The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has named its picks for the best tall buildings of 2015, one from each of the four regions of the world in which the CTBUH accepts nominations. CPP is a Participant member of the CTBUH.

One World Trade Center in New York was named the best tall building in the Americas. The selection jury cited One WTC it for its “symbolic importance to the city and the country” and as a “bold new icon for New York City built on the World Trade Center site, whose design acknowledges the adjacent memorial.” One World Trade Center reaches the symbolic height of 1,776 feet above sea level, alluding to the year in which the thirteen original colonies of the United States declared independence from what was known at the time as the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower in Abu Dhabi was selected as the best tall building in the Middle East and Africa. CTBUH’s jury explained that “the tower’s undulating cladding creates a mirage effect that alludes to its desert ambience.” The Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower is part of a 700,000 square meter development that includes a traditional souk (a Middle Eastern open-air market), an office building, and a hotel. The tower is located near the World Trade Center Mall and the waterfront promenade known as the Corniche.

In Asia and Australia, the CTBUH selected Singapore’s CapitaGreen. More than half of CapitaGreen’s façade is covered in live vegetation, much like Sydney’s One Central Park, which won CTBUH’s 2014 award for best tall building worldwide. The selection jury was impressed by the placement of vegetation “within the double skin, offering the potential for solar shade and even agricultural output, as well as environmental and psychological benefits.” CapitaGreen is located in Singapore’s central business district and within close proximity of Marina Bay.

Finally, CTBUH chose Bosco Verticale in Milan as the best tall building in Europe, which the jury described as “unprecedented in its deployment of greenery at such scale and height.” The building’s façade includes more than 90 species of vegetation, which “act as an extension of the tower’s exterior envelope.” Bosco Verticale, which means “vertical forest” in Italian, includes two towers: Torre E is 27 floors and 380 feet (116 meters) tall, while Torre D is 18 floors and 279 feet (85 meters) tall. More than 700 trees, 11,000 plants, and 5,000 shrubs create the equivalent of one hectare (2.5 acres) of forest on the building’s exterior envelope.

The Council will select one of these four as the world’s best tall building of 2015 in November. Congratulations to the finalists!