New York's Hearst Headquarters Tower designed by Foster + Partners has won the International Highrise Award 2008, which is worth EUR 50,000. The award was bestowed on Lord Norman Foster during a festive ceremony in Frankfurt's Paulskirche. Dr. h.c. Petra Roth, Lady Mayoress of the City of Frankfurt/Main, and Dr. Matthias Danne, DekaBank Board member responsible for real estate, together gave renowned London architect the world's most important architectural prize of its kind.The 182m high edifice (Project designer: Foster + Partners, London; Architect of record (shell + core): Adamson Associates, Toronto; Fit out: Gensler, New York) creates a new emphatic highlight in the midst of New York's skyline. Resting on a plinth that is a historical building, the transparent highrise stands out for its very expressive shape. The jury, chaired by London-based architect Alejandro Zaera-Polo, was of the opinion that "its load-bearing triangular steel structure creates stories of different sizes and could be a model for new prototypes.
Image ( Copyright Foster+Partners).(Click 2 enlarge) The upper part of the building was completed in May of 2006. Any high rise that was completed between January 2006 and April 2008 is eligible for this award. Their was 26 projects nominated from 11 different countries. The 5 finalist included the Missing Matrix Building in Korea, the Newton Suites in Singapore, New York Times Building in NYC, and the TVCC Building in Beijing.
Image ( Copyright Foster+Partners).(Click 2 enlarge) Foster said:
“I am thrilled that Hearst Tower has been honored with this prestigious award. It is a mark of an enlightened client and a great city that the tower literally sparkles on the New York skyline today. It represents the realization of William Randolph Hearst’s original plan for a tower in Manhattan and it has been a privilege to revive this dream with a sustainable new home for the Hearst Corporation.”
Image ( Copyright Foster+Partners).(Click 2 enlarge) The Hearst Tower also won the 2006 Emporis Skyscraper Award.Hearst Tower is the first high rise to be built in NYC after September 11, 2001. It is also the first green building that has been completed in New York City, with a number of environmental considerations built into the plan. The floor of the atrium is paved with heat conductive limestone. Polyethylene tubing is embedded under the floor and filled with circulating water for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. Rain collected on the roof is stored in a tank in the basement for use in the cooling system, to irrigate plants and for the water sculpture in the main lobby. The building was constructed using 80% recycled steel. Overall, the building has been designed to use 25% less energy than the minimum requirements for the city of New York, and earned a gold designation from the United States Green Building Council’s LEED certification program.
Image ( Copyright Foster+Partners).(Click 2 enlarge) The international jury for this year’s award was chaired by Alejandro Zaera Polo of Foreign Office Architects, London and included: author, Layla Dawson; Suzanne Stephens, Deputy Director of the Architectural Record; Felix Semmelroth, Cultural Mayor of the City of Frankfurt; and Peter Cachola Schmal, Director of the Deutsches Architekturmuseum.
Image ( Copyright Foster+Partners).(Click 2 enlarge) 
Image ( Copyright Foster+Partners).(Click 2 enlarge) 
Image ( Copyright Foster+Partners).(Click 2 enlarge) Recommended Books:
Norman Foster: Works 3
By Norman Foster
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