This was a year for rapid skyscraper development and new highs in the tall buildings industry. To chronicle the achievements of industry professionals, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) cherrypicked the top moments from 2014, including a record concrete pour, a cautionary note about high-rise development, and two men's daring feat.
Here are CTBUH's top skyscraper moments from 2014:
1. 31-Story Vertical Garden Sprouts in Sydney
Patrick Blanc's One Central Park in Sydney contains his largest vertical gardens yet. It won the 2014 CTBUH Best Tall Building in Asia and Australasia, and the Best Tall Building Worldwide.
2. Record-Breaking Pour At Wilshire Grand
When construction crews poured the Wilshire Grand Tower's 30-meter foundation all at once on February 15, 2014, they set a record for the largest continuous concrete pour ever conducted.
3. Study: 236 Skyscrapers Will Rise in London
New London Architecture performed a study showing that 236 tall building projects had been approved or were already under way in 2014. This prompted the creation of the Architect's Journal and Observer newspapers' Skyline Campaign.
4. World’s Tallest Building Hosts Daring Duo's Leap
Two men jumped from the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, gaining the Guinness Book of World Records' "Highest Base Jump from the Tallest Building” title.
5. Cape Town Gets First New High-Rise in 21 Years
Portside, a 142-meter tower and Cape Town's first in over two decades, was completed this year.
6. World’s 100th Supertall Tops Out in Nanchang
China's Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza, made up of two towers, became the world's 99th and 100th supertall buildings.
7. “Tower of David” Squatters Evicted in Caracas
Venezuelan authorities began moving people out of the world's tallest slum, a 45-story skyscraper in Caracas.
8. Melbourne Approves Australia 108
Australia 108, at 319 meters, will become the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.
9. Bosco Verticale Opens Its Doors in Milan
Five years after construction began, Bosco Verticale has allowed residents to move in. The towers support over 1,000 species of trees, shrubs, and plants.
10. One World Trade Center: World’s Third Tallest
At 541 meters (1,776 feet), the One World Trade Center became North America's tallest building and the world's third tallest.
11. ThyssenKrupp’s MULTI: Up, Down, and Sideways
MULTI elevator technology would use magnetic linear induction, allowing multiple cars to move in the shaft at once, as well as horizontally. Tests will begin in 2016.
Related Stories
| Feb 13, 2014
University officials sound off on net zero energy buildings
As part of its ongoing ZNE buildings research project, Sasaki Associates, in collaboration with Buro Happold, surveyed some 500 campus designers and representatives on the top challenges and opportunities for achieving net-zero energy performance on university and college campuses.
| Feb 13, 2014
3 keys to designing freestanding emergency departments
Having physically disassociated from a central hospital, FEDs must overcome the particular challenges associated with a satellite location, namely a lack of awareness, appeal, and credibility. Gresham, Smith & Partners' Kristin Herman-Druc offers three keys to success.
| Feb 13, 2014
Why you should start with a builder
They say the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Expanding your building or constructing a new structure for your business, church, or school isn’t all that different. Attacking it is best done in small, deliberate pieces.
| Feb 13, 2014
Related Companies, LargaVista partner to develop mixed-use tower in SoHo
The site is located at the gateway to the booming SoHo retail market, where Class A office space is scarce yet highly in demand.
| Feb 12, 2014
First Look: Futuristic Silicon Valley campus designed to draw tech startups
The curved campus will consist of four different buildings, one exclusively for amenities like a coffee bar, bike shop, and bank.
| Feb 12, 2014
IIT's College of Architecture launches the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize
Awarded biennially with a $50,000 prize, the program will recognize the most distinguished architectural works built on the North and South American continents in the preceding two years.
| Feb 11, 2014
Adobe Photoshop update features new 3D printing capabilities
Available as part of an update to Photoshop Creative Cloud, the tool enables users to easily and reliably build, refine, preview, prepare, and print 3D designs.
| Feb 10, 2014
Proposed parking garage will sandwich vehicles between housing and retail space
Architecture firm Brisac Gonzalez says that the design "will introduce different activities after parking hours."
| Feb 10, 2014
Architecture Design Collaborative announces firm opening in Southern California
Today, Architecture Design Collaborative officially announces the launch of its firm providing a full range of architecture and interior design services nationwide. Architecture Design Collaborative offers architectural design services, comprehensive interior design services, developer collaboration, direct tenant improvement, repositioning and site planning.
| Feb 10, 2014
Ball State to host Geothermal Conference on design, drilling and equipment - April 10, 2014
To best serve the industry, Ball State University has organized a single day conference in which participants will be able to exchange technical notes, develop understandings and share experiences with design, drilling, and equipment issues related to geothermal ground source heat pump technology.