Calgary’s TELUS Sky building won second place in the annual Emporis Skyscraper Award competition as judged by an international jury of architectural experts. For more than 20 years, the competition has been held by Emporis, an international provider of building data.
Emporis says TELUS Sky “stands out because of its extraordinary structure and façade: it has a rectangular base and with rising height the floor plates gradually reduce in size, creating small terraces and balconies. The façade is illuminated at night by a public art LED lighting installation, which has been designed by Canadian artist Douglas Coupland. The installation is also accompanied by a smartphone app with live information about the ongoing light performance.
The top award went to One Barangaroo in Sydney, Australia. One Barangaroo is a 271-meter-tall skyscraper, designed by British architect WilkinsonEyre and is the tallest building in Sydney, offering spectacular views of Sydney Harbour and the city’s iconic Opera House.
According to the jury, the extravagant design of One Barangaroo’s exterior façade was the deciding factor for the building coming in at first place. It is inspired by natural shapes and resembles three petals rising slightly twisted into the sky. “The magnificent tower stands on a four-storey-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,” says Emporis.
In third place is One Vanderbilt in New York City. The skyscraper, designed by Kohn Pedersen and Fox, is located near Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and combines state-of-the-art office space with direct connections to one of the city’s largest transport hubs. “The striking features of the tower are the four visually clearly separated modules, which combined give the building an asymmetrical, distinctive shape, making it one of New York’s latest eye-catchers in the Manhattan skyline.”
Emporis says that due to the pandemic, 2020 was a turbulent and challenging year that also had a strong impact on the construction industry. The total number of skyscrapers completed in 2020 decreased by 20 per cent in comparison to the previous year.
