CapitaSpring has won the 11th edition of the International High-Rise Award – a biennial honor recognizing high-rise buildings that consider future-oriented design, functionality, innovative building technology, integration into urban development schemes, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. The prize is jointly given by Detsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), Deka Bank, and the City of Frankfurt. The BIG-designed residential tower IQON in Quito has also been recognized as a finalist in the awards program, highlighted for its architectural design and integration of greenery. The prize was presented at a ceremony in Frankfurt, handed over by Lord Mayor of the City of Frankfurt Mike Josef, Deputy Chair of the Board of DekaBank Dr. Matthias Danne, and Director of Deutsches Architekturmuseum Peter Cachola Schmal. Praised as “the best high-rise building in the world at the moment“, the jury stated, “We are honoring the city for giving the developer the right incentives, and the developer for seizing the initiative, and the architects for finding an innovative solution to it all. All of this is reflected in the quality of the architecture. CapitaSpring could simply not have been built elsewhere at present. Other cities can definitely learn from this.” Accepting the award on behalf of BIG and co-architects Carlo Ratti Associati was Partner-in-Charge Brian Yang, alongside Project Director Gregory Chua, representing developers CapitaLand. “In 2016, our first high-rise – the New York courtscraper VIA 57 West won the International High-Rise Award—a great honor. The courtscraper was about providing the American skyscraper with the urban oasis and social space of a European courtyard. Today with CapitaSpring, we have set out to explore the high-rise as a vertical extension of a uniquely Singaporean form of tropical urbanism. By wresting the vertical lines of the façade apart, the tower opens up for access and views between inside and outside, turning the traditional pinstripe of the classic curtainwall into something more engaging, inviting, and accessible. A simple gesture that fundamentally reimagines the social role of a skyscraper. Needless to say, we are deeply grateful that CapitaSpring has moved the jury as much as it has ourselves.” – Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG
