CTBUH 2019 Tall Building Design Competition

CTBUH 2019 Tall Building Design Competition now is over!

The 8th International Student Tall Building Design Competition has been recently opened for entries, accepting submissions from all students who are currently enrolled at the university level.

About Competition

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is now accepting submissions for its 8th International Student Tall Building Design Competition with a goal to shed new light on the meaning and value of tall buildings in modern society.



This competition will culminate with the top finalists presenting in real time for winning distinctions at the CTBUH 2019 World Congress to be held in Chicago, from 28 October to 2 November 2019.

The age of the tall building as a single iconic piece of sculpture, standing in isolation from its surroundings, is coming to an end.
Designers have a responsibility to ensure that these permanent urban structures engender a future-oriented urban response to the greatest challenges of our time: unprecedented population growth; mass urbanization; climate change; environmental degradation; social, political and economic change; and the rapid advance of myriad technical innovations. The future of humanity on this planet relies on the collective benefits of urban density; reducing both land consumption and the energy needed to construct and operate the horizontally dispersed city.
Tall buildings must now be the vehicles for creating increased density not just through sheer height, but by connecting multiple layers of the city. Physical urban infrastructure, circulation, greenery, and urban functions traditionally restricted to the ground level would all, ideally, continue up and into the building, such that the buildings themselves become an extension of the city: a part of the two-dimensional horizontal urban plane flipped vertical. Guidelines:

Participants are free to site their projects anywhere in the world. But this is not to undervalue the importance of site – participants should carefully consider their site (which must be a “real” site, in an existing urban 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 2018–19 academic year to submit their projects for consideration.

Participants should engage with the exploration and resolution of the synergistic relationship between a tall building and its urban setting; how that tall building can be inspired by the cultural, physical, and environmental aspects of its site; how the program of the building is influenced by the micro and macro site/urban conditions; and how the building responds to global issues. Proposals should show evidence of a clear understanding of how considerations of structure, environment, servicing, etc. are as vital to the success of a tall building as the form, materials, aesthetics, etc.

Proposals should be functional “buildings” not simply observation, communication, or other towers.

Submission requirements:

• One A1 board
- This primarily visual presentation of your project should include the following: the name/title of your project, the project concept, diagrams, plans, sections, and perspectives. However, it is up to each individual team to determine what information is needed to communicate their project most effectively to the judges.
- The board must be ISO A1 (841mm x 594mm) in size and oriented to the LANDSCAPE (i.e., horizontal) format.
- The board must be saved as a PDF file of high visual resolution, however the file size should not exceed 20MB.

• 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.
- Text should be a maximum of 500 words, and is not to exceed one page.

Only these two files (one .pdf and one .doc) will be accepted. No additional files will be accepted.

Entries to the CTBUH competition must be original works by the students and can not have been submitted to any previous design competition. Students may work under the guidance of a faculty adviser.

Submissions will be digital only. No hard copies will be required or accepte.

Evaluation criteria:

• Creative Approach (25 percent):
- The design response is innovative and inspirational.
- The design response shows originality and creative thinking in terms of high-rise design and the future evolution of the skyscraper.
- The building program is creative, yet clear and justified.
• Response to Site (25 percent):
- The design responds to the physical/cultural aspects of its 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 its site.
• Sustainability (25 percent):
- 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 percent):
- Planning and building organization is clear and appropriate.
- There is a clear structural, technical, and constructional rationale.

The top 5 finalists will be selected to present their schemes at the CTBUH 2019 World Congress to be held in Chicago, from 28 October to 2 November, 2019.

There is no entry fee to participate!