Finalists for International Highrise Award Announced

The handful of finalists for IHA 2020 were culled from 31 nominated buildings from 14 countries, each of the towers topping at least 100 meters and completed in the last two years. The winner of the prestigious award will be named on October 29, during an online presentation.

• Omniturm in Frankfurt/Main by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
• Eden in Singapore by Heatherwick Studio
• Norra Tornen in Stockholm by OMA – Office for Metropolitan Architecture
• The Stratford in London by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
• Leeza SOHO in Beijing by Zaha Hadid Architects

After convening remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, the jury* had this to say about the five finalists they selected: "... the discussion was lively and controversial. The focus was on the ecological and social qualities of the buildings. The aspect of resilience in relation to the structure and life cycle of a building was also examined in many of the competition entries. The result is a shortlist of five finalists, representing the enormous range of all the nominated buildings: One of the first mixed-use towers in Germany (Omniturm), a lushly planted luxury residential tower (EDEN), a brutalistic-looking pair of high-rise residential buildings (Norra Tornen), a high-rise building as a motor for the urban development of a neighborhood (The Stratford) and a prime example of parametric design (Leeza SOHO)."

• Anett-Maud Joppien, Chair (Architect / Dietz Joppien Architekten AG in Frankfurt/Potsdam)
• Klaus Fäth (Civil Engineer / osd – office for structural design, Frankfurt/Hamburg)
• Dr. Ina Hartwig (Head of Cultural Affairs of the City of Frankfurt/Main)
• Andreas Moser (Architect / ma cyrus | moser | architekten, Frankfurt/Main)
• L. Benjamín Romano** (Architekt / LBR&A Arquitectos, Mexico City, Mexico)
• Peter Cachola Schmal (Director / Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt/Main)
• Victor Stoltenburg (Managing Director / Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH, Frankfurt/Main)

**Note: L. Benjamin Romano won the IHA 2018 for Torre Reforma in Mexico City.