International High-Rise Award 2024/25

The finalists of this year's International High-Rise Award (IHA) have been determined.

The jury selected five buildings from Asia, Europe and South America from a total of 31 nominated high-rise buildings from 13 countries. Alongside the wealth of aesthetic and technical ideas, the jury also based its assessment of the respective project on its social value as a “good neighbor”, its sustainable characteristics, and whether it featured a good design with a strong future. The jury members concurred that the central challenges facing high-rise construction stem from the need for greening, for greater densities, and for maximum use of existing buildings. The task that architects and urban planners must in the future tackle is to combine all three aspects. Against this background, chaired by Kim Herforth Nielsen the jury selected a shortlist of five finalists from among the 31 longlisted projects.

The IHA is considered the world's most important architecture award for high-rise buildings. The winner will be honored on November 12th in Frankfurt's Paulskirche. In addition, the event will be broadcast via live stream. The IHA is presented by the City of Frankfurt am Main together with Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) and DekaBank and is endowed with a statuette of the internationally renowned artist Thomas Demand and prize money of EUR 50,000.

The IHA 2024/25 finalists at a glance:

CapitaSpring, Singapore
Architecture: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Copenhagen, Denmark & CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, Turin, Italy / New York, USA
IQON Residences, Quito, Ecuador
Architecture: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Copenhagen, Denmark / New York, USA
Shenzhen Women & Children's Center, Shenzhen, China
Architecture: MVRDV, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Valley, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Architecture: MVRDV, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Bunker Tower, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Architecture: Powerhouse Company, Rotterdam, Netherlands

A revitalized 1990s building

As a specimen project for a national program to reduce carbon emissions in China, the architects at MVRDV have converted a high-rise built as recently as the 1990s into the mixed-usage and brightly colored Shenzhen Women and Children’s Center and thus saved the original building from demolition – an absolute first in China! Alongside an array of spaces for women and children, the project now also includes a hotel, offices, conference spaces, and commercial premises.

In the jury’s opinion, the project is a clear sign that the People’s Republic of China is making fast progress in its efforts to address the problem of the first generation of high-rises, which are gradually growing old, while at the same time making certain that the gray energy innate in existing buildings is not lost.

To achieve China’s self-imposed commitment to be carbon-neutral by 2060, the National Development and Reform Commission has launched a revitalization model program comprising 24 projects. As part of this, MVRDV transformed a 1994 office tower into a colorful skyscraper hosting a hotel and a wide range of facilities for the well-being of women and children. Due to fire safety issues and poor energy performance, the building had previously stood empty for a long time.
MVRDV’s sustainable and economical concept aimed to redesign the existing structure without major structural interventions, allowing only small necessary additions. The focus was particularly on the new façade and some spatial adjustments. The one-meter-deep aluminum frames placed in front of the façade not only protect against views from outside but also provide extra shading to reduce heat gain inside the building. At the same time, the interior of the building is still provided with sufficient natural light and fresh air. The bright colors on the façade are also used inside. Yellow, orange, pink, and green guide visitors through the building, creating a welcoming atmosphere. The location of various functional units such as a library, children’s theater, or “discovery hall” is also communicated to the outside through color. In the multicolored plinth, the facilities for women and children stand out visually from the hotel use above. In front of the building, physical and visual barriers were removed, and the former parking lot in the courtyard was transformed into a lively public space with a playground, cafés, and restaurants. Featuring barrier-free access and a multi-faceted spatial program, the project quickly became a social center in the businessdominated environment.

The revitalization of the building preserved and reused 80 percent of the original concrete structure. The thus achieved carbon saving equates to the amount produced by nearly 12,000 flights from Amsterdam to Shenzhen. It is expected that in the economically flourishing and rapidly growing metropolis, numerous adaptive repurposing projects for buildings from the same era will soon follow this project’s example.

Architecture: MVRDV, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Client: Shum Yip Group
Main use: Facilities for the welfare of women and children, educational and teaching facilities, hotel, retail trade
Height: 108 m
Completion: September 2023
Location: Shenzhen, China

The jury of the International High-Rise Award 2024/25

The international jury is made up of experts from architecture and engineering practice, education and the partners of the IHA, namely DekaBank, the City of Frankfurt, and Deutsches Architekturmuseum.

Kim Herforth Nielsen, Founding partner 3XN, Copenhagen – jury chairman
Yasmin Al-Ani Spence, Direktorin WilkinsonEyre, London Roland Bechmann, Partner Werner Sobek, Stuttgart
Jürgen Heinzel, Associate Design Director UN Studio, Amsterdam
Christopher Lee, Managing founding partner Serie Architects, London
Mari Randsborg, CEO Cobe Architect, Copenhagen
Dr. Ina Hartwig, Deputy Mayor in Charge of Culture and Science City of Frankfurt / Main,
Peter Cachola Schmal, Director Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), Frankfurt/Main
Victor Stoltenburg, Managing Director Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH, Frankfurt/Main

Deputy jury members:

Andrea Jürges, Deputy Director Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), Frankfurt am Main
Horst R. Muth, Head of Real Estate Project Management, Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH, Frankfurt am Main

IHP 2024/25 jury meeting; Photos: Kirsten Bucher

Committed to architecture since 2004

The IHA is the top prize for highrise buildings worldwide. Since 2004, it has been awarded every two years by the City of Frankfurt am Main at a ceremony in the Paulskirche. The award is promoted, curated and organised in cooperative partnership with the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM, German Architecture Museum) and Deka. Since its launch at the beginning of the millennium, it has accompanied the ongoing global boom in high-rise construction, a prime architectural discipline.
The goal of the IHA is to create public awareness of the importance of architecture. Responsible planning and a design that prioritises social and environmental sustainability criteria are important factors for the IHA. As co-founder of the award, Deka therefore supports the role of the winning buildings as models for construction in the future.

The International High-Rise Award is considered one of the word´s most important architecture awards for high-rises. In cooperation with our partners, Deka proudly present the award for 20 years to exceptional buildings that combine sustainability, external design, and internal use of space. The award also holds significant value for the participating firms due to its external impacts.

Victor Stoltenburg Managing Director at Deka Immobilien

The first high-rise award worldwide

The IHA is awarded every two years for a high-rise building that combines exemplary sustainability, external design and internal spatial qualities as well as social and urban planning aspects to create an exemplary design. Further criteria are innovative construction technology and economic efficiency. The IHA is recognised as one of the world's most important architecture awards for high-rise buildings. It is aimed at architects and clients whose buildings are at least 100 metres high and have been completed in the last two years.

The prize is awarded jointly to the architect and the client. They receive a sculpture by the renowned artist Thomas Demand and prize money totalling 50,000 euros, which the winners donate to institutions in the field of architecture and urban development.

Previous recipients of the International High-Rise Award:

2020: Norra Tornen, Stockholm, Sweden, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)
2018: „Torre Reforma“ in Mexiko City (Mexico), BR&A Arquitectos as architects and developer.
2016: „VIA 57 West“ in New York City (USA), BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and The Durst Organization as the developer.
2014: „Bosco Verticale“ in Milan (Italy), Boeri Studio and Hines Italia as the developer.
2012: “1 Blight Street” in Sydney (Australia), a cooperation between ingenhoven architects in Düsseldorf and Architectus in Sydney with DEXUS Property Group; DEXUS Wholesale Property Fund, Cbus Property as the developers.
2010: “The Met” in Bangkok (Thailand), WOHA in Singapore and Pebble Bay, Thailand as the developer.
2008: “Hearst Building” in New York (USA), Foster + Partners and Hearst Corporation as the developer.
2006: “Torre Agbar” in Barcelona (Spain), Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Layetana as the developer.
2004: “De Hoftoren” in The Hague (The Netherlands), Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (International) PA, London and ING Vastgoed as the developer.