CTBUH 2012 International Student Tall Building Design Competition.
Reimagining Tall:
Considering Context, Sustainability & Efficiency
2012
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is pleased to announce its 2nd Annual International Student Tall Building Design Competition to be held in conjunction with the CTBUH 9th World Congress Shanghai 2012.

The goal of the competition is to shed new light on the meaning and value of tall buildings in modern society. As noted by the 2011 Competition Jury Chair, William Pedersen of Kohn Pedersen Fox, “There has been a major transition in the sense of the value of the tall building and what it can contribute to the urban realm, and society in general. This transition moves the tall building away from just an instrument of financial exploitation and toward a development highly concerned with its impact on the city, the environment, and the urban habitat.”
In light of global climate change, public awareness of urban sustainability has forced designers to rethink and reinvent the role of the high-rise building type. They must contribute to the protection of endangered environments and offer sustainable alternatives to how cities operate, as they meet the growing demands of urban dwelling and reshaping the landscape of modern cities. It is increasingly important that tall buildings connect with the urban fabric, integrating with the existing city/street life, and reflect the nature of the city in which they are built.
Participants are free to site their projects anywhere in the world. This is not to undervalue the importance of site, and thus participants should carefully consider their site (which must be a “real” site, in a real location) as the site context should inherently have significant influence over the project’s design. Participants are also free to determine the
size, height, function, accommodation and responsibilities of the building. The intention is these freedoms on site and program will maximize the diversity and creativity of the responses. It is also intended to allow students from specific high-rise educational studies around the world during the 2011–12 academic year to submit their projects for consideration.
Some of the multi-layered elements that participants should take into consideration may include (no particular hierarchy):
- local climate
- urban grain
- neighboring buildings
- city requirements
- community requirements
- social responsibility
- sustainability
- efficiency of materials, space, and usage
- aesthetics
- proportions
- local social and cultural conditions
- materiality
- new technologies
- structure
- innovative program/functionality ■ adaptability
- etc.
Participation Requirements ////////////////////
- The competition is open to all students who are registered at a University level. For graduating or recently graduated students: you must have been a registered student at least during the Fall 2011 term, i.e., August– December 2011.
- The official language of the competition is English.
- Participation in this competition is anonymous. You will be issued a registration number which will serve as the only means of identification during the entire judging process.
- Contact between participants and members of the jury is prohibited.
- Five “Finalists” will be selected to present their schemes at the CTBUH 2012 Shanghai Congress. Participation in the Congress and presentation to the jury is required as a condition of being awarded “Finalist” status and receiving the award (a travel stipend is provided for one representative per team, see below). Finalist teams that do not attend will be disqualified and ineligible for the prizes.
Prizes ///////////////////
- First Place: US$8,500 – US$5,000 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress (up to US$3,500 value*)
- Second Place: US$6,500 – US$3,000 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress (up to US$3,500 value*)
- Third Place: US$4,500 – US$1,000 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress(up to US$3,500 value*)
- Fourth Place: US$4,000 – US$500 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress(up to US$3,500 value*)
- Fifth Place: US$3,500 – Stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress(up to US$3,500 value*)
- Honorable Mentions – A select number of entries will be recognized as Honorable Mentions and awarded with a certificate
- Exhibition: A poster exhibition of up to 30 selected “Semi-finalist” entries will be exhibited during the CTBUH 2012 Shanghai Congress.
*A stipend will be provided to send one representative from each of the five “Finalist” teams to the 2012 Shanghai Congress to present their project to the jury in order to determine the 1st through 5th place prizes. Complimentary Congress registration (value US$1,000) + travel/accommodation costs (up to US$2,500).
Key Dates ////////////////
- January 2012 – Competition Formally Launched
- Friday, June 22nd – Registration Deadline
- Friday, July 6th – Submission Deadline
- Monday, July 16th – Short-listed “Semi-finalists” Announced
- Monday, July 30th – Top-five “Finalists” announced
- Wednesday, September 19th-21st – CTBUH Shanghai Congress
- Thursday, September 20th (afternoon) – Top-five “Finalists” present to jury in Shanghai
- Thursday, September 20th (evening) – Winners announced and prizes conferred during Congress Dinner
Registration ////////////////
■ All university students are invited to participate in the design competition. Multidisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged.
■ Team sizes are limited 1 minimum and 5 maximum individuals.
■ Only one single project can be submitted by any one individual/team.
■ Individuals cannot participate in more than one team.
■ Participants must register online at http://competition.ctbuh.org by June 22, 2012.
■ All team members must submit proof of student status. Email a scanned copy of each student ID or other form of verification to competition@ctbuh.org
■ After your registration and student status has been approved, the CTBUH will issue you a unique registration number which will be necessary for the final submission.
■ There are no registration fees. Participation in the CTBUH Competition is free.
Submission Requirements /////////////
Submissions will be digital only, no hard copies will be required or accepted. Participants must submit their project via the CTBUH web transfer site no later than July 6, 2012. Access to the web transfer site will be provided to you by email after you have successfully completed the registration process.
Project submissions are limited to the following two files (both files are required):
■ One A0 board
• This primarily visual presentation of your project should include the following: project concept, diagrams, plans, sections, and perspectives, although it is up to each individual team to determine what information is needed to communicate their project most effectively to the judges.
• The board should be ISO A0 (1189mm x 841mm) in size and oriented to the LANDSCAPE (i.e., horizontal) format.
• The resolution of the board must be at least 150dpi and not exceed 300dpi. File size should not exceed 15meg.
• Entry must include your unique registration number in the upper right corner of the board (use Arial 20pt
font). There should NOT be any names, affiliations or any other forms of identification on the board.
• The file name must include your registration number and conform to the following naming convention:
CTBUH12_XXX.jpg
■ One DOC file written description (A4 one-page)
• This one-page written description is your opportunity to further describe your project’s concept, design,motivations, etc.
• Please include name/title for your project at the top of the document.
• Text should be a maximum of 500 words, and not to exceed one page.
• There should NOT be any names, affiliations or any other forms of identification in the text.
• The file name must include your registration number and conform to the following naming convention:
CTBUH12_XXX_Description.doc
■ Only these two files (one .jpg and one .doc) will be accepted. No additional files will be accepted. Supplemental files (.ppt, .mov, etc.) or files that do not conform to the above listed specifications will be discarded and not reviewed by the jury.
■ The top five projects selected as “Finalists” will elect one team member to present the project during a special session of the CTBUH Shanghai Congress. This will include a 5 minute oral presentation (supported by a powerpoint presentation), followed by a 10 minute Question and Answer session with the jury. Attendance at the Conference presentation is Mandatory. “Finalist” teams that fail to send representation to the Conference will be disqualified and ineligible for the prizes.
Jury /////////////////
As the final judging will coincide with the 2012 Shanghai Congress, the Competition Jury will be made up of prominent professionals involved in the 2012 Shanghai Congress, creating a multi-disciplinary group of tall building experts. The final jury selection announcement will be made in May 2012.
Judging Criteria ///////////////////
To assist with the judging process, a series of judging criteria is defined in four categories as outlined below. Participants are strongly encouraged to keep these criteria in mind throughout the design process.
■ Creative Approach (25 points):
• The design response is innovative and inspirational.
• The design program is creative, yet clear and justified.
■ Response to Site (25 points):
• The design responds to the physical/cultural aspects of site, such that the design is unique to its location, and not a generic response to a tall building capable of being reproduced regardless of its location.
• The design responds to the environmental aspects of site.
■ Sustainability (25 points):
• The design considers the building’s environmental impact and energy usage.
• The design considers efficiency throughout (core, shell, space, usage, etc).
• The design considers social sustainability, occupant lifestyle and well-being.
■ Functionality (25 points):
• Planning and building organization is clear and appropriate.
• There is a clear structural, technical and constructional rationale.
Judges will also consider the CTBUH Criteria defining a tall building by “at least 50% of its height being occupied by usable floor area,” i.e., proposals should be functional “buildings” not simply observation, communication, or other towers.
For more information on all CTBUH Height Criteria and tall building definitions view here:
http://criteria.ctbuh.org
During the judging process, judges will be asked to take into consideration CTBUH Founder, Lynn Beedle’s definition of a tall building as “a building in which ‘tallness’ strongly influences planning, design and use.”
About CTBUH /////////////////////
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, based at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, is an international not-for-profit organization supported by architecture, engineering, planning, development, and construction professionals, designed to facilitate exchanges among those involved in all aspects of the planning, design, construction, and operation of tall buildings.
The CTBUH is the world’s leading body in the field of tall buildings and the recognized source of information on tall buildings internationally. It is the arbiter of the criteria upon which tall building height is measured, and thus the title of “The World’s Tallest Building” determined.
www.ctbuh.org
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