Three projects designed by Nikken Sekkei have won awards in six categories at the "CTBUH Annual Awards 2024," an international architecture competition.

On September 25, 2024, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat(Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, hereinafter CTBUH) held the awards ceremony for the “CTBUH Annual Awards 2024,” an international architecture award, at the Barbican Centre in London. Three projects in which Nikken Sekkei was involved in the design received top honors in two categories and received awards of excellence in four categories.

HD Hyundai Global R&D Center
・Systems Category: Grand Prize (Systems Award 2024 Winner)
・Best Tall Building, by Region, Asia 2024 Award of Excellence
・Best Tall Building, by Height, 100–199 Meters Category: Award of Excellence (2024)

One Za’abeel
・Best Tall Building, by Region, Middle East & Africa 2024 Winner
・Best Tall Building, by Height, 300 meters and above: Award of Excellence (2024)

JR Kumamoto Station Building
・Interior Space Category: Award of Excellence (Space Within Award 2024 Award of Excellence)

This is the R&D Center of HD Hyundai, located in Seongnam, South Korea. It embodies the three concepts of “CUBE,” “VOID,” and “GRID” to enhance intellectual creativity and foster a sense of unity within the group.The uniform and elegant façade of the steel outframe expresses the identity of HD Hyundai, a company that has grown alongside the steel industry. The massive central atrium fosters a sense of unity and encourages diverse forms of communication.Furthermore, the design successfully balances the creation of a comfortable working environment with efforts toward decarbonization—including the creation of a thermal environment inspired by the traditional Korean ondol heating system, the use of water-based thermal storage to reduce peak power demand, and the utilization of renewable energy. We are working to further improve performance by measuring and verifying the effects of these initiatives and incorporating that feedback into operations.

Client: HD Hyundai
Designers: Nikken Sekkei, Heerim Architects & Planners Co., Ltd.

Located at the gateway to downtown Dubai—one of the world’s leading financial hubs—this is a large-scale mixed-use development comprising offices, hotels, residential units, and commercial facilities.Its iconic design—featuring two high-rise towers on separate plots separated by a highway, connected by “THE LINK,” a structure approximately 230 meters long at a height of 100 meters above ground—serves as a modern and dynamic symbolic gateway, welcoming visitors traveling from Dubai International Airport into the city.

Client: Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD)
Designers: Nikken Sekkei, WSP (AOR/Engineer)

As a symbol of recovery from the Kumamoto Earthquake, this mixed-use complex—comprising retail spaces, a hotel, a movie theater, and banquet halls—embodies the essence of Kumamoto. By incorporating nature into the spatial design, the project embraces biophilic design, which has been shown to enhance productivity and well-being.Inside, a 30-meter-tall “Three-Dimensional Garden of Water and Greenery” themed around Kumamoto’s rich natural environment has been created. Natural light is channeled indoors through a staircase-shaped atrium, and dozens of species of plants native to Japan are arranged in a growing environment optimized through simulation.The activities taking place there spill out onto the station square, creating a vibrant scene in the newly revitalized city of Kumamoto.

Client: Kyushu Railway Company
Architect: Nikken Sekkei

The CTBUH Awards program recognizes projects and the “Private” that have made significant contributions to the advancement of high-rise architecture and the urban environment and have achieved the highest and most comprehensive levels of sustainability. It conducts a detailed, comprehensive evaluation of buildings, spaces, and technologies, while emphasizing the well-being of occupants and promoting the enhancement of diverse values.