And the winner is: El Torre Reforma

Who would have thought that the office tower in Mexico City “El Torre Reforma” is, according to experts, the most innovative skyscraper in the world. It measures an impressive 246 meters and is earthquake-proof. The Mexican architect L. Benjamín Romano builds on the constructions of the Aztecs and thus wins this great award in 2018. The building was in construction for eight years, from 2008 to 2016, and embodies everything that L.B. Romano had set as its goal: sustainability, the latest technology and well-structured spaces.

The international high-rise building prize has been awarded every two years by the city of Frankfurt, the German Architecture Museum and DekaBank since 2004. The jury was particularly impressed by the structural concept which gives the tower its bizarre appearance and is reminiscent of an obelisk or an open book. In fact, there are two pyramid-like concrete facades.

The building was “a masterful expression of a new reflection on the skyscraper” said the announcement. The office tower brings Mexico’s capital “to the world map of pioneering high-rise architecture”.

36 skyscrapers from 15 countries were nominated for the 2018 International Skyscraper Award. The buildings must be at least 100 meters high and not more than two years old – according to the Architecture Museum, around 1,000 buildings would have been considered. In August the jury announced five finalists. In addition to the “Torre Reforma”, the “Maha Nakhon” by Ole Scheeren in Bangkok, the “Beirut Terraces” by Herzog & de Meuron in Lebanon, the “Chaoyang Park Plaza” by MAD Architects in Beijing and the “Oasia Hotel Downtown” from WOHA in Singapore.