Melbourne - The Skyscraper Center

16 October 2023

Humanizing High Density

CTBUH Research

The theme “Humanizing High Density—People, Nature & the Urban Realm” for the CTBUH 2023 International Conference comes at a pertinent moment: Today intersecting are a...

05 July 2023

Children’s Preferences for Biophilic Design in Vertical Schools

Dr. Fatemeh Aminpour

Children’s need for contact with nature is critical to their well-being, especially in school environments where they spend the majority of their daytime. Vertical schools...

05 July 2023

We All Love to Get High: Optimizing Observation Deck Design

Terri Meyer Boake

Height is aspirational, and having the best view from that height has become a driver in contemporary tall building design. Likewise, observation decks are a...

16 May 2023

Building Above Our Cities: Evaluating the Feasibility of Mass Timber Vertical Extensions

Paul Kremer, Mahmud Ashraf, James Doerfler, Xin Li, Ashik D’Souza, & Nick Hewson

This paper provides guidance about the methods of assessing existing buildings for vertical extensions using mass timber construction (MTC). Guidance is proposed herein to support...

03 April 2023

Building Above Our Cities: Evaluating the Feasibility of Mass Timber Vertical Extensions

Paul Kremer, Mahmud Ashraf, James Doerfler, Xin Li, Ashik D'Souza & Nick Hewson

This paper provides guidance about the methods of assessing existing buildings for vertical extensions using mass timber construction (MTC). Guidance is proposed herein to support...

22 August 2022

The World’s Highest Pools: A Deep Dive

S. Isaac Work & Shawn Ursini, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

Tall building design has diversified and adapted to accommodate increased demand for distinctive amenities at a range of heights. Swimming pools are a classic feature...

04 April 2022

State of Tall Timber 2022

Daniel Safarik, Jacob Elbrecht & William Miranda, CTBUH

The past few years have seen tremendous interest in the development of mass timber buildings of increasing height, in urban settings, many of which are...

04 April 2022

How Does Mass Timber Improve Tall Construction Productivity and Sustainability?

Lisa Podesto, Lendlease

The future of building construction is being shaped most significantly by two factors: the knowledge that the construction industry suffers from a severe lack of...

15 December 2021

Megacities vs. Urban Sprawl; Densifying vs. Social Distancing

Astrid Piber, UNStudio

Decentralization and the “15-minute city” are ideas that are currently being put forward to tackle urban challenges, but how will these issues be tackled in...

11 October 2021

Tall Excellence

CTBUH Journal 2022 Issue III

As the first in-person CTBUH International Conference after the Covid-19 shutdowns in 2020, the 2022 program contains an exuberant and exciting roster of presenters and...

01 March 2020

Modern Skyscrapers in the Late 19th Century

Gerard Peet, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences Nederlands

Skyscrapers are often seen as a typically American phenomenon. This paper aims at demonstrating that in terms of technology major developments are European and that,...

30 January 2020

Tall Building Predictions for 2020

CTBUH Research

The combined brains of the CTBUH editorial and database staff boldly predict what might happen across the global skyscraper industry in 2020. Check out our...

01 July 2018

The Post-Miesian Office Tower and the Global Issue of Its Interpretation

Giorgio Marfella, University of Melbourne

The skylines of many cities worldwide are still defined by the dominant and ubiquitous office blocks of the twentieth century. While there is consensus stating...

30 October 2017

Shaping Australia’s Tall Tower Design And High Livability Standards

Guy Lake, Katie Rathbone, Philip Vivian & Kristen Whittle, Bates Smart

With nearly 90% of its population expected to live in its state-capital cities by 2053, Australia is on track to become one of the world’s...

30 October 2017

Empirically Evaluating the Livability Of Local Neighborhoods and Global Cities

Christian Derix, Lucy Helme, Fabio Galicia & Alexander Kachkaev, Woods Bagot

CIVITAS is a search engine for urban conditions, developed to allow stakeholders to identify qualities of livability and urban experiences that suit their tacit desires...

27 January 2017

Debating Tall: Melbourne's New Skyscraper Guidelines: Too Restrictive?

Larry Parsons, Victorian State Government; Danni Addison, Urban Development Institute of Australia

A new amendment to Melbourne’s local planning scheme imposes limitations on tower setbacks and introduces floor area ratio (FAR) restrictions in the central business district....

17 October 2016

The Future of Skyscrapers in Melbourne: From Hyper-Density to the Uplift Principle

Giorgio Marfella, The University of Melbourne

Melbourne is theater to an ongoing skyscraper boom. Considering the recent projects completed, under construction, approved, or under proposal, the outlook of high-rise activity in...

17 October 2016

A Case Study on Designing Superslim in Melbourne

Kristen Whittle, Bates Smart

Collins House Melbourne, the newest super slim tower to hit the global stage, will be the most slender tower in Australia and the fourth globally....

28 April 2016

The Logic of Rapid Extrusion Produces the “Jumping” Phoenix

Giorgio Marfella, Steven Richardson & Paulo Vaz-Serra, The University of Melbourne

In inner cities worldwide, there is limited availability of large land parcels apt for high-rise development. Yet, given the seemingly global trend of “superslim” architecture,...

26 October 2015

Skyscraper Citymaker

Karl Fender, Fender Katsalidis

Tall buildings can amplify the positive physical and symbolic impact on a city. Fender Katsalidis has been at the forefront of high-density, high-rise residential buildings...

26 October 2015

Tall Buildings, Operable Facades, Wind, Life Safety – Designing for the Risks

Tom Neudorfl & Ross Murchie, Murchie Consulting

2015 records an unprecedented number of tall and super-tall buildings completed worldwide. Furthermore, residential buildings with operable facades form an increasing proportion of these tall...

24 August 2015

A “Flight Manual” for Air Plants

Lloyd Godman, Ecological Artist; Stuart Jones, Hyder Consulting; Grant Harris, Ironbark Environmental Arboriculture

The green fabric that clothes the earth is fraying. Sadly, through overuse, the garment we depend upon is wearing out. The construction of buildings and...

31 December 2014

Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2014

Daniel Safarik, Antony Wood, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH

An All-Time Record 97 Buildings of 200 Meters or Higher Completed in 2014 and 2014 showed further shifts towards Asia, and also surprising developments in...

16 September 2014

Green Walls in High-Rise Buildings

CTBUH Research

The latest CTBUH technical guide, Green Walls in High-Rise Buildings, provides a thorough investigation of the methods used around the world for implementation of vertical...

16 September 2014

Interactions Between Residential and Office Towers in Melbourne

Giorgio Marfella, University of Melbourne

Cities interact with commercial real estate forces using spatial and construction models which may become more or less viable with time. Melbourne is an interesting...

01 November 2010

Can Tall Buildings be Child-Friendly? The Vertical Living Kids Research Project

Carolyn Whitzman, University of Melbourne

With the emergence of new high-rise residential developments occurring in tandem with economic restructuring and changing household demographics. The Vertical Living Kids Research Project is...

01 February 2008

The Race for the Sky: Unbuilt Skyscrapers

Mohamad Kashef, East Carolina University

Unbuilt skyscraper designs are noted by many architecture critics as the best in the genre of tall buildings. This paper provides an exposition of various...

16 October 2007

Advances in the Structural Design of High-Rise Residential Buildings in Australia

Owen Martin, Connell Mott MacDonald

This paper examines developments in the structural design of high rise concrete residential buildings in Australia’s two major cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Reference is made...

31 December 2006

Tallest Buildings Completed in 2006

Nina Tower 1 in Hong Kong, at 319 meters high, leads the list of the ten tallest buildings completed in 2006. The Sports City Tower/Aspire...

16 October 2005

Two Examples of Urban Renewal: Melbourne and Coolangatta, Australia

Omiros Emmanouilides, Omiros One Architecture

The proposed paper will examine and compare two recent and totally different examples of urban renewal in these two Australian cities. The area to be...

26 February 2001

Tall Building Design Innovations in Australia

Brian Dean, Owen Martin, David Emery & Peter Chancellor

This paper describes three examples of innovative tall building designs undertaken by the authors' firm in Australasia. These involve the design of building structures up...

26 February 2001

Analysis and Model Techniques for Determining Dynamic Behaviour of Civil Structures with Various Damping Systems

B. Breukelman, T. Haskett, S. Gamble, & P. Irwin, RWDI

Controlling vibrations of structures through the use of damping systems continues to increase as structures become lighter and more slender. As a result, the tools...

26 February 2001

Recent Applications of Damping Systems for Wind Response

Peter Irwin & Brian Breukelman, RWDI

A traditional solution to the problem of excessive motion of tall buildings under wind action is to add more structure so as to stiffen the...

26 February 2001

Tall Buildings in Melbourne: Challenging Policy Frameworks

Lyndsay Neilson, Nielsen Associates

This paper provides a brief overview of the history of tall buildings in Melbourne, Australia, and discusses the policy context within which they have developed...

26 February 2001

A Third Millennium City Prototype – Melbourne Docklands

John Tabart, Barangaroo Delivery Authority

This paper introduces the theme of ‘New Cities’ applied in the design process for Melbourne Docklands –Victoria’s new waterfront, a 220–hectare waterfront precinct at the...