Information specialist Emporis has named this year's winner of its prestigious Skyscraper Award. For the first time in the competition's 20-plus year history, the prize has gone to an Australian building, the remarkable One Barangaroo, by UK firm WilkinsonEyre.
One Barangaroo is located in Sydney, and reaches a height of 890 ft (271 m). As the city's tallest building – and the fourth-tallest in Australia – the skyscraper offers unmatched views of Sydney Harbor and the Opera House. Its interior includes luxury residences and a hotel and its exterior is defined by a unique curving overall form that's conceived as three petals that twist as they rise.
"According to the jury, the extravagant design of One Barangaroo's exterior facade was the deciding factor for the building coming in at first place," says Emporis. "It is inspired by natural shapes and resembles three petals rising slightly twisted into the sky. The magnificent tower stands on a four-story high podium, the outer walls of which are decorated with a mantle of marble. In addition to a casino, apartments and restaurants, the building also houses a luxury six-star hotel owned by the Crown Resort Group, Australia's largest entertainment conglomerate and developer of One Barangaroo."
Second place went to the Telus Sky tower in Calgary, Canada, by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Named after its tenant, a Canadian telecommunications company, the extraordinary looking building rises to a height of 222 m (728 ft) and features a rectangular base that gradually tapers as it rises, creating small terraces and balconies. The facade is illuminated at night by a LED lighting installation from Canadian artist Douglas Coupland.
Third place went to One Vanderbilt in New York City. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, the terracotta and glass office skyscraper reaches a height of 427 m (1,400 ft) and is modeled after the golden age of Big Apple skyscraper construction. It also boasts an all-new eye-catching viewing point that's slated to open soon.
Head to the gallery to see the remaining seven runners-up in the Emporis Skyscraper Award.
Source: Emporis
