2013 Emporis Skyscraper Award goes to The Shard!
By Penny on May 22, 2014
Winning the top spot on the prestigious list of 2013 Emporis Skyscraper Awards is London, England’s The Shard!
Emporis, the world renowned authority on skyscrapers employs an “international jury of architecture experts” to determine the world’s best skyscraper completed in the previous year based on “excellence in aesthetic and functional design” for buildings of 100 metres or more. One of the most celebrated awards for skyscrapers, this annual tradition helps bring awareness and recognition to avant-garde developments on a worldwide platform.
Designed by Renzo Piano, The Shard, a 306-metre-tall building was praised for its unique, sharp, crystal-looking façade that is embellished with fragmented glass and a spired form that is reminiscent of the city’s historical church spires. Standing alone, unlike many skyscrapers in other cities that are crowded in clusters of buildings, many interpretations suggest that this is representative of early British mercantilism, which welcomed European trade and hoisted docked ships from around the continent.
A response to the Mayor’s policy that sought to promote higher density development at the central transportation hubs of the city, The Shard is the first skyscraper to exceed 1,000 feet in Western Europe and has the highest public gallery available for viewing from levels 68 to 72 (at 800 feet high).
Copyright Malcolm Chapman
Located in the heart of London, developers had to demolish the Southwark Towers in order to build The Shard. With a narrow space available, the design had to accommodate for a mixed-use building that would adequately respond to public concerns that stemmed from September 11th attacks in New York, as well as the London Bridge Tower. Redesigned to improve stability and minimize evacuation times, the jury members commented on their decision, saying that "Construction of The Shard was complicated by the particularly tight site and therefore needed innovative planning. This makes the result all the more impressive: a skyscraper that is recognized immediately and which is already considered London's new emblem.”
Other award-winning buildings include Austria’s DC Tower 1, the Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort in China and the Cayan Tower. Though Toronto didn’t quite make it this year, we can look forward to making it on the list with exciting future developments like 1 Yonge by Pinnacle and the Mirvish + Gehry towers (if they’re approved)!
Feature image Copyright Eric Smerling
