Deka, the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) have been awarding prizes to forward-looking highrise buildings since 22 years. The International High-Rise Award (IHA) is awarded to a building that is characterised by special aesthetics, pioneering design, urban integration, sustainability, innovative technology and cost-effectiveness.
The buildings nominated for the International High-Rise Award 2026/27 have now been announced: they have been selected from more than 1,000 new high-rises worldwide dating from the past two years. In autumn, the five finalists will be announced. Then, on November 3, 2026, the winner of the International High-Rise Award (IHA) will be presented in the Paulskirche (St. Paul’s Church) in Frankfurt/Main.
The DAM’s research in this year confirmed the ongoing trend seen in favor of mixed-use high-rises, a form of tall building that since 2014 has repeatedly been in evidence among the IHRA finalists. What were in the past special features such as buildings completely clad in greenery or the construction of clusters of towers have long since become part of the new normal. As a result of the lack of suitable construction sites and the growing eco-awareness, the focus in high-rise construction is increasingly on the use of existing buildings.
While the majority of tall buildings continue to be erected in China, followed by the USA and Australia, at present South America, including Argentina and Brasil as well as Singapore have emerged as exciting hubs of high-rise architecture. In the final instance, 30 projects from 12 different countries were nominated for the long list of the International High-Rise Award 2026/27, represented on five continents.
Adamo-Faiden, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Huergo 475 Tower, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Photo: Javier Agustín Rojas
Aedas, Hong Kong, China
Shenzhen Transsion Holdings Headquarters, Shenzhen, China
Photo: Markus Oleniuk
Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Paris, France
Tencent Tower, Guangzhou, China
Photo: Archiposition
Bates Smart, Brisbane, Australia
Indi Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Photo: Felix Mooneeram
Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, New York, USA
The Brook, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Photo: Jeff Goldberg/Esto
Ole Scheeren Architects, Berlin, Germany
The Axiom, Shanghai, China
Buro-OS Photo by Xiaobin Lv
COX Architecture, Melbourne, Australia
130 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia
Photo: Peter Clarke
cma cyrus moser architects, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Europa-Allee Tower, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Photo: Adrian Schulz
DMAA Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Vienna, Austria
Vienna Twentytwo, Vienna, Austria
Photo: Lukas Schaller
Foster + Partners, London, United Kingdom
270 Park Avenue, New York NY, USA
Photo: Nigel Young/Foster + Partners
Fitzpatrick + Partners, Sydney, Australia
88 Walker, Sydney, Australia
Photo: Tyrone Branigan
FK Architects, Southbank, Australia
Merdeka 118, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Photo: Wordsearch
gmp · von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects, Berlin, Germany
CITIC International Building, Shenzhen, China
Photo: CreatAR Images
Jaspers-Eyers Architects, Brussels, Belgium; 51N4E, Brussels, Belgium; l'AUC, Paris, France
ZIN, Brussels, Belgium
Photo 1: Jaspers-Eyers Architects/Philippe Van Gelooven
KPF, New York NY, USA
660 Fifth Avenue, New York NY, USA
Photo: Raimund Koch
KPF, New York NY, USA
One Madison Avenue, New York NY, USA
Photo: Raimund Koch
MVRDV, Rotterdam, Netherlands; ADDP architects, Singapore
Irwell Hill Residences, Singapore
Photo: Finbarr Fallon. Image courtesy of MVRDV
NBBJ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
vivo Smartphone Headquarters, Shenzhen, China
Photo: Kris Provoost
NIKKEN SEKKEI, Tokyo, Japan;
Heerim Architects & Planners, Seoul, South Korea
HD Hyundai Global R&D Centre, Sungnam, South Korea
Photo: NIKKEN SEKKEI; Yongkwan Kim
OMA Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Hong Kong, China
JOMOO Headquarters, Xiamen, China
Photo: Chen Hao, courtesy of OMA
SHoP Architects, New York, NY, USA
The Brooklyn Tower, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Photo: Max Touhey
schneider + schumacher, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Hetao Innovation Centre, Shenzhen, China
Photo: SZAD
Serie Architects, London, United Kingdom; Multiply Architects, Singapore
One Pearl Bank, Singapore
Photo: Finbarr Fallon
Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Genoa, Italy; Lend Lease Design, Sydney, Australia; PTW Architects, Sydney, Australia
One Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia
Photo: Hamish McIntosh
SOM Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago, IL, USA
Greenland Hangzhou Century Centre, Hangzhou, China
Photo: Hangzhou Greenland
SOM Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago, IL, USA
Sany IROOTECH Headquarters, Guangzhou, China
Photo: Dave Burk © SOM
Triptyque, São Paulo, Brazil/Paris, France; Architects Office, São Paulo, Brazil
AGE 360, Curitiba, Brazil
Photo: Manuel Sá
UNStudio, Amsterdam, Netherlands
EZ Parque da Cidade, São Paulo, Brazil
Photo: Joana França
UNStudio, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wasl Tower, Dubai, UAE
Photo: Ahmad Alnaji – SARAB
WOHA, Singapore; Architectus, Brisbane, Australia
443 Queen St, Brisbane, Australia
Photo: Cieran Murphy
The IHA is the top prize for highrise buildings worldwide. Since 2004, the award has been organized jointly every two years by by the City of Frankfurt/Main, Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) 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 aim 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 presented for a high-rise that combines sustainability, external design, and internal use of space and takes full consideration of social and urban planning-related aspects in order to create an exemplary design. Further criteria are innovative engineering and cost-effectiveness. The International High-Rise Award is considered one of the world’s most important architecture awards for high-rises. It is aimed at architects and developers whose buildings are at least 100 meters in height and were completed over the past 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.
Further information about the International High-Rise Award can be found on the website here.
