Council on Vertical Urbanism

Ranking tall buildings

The CTBUH ranks the height of buildings using three different methods:

1. Height to architectural top: This is the main criterion under which the CTBUH ranks the height of buildings. Heights are measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the top of the building, inclusive of spires but excluding items such as flagpoles and antennae.
2. Highest occupied floor: Height to the floor level of the highest floor that is occupied by residents, workers or other building users on a consistent basis.
3. Height to tip: Height to the highest point of the building, including antennae, flagpoles, and technical equipment.

A category measuring to the top of the roof was removed from the ranking criteria in November 2009. This is because flat-topped skyscrapers are not as common in the modern era, as skyscrapers with intricate spire designs and parapet features atop their roofs make it more difficult to define the roof of a building.

The CTBUH insist that a building should only be added to the official tallest list when it is (i) topped out structurally and architecturally, (ii) fully clad, and (iii) open for business, or at least partially open. This became the CTBUH official definition of a building's "completion".

The CTBUH maintains an extensive database (named The Skyscraper Center) of the tallest buildings in the world, organized by various categories. Buildings under construction are also included, although not ranked until completion. The CTBUH also produces an annual list of the 10 tallest buildings completed in that particular year. Topping the 2008 list was the 492 m Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, the then tallest building in the world according to the criteria of highest occupied floor, and home to the world's highest observation deck. Second on the 2008 list was the 363 m Almas Tower in Dubai, third was the Minsheng Bank Building in Wuhan which stands at 331 m, whilst fourth was The Address Downtown Burj Dubai (306 m). All in all, six of the 10 tallest buildings completed in 2008 are located in Asia, three in the Middle East and one in North America.

Events

The CTBUH also hosts annual conferences and a World Congress every three to five years. The 2012 World Congress was held in Shanghai from September 19 to 21. The next World Congress was held in Chicago between October 28 and November 2, 2019. The CTBUH also bestows Tall Building Awards each year, with four regional awards to the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and Australasia. Among these four regional awards, one is given the "Best Tall Building Award Overall." There are also two lifetime achievement awards. Starting in 2010, these awards are presented at a symposium and dinner held on the Illinois Institute of Technology's campus. In 2012, the CTBUH added two new awards for Innovation and Performance.

Publications

In addition to the monthly newsletter and daily updated global news archive, the CTBUH publishes a quarterly CTBUH Journal. The Journal includes peer-reviewed technical papers, in-depth project case studies, book reviews, interviews with prominent persons in the tall building industry, and much more.

The CTBUH also publishes guidebooks, reference manuals, and monographs related to the tall building industry. In 2006 it published the book 101 of the World's Tallest Buildings in conjunction with author and CTBUH member Georges Binder, a reference to 101 of the world's tallest skyscrapers. It includes photos, plans, details on architects, engineers and stakeholders, and comprehensive technical data on each building. Since 2008 it has published a Best Tall Buildings book to accompany that year's awards.

Awards

Main article: CTBUH Skyscraper Award

The CTBUH grants several awards every year.

Best Tall Building Overall Award

• 2007: Beetham Tower, Manchester, UK
• 2008: Opera Grand Tower, Dubai, UAE
• 2009: Linked Hybrid, Beijing, China
• 2010: Broadcasting Place, Leeds, UK
• 2010: Global Icon award, Burj Khalifa is the first recipient of this award announced on 25 October 2010, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• 2011: KfW Westarkade, Frankfurt, Germany
• 2012: Doha Tower, Doha, Qatar
• 2013: CCTV Headquarters, Beijing, China
• 2014: One Central Park, Sydney, Australia
• 2015: Bosco Verticale, Milan, Italy
• 2016: Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China
• 2018: Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore
• 2019: Salesforce Tower, San Francisco, United States
• 2021: Vancouver House, Vancouver, Canada
• 2022: David Rubenstein Forum, Chicago, United States
• 2023: Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, Australia
• 2024: Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore

Research

The CTBUH works with institutions of higher-education from around the world in researching projects related to tall building design.

Building as used on the CTBUH's www.skyscrapercenter.com

References

References

1. "Council History". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
2. "About the CTBUH". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
3. "CTBUH Membership".
4. "CTBUH Chair: Steve Watts".
5. (15 March 2006). "Council releases list of Ten Tallest Building Projects for 2006". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habits.
6. "Design change could jeopardize WTC becoming nation's tallest building". CNN.
7. Brown, Eliot. (30 April 2012). "Why New York's Tallest Doesn't Measure Up". The Wall Street Journal.
8. "Dubai tops residential skyscrapers".
9. "What's the Hemisphere's Tallest Residential Building? (Hint: It's Not Here)".
10. Dunlap, David W.. (9 May 2012). "World Trade Center's Symbolic 1,776-Foot Height Is at Stake in a Redesign". The New York Times.
11. "Council History". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
12. Amselem, Ilana. (2025-10-07). "Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat rebrands as Council on Vertical Urbanism".
13. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. (2025-10-06). "Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Announces New Name: Council on Vertical Urbanism". [[GlobeNewswire]].
14. "Council on Vertical Urbanism".
15. "CTBUH Height Criteria". CTBUH.
16. (17 November 2009). "CTBUH changes height criteria, Burj Dubai height increases". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
17. Gerometta, Marshall. "Height: The History of Measuring Tall Buildings". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
18. "Asia Ascending: CTBUH 2012 World Congress". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
19. "Shanghai 2014". Ctbuh.org.
20. "Awards 2011 Symposium". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
21. "CTBUH Awards Criteria". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
22. "CTBUH Journal Case Studies". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
23. "CTBUH Reviews". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
24. "CTBUH Interviews". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
25. "Awards Book". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
26. "Winners {{!}} CTBUH Awards".
27. "2007 Best Tall Building - The Beetham Hilton Tower". Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
28. "Burj Khalifa won "Global Icon" Award". Council on Tall Buildings And Urban Habitat.
29. "CTBUH Names One Central Park "Best Tall Building Worldwide" for 2014". Council on Tall Buildings And Urban Habitat.
30. "CTBUH Annual Awards".
31. "CTBUH Names 2018 Best Tall Building Worldwide, Among 9 Other Award Winners! {{!}} 2018 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference".
32. "Quay Quarter Tower - The Skyscraper Center".
33. "Pan Pacific Orchard - The Skyscraper Center".