simon Lay, Olsson Fire & Risk UK
A series of high-profile fires in tall buildings in the Middle East has raised concerns about standards for fire protection in exterior cladding on these...
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19 January 2016
Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2015
Jason Gabel, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
CTBUH has determined that 106 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed around the world in 2015 – setting a new record for...
01 December 2015
Geotechnical Parameter Assessment for Tall Building Foundation Design
Harry Poulos, Coffey Geotechnics; Frances Badelow, Mott MacDonald
This paper discusses the design parameters that are required for the design of high-rise building foundations, and suggests that the method of assessment for these...
26 October 2015
Context, Climate, Culture – Investigating Place in Tall Building Design
Robert Goodwin, Perkins + Will
Should a tower in Moscow look like one in Dubai? Once one entered a city and marveled at the unique magic of its architecture –...
26 October 2015
Reflecting on the Inauguration of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai 2010
Pierre Marcout, Prisme Entertainment Inc & Prisme International
Dubai is a city that emerged in only a decade. Though facing successive challenges it has built an attractive reputation around the world. Criticized and...
26 October 2015
Risk-Based Approach of Achieving Code Compliance in Tall Buildings: Case Study
John Devlin, Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corporation
This paper is a case study of Nakheel Tower, Dubai, UAE – a proposed 1,000m and 200 plus story tall building – and the risk-based...
26 October 2015
Structural Fire Design and Approval of a 156m Tall High-End Residential Building in Abu Dhabi
Florian M. Block, Felix Summers, David Black & Tad-Song Koh, BuroHappold Engineering
The tower has an external mega-frame with four story long exposed bracing members. A high quality finish to the diagonals was critical and 3h fire...
26 October 2015
The Challenges of Delivering Iconic Tall Buildings Across the World: A Global Technology Transfer
Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Samsung C&T Corporation
Samsung and the authors’ involvement in these major tall and complex building projects have facilitated the transfer of the technologies and best practices to projects...
26 October 2015
The Network of Urban Spaces Surrounding Tall Buildings
James Parakh, City of Toronto Planning Department
This paper investigates the Network of Urban Spaces Surrounding Tall Buildings, the Tall Building as Place Makers how Tall Buildings meet the street. As contributing...
26 October 2015
The Tall Building Impact: From Local to Global
Adrian Smith & Peter Weismantle, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
AS+GG’s Director of Supertall Technology interviews AS+GG Partner Adrian Smith about the impact that supertall buildings have on a city’s identity, economy, ecological impact, and...
26 October 2015
Urban Planning in Dubai; Cultural and Human Scale Context
Akram Ogaily, Hill International
The rapid urbanization of Dubai and regional Middle Eastern cities presents challenges with respect to the traditional local city fabric and the advent of modern...
24 August 2015
World’s Highest Observation Decks
CTBUH Research
Perhaps no element of a tall building is more closely related to the pure pleasure of standing high in the sky and taking in the...
31 December 2014
Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2014
Daniel Safarik, Antony Wood, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
An All-Time Record 97 Buildings of 200 Meters or Higher Completed in 2014 and 2014 showed further shifts towards Asia, and also surprising developments in...
06 November 2014
The Competition for the Tallest Skyscraper - Implications for Global Ethics and Economics
Christopher Michaelson, University of St. Thomas
An iconic skyscraper has aesthetic significance that may have meaning for other aspects of human experience – serving, for example, as an expression of cultural...
11 June 2014
Highest Helipads
CTBUH Research
In this installment of Tall Buildings in Numbers, CTBUH considers how helipads are used on skyscrapers, and which are the highest in the world. The...
JWMarriottMarquisHotelDubai.jpg)
31 December 2013
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2013
Daniel Safarik, Antony Wood, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
By all appearances, the small increase in the total number of tall-building completions from 2012 into 2013 is indicative of a return to the prevalent...
14 November 2013
Case Study: Gate Towers, Abu Dhabi
Gurjit Singh & Hossam Eldin Elsouefi, Aldar Properties; Peter Brannan, Arquitectonica
The Gateway forms the entrance to one of the Middle East’s largest developments. The developer, Aldar, set forth a challenge: create an unmistakable introduction to...
14 November 2013
The Middle East: 20 Years of Building Skyscrapers
CTBUH Research
Twenty years ago, the Middle East contained only one skyscraper over 150 meters in height. It is now estimated that by the end of 2015...
31 December 2012
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2012
Kevin Brass, Antony Wood & Marty Carver, CTBUH
For the first time in six years the number of tall buildings completed annually around the world declined as the effects of the global financial...
21 September 2012
Holistic Approach of Beehive (Hexagrid), New Innovative Approach to Supertall Free Form Buildings
Peyman Askarinejad, Ted Jacob Engineering Group
The HexaGrid system is a new look from an alternative perspective on how structural engineers can achieve the requirements of designing high-rise structures while increasing...
21 September 2012
How Tall Buildings Meet the Ground is as Important as How They Meet the Sky
James Goettsch, Goettsch Partners
If you are concerned about the urban habitat, you have to be concerned about whether or not buildings provide a positive experience at the ground...
19 September 2012
3 Environments, 3 Programs, 3 Solutions
Paul De Santis & Travis Soberg, Goettsch Partners
The effects of climate change, increased population, and lack of natural resources are global issues. As the world continues to consolidate into regional urban centers,...
19 September 2012
Three Environments, Three Programs, Three Solutions
Paul Santis & Travis Soberg, Goettsch Partners
The effects of climate change, increased population, and lack of natural resources are global issues. As the world continues to consolidate into regional urban centers,...
12 June 2012
Case Study: Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi
Jeff Schofield, RMJM
Throughout history, a strong link has existed between iconic architecture and exhibitions. In 2005, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) was created to drive...
27 January 2012
Debating Tall: A Supertall Future in the US?
Adrian Smith, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Paul Beitler, Beitler Real Estate Services LLC
In 1990, only 11 buildings in the world could be counted as a “supertall” (defined as a building over 300 meters tall), and all but...
18 January 2012
The Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the Era of the Megatall
Nathaniel Hollister & Antony Wood, CTBUH
Within this decade we will likely witness not only the world’s first kilometer-tall building, but also the completion of a significant number of buildings over...
13 January 2012
Burj Khalifa Dubai, UAE
As the world’s tallestbuilding, the Burj Khalifasets the standard for whatarchitecture and designshould be. At 828 meters,the building houses the highest swimming pool, mosque and...
31 December 2011
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2011
Nathaniel Hollister & Antony Wood, CTBUH
The annual story is becoming a familiar one: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and now 2011 have each sequentially broke the record for the most 200...
01 May 2011
Validating the Dynamics of the Burj Khalifa
Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Samsung C&T
Historically, tall building design and construction relied solely on minimum building code requirements. While many research and monitoring programs have been implemented, these programs are...
13 April 2011
Tall and Urban: An Analysis of Global Population and Tall Buildings
CTBUH Research
Tall buildings are spreading across the globe at an ever-increasing rate. This study demonstrates the relationship between population and tall buildings across those countries and...
31 December 2010
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2010
CTBUH Research
In a year dominated by news coverage of the new “World’s Tallest Building” – Burj Khalifa, Dubai – one may be surprised to learn that,...
15 October 2010
Case Study: O-14 Folded Exoskeleton
Jesse Reiser & Nanako Umemoto, Reiser + Umemoto RUR Architecture; Jaime Ocampo, Ysrael A. Seinuk
O-14 is a 22-story commercial tower characterized by 1,326 openings, randomly located and varying in size, throughout the whole exterior shell. It is one of...
01 August 2010
New Solar Initiatives in Supertall Buildings: The Spire at Ras Al Khaimah
Philip Castillo, Murphy/Jahn; Meiring Beyers, RWDI
The Spire at Ras Al Khaimah, located in the United Arab Emirates, through its unique approachto building form and landscape offers opportunities to examine new...
01 February 2010
Structural Design of Reinforced Concrete Tall Buildings
Ali Sherif S. Rizk, Dar Al-Handasah Consultants
During the last 12 years the Structural Engineering Department at Dar Al-Handasah has designed 45 mixed-use tall buildings in different Arab countries. The designed towers...
07 August 2009
Case Study: Nakheel Tower - The Vertical City
Mark Mitcheson-Low, Woods Bagot; Ahmad Rahimian, WSP Cantor Seinuk; Dennis O'Brien, Norman Disney & Young
Nakheel Harbour & Tower, Dubai's new capital, will be a beacon of inspiration for the region and the world, incorporating elements from Islamic culture. Encompassing...
01 February 2009
Tall Buildings in the Global Recession: 2008, 2020 and Beyond
Philip Oldfield & Antony Wood, CTBUH
The year 2008 will long be remembered as the start of an economic crisis that has gripped the entire globe - a year that may...
01 January 2009
Optimization Tools for the Design of Structures
Mark Sarkisian, Eric Long, Chung-Soo Doo & David Shook, SOM
Structural optimization has attracted increasing interest in the building industry, especially in the design of high-rise buildings. By selectively distributing structural members in a building,...
31 December 2008
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2008
CTBUH Research
Against the backdrop of global economic crisis, 2008 witnessed the most successful year of skyscraper construction to date, with more skyscrapers constructed globally within a...
12 June 2008
The Tallest Buildings in the World: Past, Present & Future
CTBUH Research
Over time, the average height of the 100 tallest buildings in the world has been steadily increasing. However, by 2010, this average height will have...
03 March 2008
A Postcard from Dubai - Design and Construction of Some of the Tallest Buildings in the World
Andy Davids, Jonathan Wongso, Darko Popovic & Angus McFarlane, Hyder Consulting Middle East
This paper presents an overview of the design and construction of some of the tallest buildings in the world, currently under construction in the Gulf...
03 March 2008
Brief on the Construction Planning of the Burj Dubai Project, Dubai, UAE
Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Kyung Jun Kim & Jae Ho Kim, Samsung C&T
The focus of this paper will be on the construction planning of the Burj Dubai tower, this paper will briefly present an overview of the...
03 March 2008
Burj Dubai: Designing the World’s Tallest
Adrian Smith, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
This paper discusses the process of the Burj Dubai's design, offering insights into the refinement and development of the design in response to programmatic requirements,...
03 March 2008
Dubai Tower 29, Structure and Form
Mahjoub Elnimeiri, CDCI Engineers
The author will present the architectural design ideas that led to the creation of Tower 29. He will then introduce the innovative structural design concepts...
03 March 2008
Engineering the World’s Tallest - Burj Dubai
William F. Baker, D. Stanton Korista & Lawrence C. Novak, SOM
The goal of the Burj Dubai Tower is not simply to be the world’s highest building; it’s to embody the world’s highest aspirations.
03 March 2008
Façade Access for the Burj Dubai and other Articulating Towers
Lee Herzog, Lerch Bates Inc.
With the advent of supertall towers, and in some cases, articulating architectural features, the designing of façade access equipment has necessarily become increasingly complex. However,...
03 March 2008
From the Tallest to the Greenest - Paradigm Shift in Dubai
Habiba Al Marashi, UN Global Impact; Jasleen Bhinder, Emirates Environmental Group
This paper discuses the Urban Challenges facing Dubai due to the construction boom, including the social, economical and environmental impacts of the construction industry, Dubai’s...
03 March 2008
How Supertall Buildings Can Benefit From Height
Luke Leung & Peter Weismantle, SOM
Utilizing the earth and near-grade environment as a source of energy has historically been a common practice. Beyond solar and wind, designers do not usually...
03 March 2008
The Sustainable Vision of Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, H.E. Hussain Nasser Lootah, United Arab Emirates
This paper focuses on recent strategies implemented in Dubai that will improve the sustainable performance of the city’s built environment; specifically the green building directive...
31 December 2007
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2007
333 meters high with 72 stories and 480 suites, Rose Rotana Tower in Dubai leads the list of the 10 tallest buildings completed in 2007....
01 November 2007
Burj Dubai Stack Effect - Passive Stack Effect Mitigation Measures in the Design of the World's Tallest Building
Peter A. Weismantle & Luke Leung, SOM
The purpose of this paper is to outline the challenges related to stack effect faced by the Burj Dubai design team and to describe the...
31 December 2006
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2006
Nina Tower 1 in Hong Kong, at 319 meters high, leads the list of the ten tallest buildings completed in 2006. The Sports City Tower/Aspire...
16 October 2005
An Aesthetics of Sustainability
Lawrence S. Ng, Cesar Pelli & Associates
Cesar Pelli recently completed the design of two tall buildings: one in Madrid and one in the United Arab Emirates, both extreme climatic conditions. Both...
16 October 2005
The Wind Engineering of the Burj Dubai Tower
Peter Irwin, RWDI
The Burj Dubai tower will be the world’s tallest building by a wide margin when completed. Wind is the dominant lateral load and thus governed...
10 October 2004
The World’s Tallest Building, Burj Dubai, U.A.E.
William F. Baker, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
In this paper, the process of shaping the 2000 ft tower, Burj Dubai, in order to mitigate wind effects and assist in resisting loads is...
10 October 2004
Tower Buildings in Dubai – Are they Sustainable?
Khaled A. Al-Sallal, UAE University
The active construction of tall buildings in the UAE, as a result of the rapid growth of economy, goes in a fast pace and has...
22 August 2022
The World’s Highest Pools: A Deep Dive
S. Isaac Work & Shawn Ursini, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
Tall building design has diversified and adapted to accommodate increased demand for distinctive amenities at a range of heights. Swimming pools are a classic feature...
17 September 2021
Sustainable Tall Building Design Exemplars
Will Miranda & Daniel Safarik, CTBUH
Some 97 cities worldwide, including most of the world’s megacities with a population of 10 million or more, have signed onto the C40 Cities Climate...
01 March 2021
Comparative Study on the Development Trends of High-rise Buildings Above 200 Meters in China, th
Jiaqi Qu, CTBUH; Zhendong Wang, Tongji University; Peng Du, Texas Tech University,
Since 2006, the number of completed high-rise buildings over 200 meters have increased rapidly. Although there were some short-term cyclical troughs, the overall trend has...
12 December 2018
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2018
CTBUH Research
The astronomical growth in tall building construction observed over the past decade continued in 2018, though the total number of completed buildings of 200 meters’...
20 October 2018
Polycentric Cities: The Future of Vertical Urbanism
CTBUH 2018 Conference Speakers
As we approach the new normality of cities housing 10 million or more inhabitants, those best positioned for the future are evolving along polycentric, multi-nodal...
20 October 2018
The Middle East: 30+ Years of Building Tall
CTBUH Research
The Middle East region is hosting its first CTBUH International Conference since 2008. In that year, there were 119 completed buildings of 150 meters or...
20 October 2018
The Tall, Polycentric City: Dubai and the Future of Vertical Urbanism
Daniel Safarik, Shawn Ursini & Antony Wood, CTBUH
The development pattern of Dubai, host city of the 2018 CTBUH Middle East Conference core program, typifies the polycentric city phenomenon more than most cities....
01 September 2018
Developments of Structural Systems Toward Mile-High Towers
Kyoung Sun Moon, Yale University School of Architecture
Tall buildings which began from about 40 m tall office towers in the late 19th century have evolved into mixed-use megatall towers over 800 m....
30 April 2018
How to Protect High-Rise Egress Routes?
Grzegorz Sypek, SMAY Group
Recent, tragic high-rise fires have underscored a fundamental issue: the lack of protected escape routes in tall buildings. As we build a greater volume of...
05 February 2018
2017: Skyscraper History’s Tallest, Highest- Volume, and Most Geographically Diverse Year
This 2017 Tall Building Year in Review / Tall Buildings in Numbers data analysis report shows that more buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater...
30 October 2017
Empirically Evaluating the Livability Of Local Neighborhoods and Global Cities
Christian Derix, Lucy Helme, Fabio Galicia & Alexander Kachkaev, Woods Bagot
CIVITAS is a search engine for urban conditions, developed to allow stakeholders to identify qualities of livability and urban experiences that suit their tacit desires...
08 August 2017
Improving Energy Performance In Gulf-Region Residential High-Rises
Noura Ghabra & Dr. Lucelia Rodrigues, University of Nottingham; Dr. Philip Oldfield, The University of New South Wales
Energy consumption in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been rising over the last four decades. The residential building sector alone accounts for more than...
08 August 2017
Ten Significant Tall Buildings, and the Significant Women Behind Them
Leading Women in Tall Buildings
Recently, there has been a growing and overdue recognition in the architecture discipline that women are under-represented, not just in terms of leadership positions held,...
10 January 2017
Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2016
Jason Gabel, Annan Shehadi, Shawn Ursini & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
CTBUH has determined that 128 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed around the world in 2016 – setting a new record for...
17 October 2016
Paints in Extreme Exposures: Long-Term Durability and Cost Savings Throughout Building Life Cycle
Huan Wu & Ashraf Wassef, The Jotun Group
A protective coating is applied as a long term anti-corrosion method in steel protection; it can save the operation costs of buildings across entire life...
17 October 2016
The Space Between: Urban Spaces Surrounding Tall Buildings
James Parakh, City of Toronto Planning Division
This paper is intended to introduce the upcoming CTBUH technical guide titled “The Space Between,” which investigates the importance of publicly accessible spaces surrounding tall...
28 April 2016
Debating Tall: Do Cladding Fire Codes & Tests Need Changing?
Phil Barry, CWB Fire Safety Consultants Ltd; Simon Lay, Olsson Fire & Risk UK
A series of high-profile fires in tall buildings in the Middle East has raised concerns about standards for fire protection in exterior cladding on these...
19 January 2016
Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2015
Jason Gabel, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
CTBUH has determined that 106 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed around the world in 2015 – setting a new record for...
01 December 2015
Geotechnical Parameter Assessment for Tall Building Foundation Design
Harry Poulos, Coffey Geotechnics; Frances Badelow, Mott MacDonald
This paper discusses the design parameters that are required for the design of high-rise building foundations, and suggests that the method of assessment for these...
26 October 2015
Context, Climate, Culture – Investigating Place in Tall Building Design
Robert Goodwin, Perkins + Will
Should a tower in Moscow look like one in Dubai? Once one entered a city and marveled at the unique magic of its architecture –...
26 October 2015
Reflecting on the Inauguration of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai 2010
Pierre Marcout, Prisme Entertainment Inc & Prisme International
Dubai is a city that emerged in only a decade. Though facing successive challenges it has built an attractive reputation around the world. Criticized and...
26 October 2015
Risk-Based Approach of Achieving Code Compliance in Tall Buildings: Case Study
John Devlin, Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corporation
This paper is a case study of Nakheel Tower, Dubai, UAE – a proposed 1,000m and 200 plus story tall building – and the risk-based...
26 October 2015
Structural Fire Design and Approval of a 156m Tall High-End Residential Building in Abu Dhabi
Florian M. Block, Felix Summers, David Black & Tad-Song Koh, BuroHappold Engineering
The tower has an external mega-frame with four story long exposed bracing members. A high quality finish to the diagonals was critical and 3h fire...
26 October 2015
The Challenges of Delivering Iconic Tall Buildings Across the World: A Global Technology Transfer
Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Samsung C&T Corporation
Samsung and the authors’ involvement in these major tall and complex building projects have facilitated the transfer of the technologies and best practices to projects...
26 October 2015
The Network of Urban Spaces Surrounding Tall Buildings
James Parakh, City of Toronto Planning Department
This paper investigates the Network of Urban Spaces Surrounding Tall Buildings, the Tall Building as Place Makers how Tall Buildings meet the street. As contributing...
26 October 2015
The Tall Building Impact: From Local to Global
Adrian Smith & Peter Weismantle, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
AS+GG’s Director of Supertall Technology interviews AS+GG Partner Adrian Smith about the impact that supertall buildings have on a city’s identity, economy, ecological impact, and...
26 October 2015
Urban Planning in Dubai; Cultural and Human Scale Context
Akram Ogaily, Hill International
The rapid urbanization of Dubai and regional Middle Eastern cities presents challenges with respect to the traditional local city fabric and the advent of modern...
24 August 2015
World’s Highest Observation Decks
CTBUH Research
Perhaps no element of a tall building is more closely related to the pure pleasure of standing high in the sky and taking in the...
31 December 2014
Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2014
Daniel Safarik, Antony Wood, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
An All-Time Record 97 Buildings of 200 Meters or Higher Completed in 2014 and 2014 showed further shifts towards Asia, and also surprising developments in...
06 November 2014
The Competition for the Tallest Skyscraper - Implications for Global Ethics and Economics
Christopher Michaelson, University of St. Thomas
An iconic skyscraper has aesthetic significance that may have meaning for other aspects of human experience – serving, for example, as an expression of cultural...
11 June 2014
Highest Helipads
CTBUH Research
In this installment of Tall Buildings in Numbers, CTBUH considers how helipads are used on skyscrapers, and which are the highest in the world. The...
31 December 2013
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2013
Daniel Safarik, Antony Wood, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH
By all appearances, the small increase in the total number of tall-building completions from 2012 into 2013 is indicative of a return to the prevalent...
14 November 2013
Case Study: Gate Towers, Abu Dhabi
Gurjit Singh & Hossam Eldin Elsouefi, Aldar Properties; Peter Brannan, Arquitectonica
The Gateway forms the entrance to one of the Middle East’s largest developments. The developer, Aldar, set forth a challenge: create an unmistakable introduction to...
14 November 2013
The Middle East: 20 Years of Building Skyscrapers
CTBUH Research
Twenty years ago, the Middle East contained only one skyscraper over 150 meters in height. It is now estimated that by the end of 2015...
31 December 2012
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2012
Kevin Brass, Antony Wood & Marty Carver, CTBUH
For the first time in six years the number of tall buildings completed annually around the world declined as the effects of the global financial...
21 September 2012
Holistic Approach of Beehive (Hexagrid), New Innovative Approach to Supertall Free Form Buildings
Peyman Askarinejad, Ted Jacob Engineering Group
The HexaGrid system is a new look from an alternative perspective on how structural engineers can achieve the requirements of designing high-rise structures while increasing...
21 September 2012
How Tall Buildings Meet the Ground is as Important as How They Meet the Sky
James Goettsch, Goettsch Partners
If you are concerned about the urban habitat, you have to be concerned about whether or not buildings provide a positive experience at the ground...
19 September 2012
3 Environments, 3 Programs, 3 Solutions
Paul De Santis & Travis Soberg, Goettsch Partners
The effects of climate change, increased population, and lack of natural resources are global issues. As the world continues to consolidate into regional urban centers,...
19 September 2012
Three Environments, Three Programs, Three Solutions
Paul Santis & Travis Soberg, Goettsch Partners
The effects of climate change, increased population, and lack of natural resources are global issues. As the world continues to consolidate into regional urban centers,...
12 June 2012
Case Study: Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi
Jeff Schofield, RMJM
Throughout history, a strong link has existed between iconic architecture and exhibitions. In 2005, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) was created to drive...
27 January 2012
Debating Tall: A Supertall Future in the US?
Adrian Smith, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Paul Beitler, Beitler Real Estate Services LLC
In 1990, only 11 buildings in the world could be counted as a “supertall” (defined as a building over 300 meters tall), and all but...
18 January 2012
The Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the Era of the Megatall
Nathaniel Hollister & Antony Wood, CTBUH
Within this decade we will likely witness not only the world’s first kilometer-tall building, but also the completion of a significant number of buildings over...
13 January 2012
Burj Khalifa Dubai, UAE
As the world’s tallestbuilding, the Burj Khalifasets the standard for whatarchitecture and designshould be. At 828 meters,the building houses the highest swimming pool, mosque and...
31 December 2011
Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2011
Nathaniel Hollister & Antony Wood, CTBUH
The annual story is becoming a familiar one: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and now 2011 have each sequentially broke the record for the most 200...
01 May 2011
Validating the Dynamics of the Burj Khalifa
Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Samsung C&T
Historically, tall building design and construction relied solely on minimum building code requirements. While many research and monitoring programs have been implemented, these programs are...
13 April 2011
Tall and Urban: An Analysis of Global Population and Tall Buildings
CTBUH Research
Tall buildings are spreading across the globe at an ever-increasing rate. This study demonstrates the relationship between population and tall buildings across those countries and...
31 December 2010
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2010
CTBUH Research
In a year dominated by news coverage of the new “World’s Tallest Building” – Burj Khalifa, Dubai – one may be surprised to learn that,...
15 October 2010
Case Study: O-14 Folded Exoskeleton
Jesse Reiser & Nanako Umemoto, Reiser + Umemoto RUR Architecture; Jaime Ocampo, Ysrael A. Seinuk
O-14 is a 22-story commercial tower characterized by 1,326 openings, randomly located and varying in size, throughout the whole exterior shell. It is one of...
01 August 2010
New Solar Initiatives in Supertall Buildings: The Spire at Ras Al Khaimah
Philip Castillo, Murphy/Jahn; Meiring Beyers, RWDI
The Spire at Ras Al Khaimah, located in the United Arab Emirates, through its unique approachto building form and landscape offers opportunities to examine new...
01 February 2010
Structural Design of Reinforced Concrete Tall Buildings
Ali Sherif S. Rizk, Dar Al-Handasah Consultants
During the last 12 years the Structural Engineering Department at Dar Al-Handasah has designed 45 mixed-use tall buildings in different Arab countries. The designed towers...
07 August 2009
Case Study: Nakheel Tower - The Vertical City
Mark Mitcheson-Low, Woods Bagot; Ahmad Rahimian, WSP Cantor Seinuk; Dennis O'Brien, Norman Disney & Young
Nakheel Harbour & Tower, Dubai's new capital, will be a beacon of inspiration for the region and the world, incorporating elements from Islamic culture. Encompassing...
01 February 2009
Tall Buildings in the Global Recession: 2008, 2020 and Beyond
Philip Oldfield & Antony Wood, CTBUH
The year 2008 will long be remembered as the start of an economic crisis that has gripped the entire globe - a year that may...
01 January 2009
Optimization Tools for the Design of Structures
Mark Sarkisian, Eric Long, Chung-Soo Doo & David Shook, SOM
Structural optimization has attracted increasing interest in the building industry, especially in the design of high-rise buildings. By selectively distributing structural members in a building,...
31 December 2008
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2008
CTBUH Research
Against the backdrop of global economic crisis, 2008 witnessed the most successful year of skyscraper construction to date, with more skyscrapers constructed globally within a...
12 June 2008
The Tallest Buildings in the World: Past, Present & Future
CTBUH Research
Over time, the average height of the 100 tallest buildings in the world has been steadily increasing. However, by 2010, this average height will have...
03 March 2008
A Postcard from Dubai - Design and Construction of Some of the Tallest Buildings in the World
Andy Davids, Jonathan Wongso, Darko Popovic & Angus McFarlane, Hyder Consulting Middle East
This paper presents an overview of the design and construction of some of the tallest buildings in the world, currently under construction in the Gulf...
03 March 2008
Brief on the Construction Planning of the Burj Dubai Project, Dubai, UAE
Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Kyung Jun Kim & Jae Ho Kim, Samsung C&T
The focus of this paper will be on the construction planning of the Burj Dubai tower, this paper will briefly present an overview of the...
03 March 2008
Burj Dubai: Designing the World’s Tallest
Adrian Smith, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
This paper discusses the process of the Burj Dubai's design, offering insights into the refinement and development of the design in response to programmatic requirements,...
03 March 2008
Dubai Tower 29, Structure and Form
Mahjoub Elnimeiri, CDCI Engineers
The author will present the architectural design ideas that led to the creation of Tower 29. He will then introduce the innovative structural design concepts...
03 March 2008
Engineering the World’s Tallest - Burj Dubai
William F. Baker, D. Stanton Korista & Lawrence C. Novak, SOM
The goal of the Burj Dubai Tower is not simply to be the world’s highest building; it’s to embody the world’s highest aspirations.
03 March 2008
Façade Access for the Burj Dubai and other Articulating Towers
Lee Herzog, Lerch Bates Inc.
With the advent of supertall towers, and in some cases, articulating architectural features, the designing of façade access equipment has necessarily become increasingly complex. However,...
03 March 2008
From the Tallest to the Greenest - Paradigm Shift in Dubai
Habiba Al Marashi, UN Global Impact; Jasleen Bhinder, Emirates Environmental Group
This paper discuses the Urban Challenges facing Dubai due to the construction boom, including the social, economical and environmental impacts of the construction industry, Dubai’s...
03 March 2008
How Supertall Buildings Can Benefit From Height
Luke Leung & Peter Weismantle, SOM
Utilizing the earth and near-grade environment as a source of energy has historically been a common practice. Beyond solar and wind, designers do not usually...
03 March 2008
The Sustainable Vision of Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, H.E. Hussain Nasser Lootah, United Arab Emirates
This paper focuses on recent strategies implemented in Dubai that will improve the sustainable performance of the city’s built environment; specifically the green building directive...
31 December 2007
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2007
333 meters high with 72 stories and 480 suites, Rose Rotana Tower in Dubai leads the list of the 10 tallest buildings completed in 2007....
01 November 2007
Burj Dubai Stack Effect - Passive Stack Effect Mitigation Measures in the Design of the World's Tallest Building
Peter A. Weismantle & Luke Leung, SOM
The purpose of this paper is to outline the challenges related to stack effect faced by the Burj Dubai design team and to describe the...
31 December 2006
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2006
Nina Tower 1 in Hong Kong, at 319 meters high, leads the list of the ten tallest buildings completed in 2006. The Sports City Tower/Aspire...
16 October 2005
An Aesthetics of Sustainability
Lawrence S. Ng, Cesar Pelli & Associates
Cesar Pelli recently completed the design of two tall buildings: one in Madrid and one in the United Arab Emirates, both extreme climatic conditions. Both...
16 October 2005
The Wind Engineering of the Burj Dubai Tower
Peter Irwin, RWDI
The Burj Dubai tower will be the world’s tallest building by a wide margin when completed. Wind is the dominant lateral load and thus governed...
10 October 2004
The World’s Tallest Building, Burj Dubai, U.A.E.
William F. Baker, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
In this paper, the process of shaping the 2000 ft tower, Burj Dubai, in order to mitigate wind effects and assist in resisting loads is...
10 October 2004
Tower Buildings in Dubai – Are they Sustainable?
Khaled A. Al-Sallal, UAE University
The active construction of tall buildings in the UAE, as a result of the rapid growth of economy, goes in a fast pace and has...
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