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CTBUH Audit of Tall Building Websites

Compiled July 2007

Organizations/Sites• A Digital Archive of American Architecture

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/20_sky.html

• All About Skyscrapershttp://www.allaboutskyscrapers.com/

• Architecture Skyscraper http://eras.free.fr/• Australian Council on Tall Buildings and Urban

Habitat http://actbuh.com.au/• Battle McCarthy - Sustainable Towers

http://www.battlemccarthy.com/Sustainable%20Towers%20Website/index.htm

• Building Big http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/skyscraper/index.html

• Calgary Skyscrapershttp://www.angelfire.com/pe/skyscrapers/index.html

• Centre for Asian Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat http://www.hku.hk/catbuh

• Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildingshttp://www.cchrb.org

• Dallas Skyscrapers http://www.dallassky.com/• Dutch Council on Tall Buildings and Urban

Habitat http://www.hoogbouw.nl• Emporis www.emporis.com• The High-Rise Pages

http://www.xs4all.nl/~hnetten/• International Federation for High-Rise

Structureshttp://www.acevents.ae/ifhs2007/index.html#about

• International Superstructure MensurationAlliance http://www.prairienet.org/~rkrause/isma.html

• Julian U. Koerner’s Skyscraper Page http://www.fortunecity.de/kunterbunt/niederrhein/164/

• Los Angeles Tall Buildings Structural Design Council http://www.tallbuildings.org

• MoMA Tall Buildings Exhibitionhttp://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2004/tallbuildings

• National Sustainable Tower Blocks Initiative http://www.towerblocks.org.uk/

• New York Skyscrapershttp://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC/nycfront.html

• Skyscraper City http://www.skyscrapercity.com• Skyscraper Life http://www.skyscraperlife.com• The Skyscraper Museum

http://www.skyscraper.org• Skyscraper News http://www.skyscrapernews.com• The Skyscraper Page http://skyscraperpage.com• Skyscraper Picture Collection

http://www.skyscraperpicture.com/• The Skyscrapers Collection

http://www3.telus.net/skyscrapers/buildings.html• Skyscrapers.org http://www.sky-scrapers.org/• Tallest Building in the World

http://www.tallestbuildingintheworld.com• The Tallest Buildings in the World

http://hem2.passagen.se/alphaz2/towers.htm• World Federation of Great Towers

http://www.great-towers.com

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A Digital Archive of American Architecture

• Image database of American skyscrapers, searchable by year• Images varying significantly in quality• Only includes buildings up to the year 2000

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/20_sky.html

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A Digital Archive of American ArchitectureSkyscraper Images

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All About Skyscrapers• Website dedicated to informing the public about skyscrapers and urban development

through educational articles and diagrams• AAS has its own guide for comparing the heights of skyscrapers by dividing them into

the following categories:– Fully habitable structures - Spire– Fully habitable structures - Antenna– Fully habitable structures - Highest Floor– Partially habitable structures - Spire– Partially habitable structures - Antenna– Partially habitable structures - Highest Floor– Non habitable structures

• Have declared March 27, 2008 the first International Skyscraper Day• Site boasts internet’s first and only Skyscraper Podcast• High resolution images of certain American skyscrapers available for purchase• Interesting collection of skyscraper related quotes

http://www.allaboutskyscrapers.com/

All About SkyscrapersSkyscraper Quotes

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Architecture Skyscraper• Lists tallest buildings in the world, in Europe, and in France• Images available of some buildings• Provides biographies and information about various architects, engineers, and city

planners, some related to tall buildings

http://eras.free.fr/

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Architecture Skyscraper Skyscraper Information

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Australian Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

• Australian chapter of the CTBUH• Hosts seminars in Australia• Limited information provided on website

http://actbuh.com.au/

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Battle McCarthy - Sustainable Towers

• A project whose objective is to develop a Design Brief that will “lead to a new generation of high-rise towers in UK”

• Working to develop a design approach for sustainable construction of high-rises• Promotes tall buildings as a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable

choice for the urban environment • Encourages urban renewal through increased density in inner city areas• Website still under construction• Project Partners

– Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates – Bill Dunster Architects– Mark Barfield Architects– Battle McCarthy Engineers– Community Development Foundation – National Sustainable Tower Blocks – Franklin Andrews Cost Consultants– University of North London– RIBA– Academy Group, John Wiley & Sons

http://www.battlemccarthy.com/Sustainable%20Towers%20Website/index.htm

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Building Big• Skyscraper page produced by the Public Broadcasting Service as part of a series

titled Building Big• Contains a brief history of the skyscraper, educational activities about skyscrapers,

and profiles of 9 famous skyscrapers

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/skyscraper/index.html

Building BigLoads Lab

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Calgary Skyscrapers• Website dedicated to the skyscrapers of Calgary, Alberta, Canada• Low resolution images available of each building listed• Site under construction

http://www.angelfire.com/pe/skyscrapers/index.html

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Centre for Asian Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

• Providing for and supporting studies, research and teaching, conferences and seminars, information collection and exchange, and establishment of working groups and consultancies

• Providing a focus for research into the planning and development of the urban habitat, with particular reference to tall buildings, sustainable development and densely populated areas in Asia

• Special emphasis on urban habitat, including concern about the urban environment and about the impact of technology on society and urban development

• Centre houses a library of relevant publications and databases• Members

– Membership to the Centre is free– Other categories of membership include Fellows, Honorary Fellows, Research Associates,

who will be involved in Centre projects, and Visiting Scholars – Members receive a Newsletter and are invited to Centre organized seminars, lectures and

other activities

http://www.hku.hk/catbuh

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Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings

• “Not-for-profit” organization• Investigation of problems or enhancements, support of research, and

dissemination of information for economic design, construction, operation, and rehabilitation of high rise buildings

• Sponsors seminars and events• Issues publications relating to the design, construction, and/or operation of

high-rise structures• Approximately 75 members• Website is highly restricted, most pages are for members only

http://www.cchrb.org

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Dallas Skyscrapers• Site dedicated to the tallest buildings in Dallas, Texas• Provides photos, diagrams, and information about the tallest buildings in Dallas

http://www.dallassky.com/

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Dallas SkyscrapersSkyscraper Diagram

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Dutch Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

• No English version!• Website under construction, many broken links

http://www.hoogbouw.nl

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Emporis• General building-related information and image database for public use• Buildings, companies, photos from more than 50,000 cities• Open platform: allows users to update building information for their cities in order to

build an index for comparisons of cities worldwide• 700 editors, constantly updating• Sponsors:

– Platinum Sponsor EUR 10,000/year– Gold Sponsor EUR 5,000/year– Silver Sponsor EUR 3,000/year

• All sponsors mentioned during annual award ceremony• Gold and Platinum sponsors mentioned in all press releases regarding awards• Logos of Platinum sponsors printed on all materials handed out during award • Platinum sponsors also receive an Emporis Global or Emporis Spotlight (advertising)

voucher worth EUR 2,000• Awards:

– Developments of the Year– Products of the Year– Companies of the Year– Skyscraper of the Year

www.emporis.com

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The High-Rise Pages• High-rise archive with information, articles, rumors, amateur photos, and debates

concerning tall buildings and structures from around the world

http://www.xs4all.nl/~hnetten/

The High-Rise Pages Article

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International Federation For High-Rise Structures

• Non-profit, non-governmental association• No Official Website, only Conference Websites• Goals:

– To generate new knowledge through research and assemble all other available information on high-rise structure and develop means to disseminate them to all concerned

– To sponsor and organize international conferences and workshops on high-rise structure problems to help generate interest and present innovative ideas and methods

• Structure:– Board, consisting of president and six directors. Advisory board, comprised of a representative of each

member country, acts as liaison with these countries. Committee consists of secretary and treasurer• Finance:

– Through International conferences• Activities:

– Sponsors/ Organizes Conferences and Workshops– 8th International Conference on Multi-purpose High-rise Towers and Tall Buildings 2007, “Innovations in

Conquest of Vertical Space – Reaching for the Skies”, Abu-Dhabi, December 2007• Services:

– Assembles, compiles, publishes and distributes information related to problems of High Rise Structures• Publications:

– IFHS news letter, IFHS journal, Conference proceedings and books• Members:

– Individuals in 13 countries. - Africa : Malawi, Tanzania UR - America : Canada, USA - Asia : China, India, Malaysia, Singapore - Australia/ Pacific Australia - Europe : Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland

http://www.acevents.ae/ifhs2007/index.html#about

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International Federation for High Rise Structures

2008 Conference Information

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International Superstructure Mensuration Alliance

• A research project whose objectives include increasing public appreciation of tall buildings and the concepts behind them and clearing up “the multitude of myths and confusion that currently make this task impossible”

• “The CTBUH is a master of confusion and contradiction”• Site not up to date (last updated 1998)

http://www.prairienet.org/~rkrause/isma.html

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Julian U. Koerner’s Skyscraper Page

• Photos and information about skyscrapers throughout Europe• Skyscraper diagrams for Vienna and Berlin

http://www.fortunecity.de/kunterbunt/niederrhein/164/

Julian U. Koerner’s Skyscraper Page

Vienna Skyscraper Diagram

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Los Angeles Tall Buildings Structural Design Council

• Non-profit organization (liaison to CTBUH) whose members have made significant contribution to structural design of tall buildings

• Annual meeting for which members can register for a fee• Publications include papers presented at annual meetings which are available for

purchase on website

http://www.tallbuildings.org

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MoMA Tall Buildings Exhibition• 2004 museum exhibition focused study

of 25 Tall Buildings • Selection of these buildings based on

“technology, urbanism, and program”• “Collectively, these projects address

the most current concerns confronting building tall, from issues of safety, structural soundness, and sustainability to programmatic and formal inventions that rethink the notion of the street and the top-down structure of traditional hierarchies.”

• Comparisons of the 25 based on height, total area, geographic distribution, and program distribution

• Discussion of design issues including aerodynamics, circulations, green technologies, public space, skins, and structural technologies

• Buildings– 7 S Dearborn, Chicago, USA– World Trade Center, New York, USA (Foster and

Partners scheme)– World Trade Center, New York, USA (United Architects

scheme)– Kowloon Station, Hong Kong, China– Togok XL, Seoul, Korea– Jin Mao, Shanghai, China– New York Times HQ, New York, USA (Renzo Piano

Scheme)– World Trade Center, New York, USA (Richard Meier

and Partners scheme)– London Bridge Tower, London, England– JR Ueno, Tokyo, Japan– Highcliff and Summit, Hong Kong, China– CCTV, Beijing, China– 122 Leadenhall, London, England– Industrialized Housing System, Korea– Turning Torso, Malmo, Sweden– New York Times HQ, New York, USA (Gehry and

Partners scheme)– Swiss Re, London, England– 5th Ave and 42nd Street, New York, USA– Arcos Bosques, Mexico City, Mexico– Landmark Lofts, New York, USA– EDF, Paris, France– Elephant and Castle Eco Towers, London, England– Max Reinhardt Haus, Berlin, Germany– Monte Laa PORR, Vienna, Austria– Edificio Manantiales, Santiago, Chilehttp://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2004/tallbuildings

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MoMA Tall BuildingsDesign Issues

MoMA Tall BuildingsBuilding Profile

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MoMA Tall BuildingsProgram Distribution Diagram

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National Sustainable Tower Blocks Initiative

• An informal, voluntary group of UK organizations whose aim is to discover and implement ways to make tower blocks more sustainable and better places to live

• Goals include:– Working to develop policies which support sustainable high-rise housing– Providing guidance to those working to improve the quality of life in high-rise housing

• Published reports available online to the public• Members:

– Community Development Foundation– Going for Green– Groundwork– Shell Better Britain Campaign

http://www.towerblocks.org.uk/

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Skyscraper City• Forum for discussion concerning skyscrapers• Free membership • Open to general public• Membership enables user to post topics, communicate privately with other members,

respond to polls, upload content, etc.

http://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC/nycfront.html

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Skyscraper Life• Forum for discussion concerning skyscrapers• Free membership • Open to general public• Membership enables user to post topics, communicate privately with other members,

respond to polls, upload content, etc.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com

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New York Skyscrapers• Strictly New York tall buildings• Divided into 4 categories: Early Century, Art Deco, International and Post-modernism• News, information, maps, photos, and forums relating to NYC skyscrapers• Chronologically last building featured is the Times Square Building (2004)• Links to live webcam views of New York buildings and streets

http://www.skyscraperlife.com

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The Skyscraper Museum• Museum in downtown New York• Through exhibitions, programs, and publications, the museum explores all aspects of

tall buildings including design, technology, construction, real estate investment, and working and living conditions

• Offers exhibitions, lecture series, panel discussions• Corporate Members

– Platinum Sponsor $10,000/year– Gold Sponsor $5,000/year– Silver Sponsor $2,500/year– Steel Sponsor $1,000/year

• All members mentioned on website• Awards

– Notable New Yorkers: Making New York History (Annual Award)

http://www.skyscraper.org

The Skyscraper Museum “Webwalk” of Downtown Manhattan

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Skyscraper News• News, building, and image database for the U.K. and Ireland• All data is public• Aim is to catalogue and archive building information in order to inform the British

public and to be of use to professionals • Forums for discussion on news, projects, construction, etc.• Free email news letter twice a month containing headlines links to news stories, for

anyone who wishes to subscribe• Clients

– Services include consultancy, analysis, information

http://www.skyscrapernews.com

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Skyscraper NewsLondon Skyscraper Diagram

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The Skyscraper Page• Skyscraper diagrams and discussions• Extensive building diagram database• Searchable by city, country, building type, height, year, construction status and

ordered by pinnacle height, roof height, status, year built, floor count, etc.• Members

– Free membership– Access to post topics for forums, communicate privately with other members, and respond to

polls

http://skyscraperpage.com

The Skyscraper Page: World’s Tallest Under Construction

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The Skyscraper Picture Collection• Collection of high resolution images of tall buildings in various cities worldwide,

available for purchase

http://www.skyscraperpicture.com/

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The Skyscraper Picture CollectionMalmö Skyscraper Pictures

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The Skyscrapers Collection• Lists skyscrapers in major North American cities and links to local skyscraper pages

of some cities• Not up to date • New York and Chicago are not included!

http://www3.telus.net/skyscrapers/buildings.html

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Skyscrapers.org• A skyscraper website which provides high-resolution illustrations of the 10 tallest

buildings in the world• Also provides photos and structural facts for each building

http://www.sky-scrapers.org/

Skyscrapers.orgPetronas Images

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Tallest Building in the World• News, information, discussion about world’s tallest buildings• Polls e.g. “The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat made a compromise.

They defined 4 categories for measuring tall buildings which one do you think should be the correct one?” 32% said the height to the top of the roof!

• Site under construction, many broken links

http://www.tallestbuildingintheworld.com

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The Tallest Buildings in the World• Lists tallest 100 buildings/towers in the world, including television and communication

towers• Photos provided of some • News section includes both tall building related and non-tall building related news• Not up to date

http://hem2.passagen.se/alphaz2/towers.htm

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World Federation of Great Towers• Association of international monuments working together to foster awareness and

develop local and international opportunities for promotion and data exchange among members

• Promoting a dialogue among great towers on issues such as improving management and generating more traffic and revenues

• Member Towers– Must have the shape of a tower– Must be symbolic of tourism – Must have an observation or viewing deck– Construction must be complete, the tower open and functioning as a public/observatory

venue– Annual subscription of $1,500– Members must attend a minimum of one of Federation’s annual meetings every three years

http://www.great-towers.com