The Oscars of the development industry will be held in the birthplace of the skyscraper this spring, and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat have officially announced the finalist projects from around the world. From May 30-31 in Chicago, developers and design teams representing 45 projects will compete for honours across eight categories, with the winners of each regional category contending for the title of 2018 Best Tall Building Worldwide.

150 North Riverside in Chicago, image by Tom Rossiter Photography via CTBUH

The two-day event integrates the CTBUH Annual Awards Event and will explore and celebrate the world's best in tall buildings, urban spaces, building technologies, and construction practices. The main jury, which has already selected the finalists in four regional categories, will also be tasked with selecting each category's winner, and ultimately, the overall worldwide champion. The jury is comprised of Awards Jury Chair Karl Fender, Director, Fender Katsalidis; H.E. Mohamed Ali Allabar, Chairman, Emaar Properties; Kamil Merican, Chief Executive Officer, GDP Architects; CTBUH Chairman Steve Watts, Partner, alinea consulting; and CTBUH Executive Director Antony Wood.

"The Finalists for the 2018 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference truly represent the pinnacle of excellence in the field of tall buildings," said Awards Jury Chair Karl Fender, Director at Fender Katsalidis Architects. "Being recognized by the world’s premier authority on tall buildings is a great honor, and the opportunity to showcase these quality projects to a global audience helps drive innovation across all disciplines in our industry."

Huangshan Mountain Village, image by Hufton+Crow via CTBUH

The conference will be held at the Radisson Blu Aqua in the iconic Aqua Tower, which made the cut as a finalist for the Best Tall Building Americas award in 2010. Another Chicago skyscraper, 150 N. Riverside, has been selected as one of this year's nominees. It faces stiff competition against 35xv and the American Copper Buildings in New York City, as well as the Gaia Building in Quito, Ecuador.

The full list of finalists is available below:

35xv in New York City, image by David Sunderburg-Esto via CTBUH

Best Tall Building: Americas

  • 150 N. Riverside, Chicago
  • 35xv, New York City
  • American Copper Building, New York City
  • Gaia Building, Quito

Ping An Finance Center, image by Ping An Financial Center Construction and Development via CTBUH

Best Tall Building: Asia & Australasia

Tribunal de Paris, image by RPBW - Sergio Garzia via CTBUH

Best Tall Building: Europe

Azrieli Sarona in Tel Aviv, image by Moshe Tzur Architects and Town Planners via CTBUH

Best Tall Building: Middle East & Africa

SOHO Fuxing Plaza in Shanghai, image by Christian Gahl via CTBUH

Urban Habitat Award

  • Greatwall Complex, Wuhan
  • International Towers Sydney, Sydney
  • National September 11 Memorial, New York City
  • Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore
  • SOHO Fuxing Plaza, Shanghai
  • SkyPark, Hong Kong

56 Leonard Street in New York City, image by Alexico Group via CTBUH

Construction Award

3D printed building in Dubai, image by Killa Design via CTBUH

Innovation Award

  • Hickory Building Systems
  • 3D Printed Building
  • Tallwood House Timber Construction
  • MULTI
  • CAST CONNEX High Integrity Blocks
  • Hi-Res CFD for Wind Loading Tall Buildings
  • Hummingbird – Tuned Damper
  • A New Research-based Tower Typology

Bahrain World Trade Center, image by Atkins Ltd. via CTBUH

10 Year Award

  • Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai
  • Bahrain World Trade Center 1, Bahrain
  • Manitoba Hydro Place, Winnipeg
  • Hegau Tower, Singen
  • San Francisco Federal Building, San Francisco
  • Manchester Civil Justice Center, Manchester
  • Lumiere, Sydney
  • Rose Rayhaan by Rotana, Dubai