Linked Hybrid Building Named Best Building of 2009

The Beijing building complex known as Linked Hybrid Building has been named the Best Building of 2009 by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

Here's a web page about the building.

Here's the press release.

The CTBUH named Linked Hybrid by Steven Holl Architects the “Best Tall Building Overall” for 2009. The Award was bestowed at the 8th Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony held October 22nd at the Illinois Institute of Technology campus in Chicago, USA.   Following brief presentations by each of the regional winners, the CTBUH Awards Committee Chairman, Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, announced the overall winner to be Linked Hybrid, describing the project as, “rich in thought, both programmatically and architecturally, presenting an advanced typology for dense urban living.”

With its rich pallet, appropriate scale and consistency in architectural language, Linked Hybrid adds a level of high quality architecture to the city of Beijing. Working well above the plane of purely sculptural architecture, the project embodies, on an urbanistic scale, where the future of tall buildings and urban cities is heading, creating architecture that does not isolate, but rather connects both on the ground plane and in the sky. This creates both a unique ground level plane that acts as an oasis in the density of Beijing, and a real multi-use zone of connected urbanism in the sky.  The project incorporates numerous sustainable design features, but really goes far beyond its geo-thermal and  water recycling, to tackle the much broader issue of social-urban sustainability itself. 

The CTBUH named Linked Hybrid by Steven Holl Architects the “Best Tall Building Overall” for 2009. The Award was bestowed at the 8th Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony held October 22nd at the Illinois Institute of Technology campus in Chicago, USA.   Following brief presentations by each of the regional winners, the CTBUH Awards Committee Chairman, Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, announced the overall winner to be Linked Hybrid, describing the project as, “rich in thought, both programmatically and architecturally, presenting an advanced typology for dense urban living.”

With its rich pallet, appropriate scale and consistency in architectural language, Linked Hybrid adds a level of high quality architecture to the city of Beijing. Working well above the plane of purely sculptural architecture, the project embodies, on an urbanistic scale, where the future of tall buildings and urban cities is heading, creating architecture that does not isolate, but rather connects both on the ground plane and in the sky. This creates both a unique ground level plane that acts as an oasis in the density of Beijing, and a real multi-use zone of connected urbanism in the sky. The project incorporates numerous sustainable design features, but really goes far beyond its geo-thermal and  water recycling, to tackle the much broader issue of social-urban sustainability itself. 

Accepting the award on behalf of the Linked Hybrid project team was design architect Steven Holl. Joining Mr. Holl on stage was Li Hu, project manager in Beijing from Steven Holl Architects, Congzhen Xiao, from structural engineer on the project, China Academy of Building Research, and Stefan Holst, from environmental consultants, Transsolar ClimageEngineering. While accepting the award, Mr. Holl admitted that while he was honored by the recognition he couldn’t help but be surprised at the win because Linked Hybrid is only 22 stories tall. CTBUH Executive director, Antony Wood commented that, “Though Linked Hybrid is not especially tall (though it certainly meets the Council’s criteria for defining a tall building), it points the way forward for the intensified multi-use, multi-level, connected cities of the future.”

Also awarded on the night, were the four Regional Tall Building Winners—Manitoba Hydro Place (Winnipeg, Canada) won the award for Best Tall Building Americas, and was accepted by building owner Tom Gouldsborough of Manitoba Hydro and architect Bruce Kuwabara of KPMB Architects. The Broadgate Tower (London, UK) won for Best Tall Building Europe, accepted by architects Timothy Poell and Jeffery McCarthy of Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Tornado Tower (Doha, Qatar) won for Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa and was accepted by building owner Said Abu Odeh of QIPCO. Linked Hybrid was also awarded the Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia award.

Best Tall Building Overall winner Linked Hybrid viewed from within central plaza.

John Portman accepts the Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award

Steven Holl presents the design concepts behind Linked Hybrid

Awards Chairman Gordon Gill presents the Best Tall Building Overall Award to members of the Linked Hybrid team: Steven Holl, Li Hu and Congzhen Xiao.

Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to John Portman of John Portman & Associates and Prabodh Banavalkar of Ingenium, Inc. Mr. Portman was awarded the Lynn S. Beedle Award for his careful urban planning and ability to weave art, nature, and the pedestrian experience together in his tall building designs. Dr. Banavalkar was awarded the Fazlur Khan Medal for his ability for finding the optimum structure with due consideration to cost effectiveness, constructability, redundancy, and seamless integration with the architectural design concept.

This year the Awards Dinner was held in conjunction with the CTBUH annual conference in Chicago titled, “Evolution of the Skyscraper: New challenges in a world of global warming and recession.” Held in Mies van der Rohe’s historic Crown Hall, the space was filled to capacity with an international audience of 380 guests. Table sponsors for the event included: Arup, Viracon, Walsh Construction, KONE, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Cico Consultants, AECOM, SmithCarter/KPMB Architects,  Illinois Institute of Technology, Perkins + Will, Gensler, John Portman & Associates, Rolf Jensen & Associates, Goettsch Partners, Turner Construction, the Korean Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, and Thornton Tomasetti.