This year's competition focuses on “From the Ground Up: Tall Buildings and City-Making,” the theme of the CTBUH 2025 International Conference, to explore the multifaceted approach required to grow and transform cities, emphasizing that meaningful urban development transcends physical structures. Urban development should go beyond constructing tall buildings and efficient transit systems—it should also prioritize fostering social and cultural networks that shape a city’s identity. In this context, the ground and lower floors of tall buildings play a vital role in activating streets and enriching the public realm, especially amid challenges related to urbanization, growth, and market volatility.
International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Overview
1st Place
EDUSTACK
Yang Jiang, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
EDUSTACK reimagines the K–12 school as a vertical ecosystem that enhances student well-being and connection to nature within Sydney’s dense urban core. Retaining 73% of an existing brutalist tower, the design extends the structure's life through adaptive reuse, stacking modular learning boxes above for flexibility and long-term circularity. Guided by the principles of Fascinate, Comfort, and Connect, the school incorporates terraces, atria, and public gardens to foster curiosity, a sense of belonging, and community. More than a building, EDUSTACK transforms education into civic infrastructure where learning, nature, and city life grow together.
2nd Place
Timescraper
Yuan Hao Lee, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
3rd Place
Ditto Crew
Yu-Hsiang Hu, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
4th Place
Summit Living
Gee Nee Chew, University Malaya, Malaysia
5th Place
Plug-In Wave
Nguyễn Huy Du, University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Funding Sponsor: AECOM
2023 International Student Tall Building Design Competition Winners
Funding Sponsor: Think Wood
2022 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Funding Sponsor: TKE Aufzugswerke GmbH
2021 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Funding Sponsor: Council on Vertical Urbanism
2020 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Funding Sponsor: Tetra Tech
2019 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Funding Sponsor: New World Development Company Limited
2018 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
2017 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Funding Sponsor: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
2016 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Funding Sponsor: Plaza Construction
2015 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
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