The Opening Plenary speakers, “50 Back: Urban Evolutions.” From left to right: CTBUH Chairman Steve Watts, Partner, alinea Consulting; Gordon Gill, Partner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Eleanor Gorski, Acting Commissioner, City of Chicago; Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies Inc.; and CTBUH Chief Executive Officer Antony Wood.
The first day of the core conference opens, and the CTBUH registration desk is ready to assist delegates with all of their check-in needs.
CTBUH Chairman Steve Watts, Partner, alinea Consulting, talks about the incredible evolution of tall buildings over the last 50 years during the Opening Address at the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
CTBUH Chief Executive Officer Antony Wood chairs the Opening Plenary of the 10th World Congress, “50 Back: Urban Evolutions.”
During the Opening Plenary (from left to right:), CTBUH Digital Platforms Coordinator Aric Austermann as the Lakhta Center, St. Petersburg; Scott Duncan, Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, as 875 North Michigan Avenue (John Hancock Center), Chicago; Luo Zhenyu, Assistant, Citic Heye as CITIC Tower, Beijing; and Richard Lee, Partner, C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners as TAIPEI 101, gather on stage as a preview of the costume contest to take place at the Congress Dinner the following evening.
Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies Inc., discusses the drivers of global urban success in his keynote presentation, “Perfect City–What are the Drivers of the Modern Metropolis?”
Eleanor Gorski, First Deputy Commissioner, City of Chicago, provides insight on the health and economic outcomes of high-rise developments as a tool to get residents to return to Chicago in her presentation, “A New Chicago Legacy: High-Rise Buildings as an Equitable Development Tool.”
Gordon Gill, Partner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, explains how design can reduce major issues facing all cities (including crime, homelessness, and lack of education) in his keynote presentation, “Urban Advances: The Reality and The Virtual.”
Delegates learn more about the biggest changes modern cities have experienced throughout the last 50 years during the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
Following a thought-provoking plenary session, Hongkong Land Limited sponsors a coffee break with tasty refreshments.
Ron Klemencic, Chairman, CEO, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, describes his first interaction with Lynn S. Beedle, the Council’s founder: “As only he could do, he signed me up for two committees and three papers.”
Panelists participate in the discussion, “Building the CTBUH Legacy.” From left to right: CTBUH Chairman Steve Watts, Partner, alinea Consulting; Leslie E. Robertson, Director, See Robertson Structural Engineers; Ron Klemencic, Chairman, CEO, Magnusson Klemencic Associates; David Scott, Director, Laing O’Rourke; Sang-Dae Kim, Emeritus Professor, Korea University; David Malott, Founder & CEO, AI.; and Tim Johnson, Partner, NBBJ.
Timothy Johnson, Partner, NBBJ, offers his perspective on how the Council has evolved since his involvement.
David Malott, Founder & CEO, AI. and Sang-Dae Kim, Emeritus Professor, Korea University, listen as their fellow panelists reflect upon their tenure as CTBUH Chairmen.
David Scott, Director, Laing O’Rourke, explains how working with CTBUH aligns with his professional goals around sustainability, saying “I am interested in how we can use the urban dimension of tall buildings to actually reduce our carbon footprint.”
A delegate engages in the panel discussion, “Building the CTBUH Legacy.”
CTBUH Urban Habitat/Urban Design Committee Chair James Parakh, City of Toronto Planning Division, Urban Design Manager, discusses “The Future of Sustainable Cities & How Tall Building Urbanism Has Evolved.”
CTBUH Singapore Committee Member Johannes de Jong, Executive Vice President, Elevating Studio Pte. Ltd., asks, “What will the height limit be in fifty years? What kinds of elevators will we use?” during the session "Urban Mobility, Reinvented."
Rebecca Lehman, Director, Transport Planning, Frank Turquoise Group, discusses the upcoming challenge of transporting children to schools that are increasingly housed in high-density, multi-story buildings,“We can’t just provide less parking and assume that people will drive less; we need to invest in People Movement.”
The four speakers in “Urban Mobility, Reinvented,” pose for a group shot. From left to right: CTBUH Singapore Committee Member Johannes de Jong, Executive Vice President and founder of Elevating Studio; CTBUH Vertical Transportation Working Group Chair Robin Cheeseright, Founding Partner, D2E; Rebecca Lehman, Director, Transport Planning, Frank Turquoise Group; Florian Troesch, Vice President, Innovation, Schindler.
Kyoung Sun Moon, Associate Professor, Yale University, investigates the potential of at-height connected towers to create more livable vertical cities.
CTBUH Global Future Leader Committee Co-Chair Ilkay C. Standard, President, GenX Design & Technology Consulting, chairs the session, “Automating Urban Functions.”
CTBUH Research Manager Dario Trabucco explores the next half-century of how robotics will shape the construction industry, particularly regarding issues of worker safety.
Ed Gaskin, Senior Associate, Zaha Hadid Architects, talks about automation and artificial intelligence in tall buildings in his presentation, “After Machine-à-Habiter,” saying “there’s a certain economy of scale that can be created by using parametric tools. But it also allows you to create the most unique and striking identities and the most variety of form.”
Ross Wimer, Senior Vice President, AECOM, delivers his perspective on “Future Construction Techniques and Materials.”
Kyle Bernhardt, Director, Building Design Strategy, Autodesk, explores a new kind of relationship between automation and innovation.
CTBUH Melbourne Committee Member Phil Gardiner, Director, Irwinconsult, provides a comparative analysis of technological solutions through two case studies.
Terri Meyer Boake, Professor, University of Waterloo, chairs the session, “Tall Timber Case Studies.”
The speakers in Session 2E: “Defining a New Era of Timber Construction” pose for a group shot. From left: Ricky McLain, Senior Technical Director - Tall Wood, WoodWorks – Wood Products Council; Jennifer Cover, President & CEO, WoodWorks – Wood Products Council; Steven Koehn, Director, Cooperative Forestry, US Forest Service, and Jason Korb, Principal Architect, Korb + Associates.

Rune Abrahamsen, CEO, Moelven, talks about the material choice and techniques behind the construction of the world’s tallest timber building, Mjøstårnet in Norway. 

The speakers in Session 2G: “Developments in Chicago” pose for a group shot. From left: Anthony Scacco, Executive Vice President, Riverside Investment & Development; CTBUH Height & Data Committee Chair Scott Duncan, Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; CTBUH Advisory Group Member Michael Palmer, Principal and Architect, Perkins+Will; and Jim McCaffrey, Senior Vice President, Howard Hughes Corporation.
Devon Patterson, Principal, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, chairs the session “Developments in Chicago.”
Daniel Kaplan, Senior Partner, FXCollaborative, talks about how the development of The Bellwether is part of the New York City Housing Authority’s initiative to drive mixed-income development.
Peter Weismantle, Director of Supertall Building Technology, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, reviews fifty years of fire safety issues and solutions in supertall buildings.
Randolph Wang, Urban Designer, City of Ottawa, talks about how the area has adapted high-rise living to suit its needs during the session “Public Sector Perspectives.”
Delegates listen to presentations in the Track G room during the CTBUH 10th World Congress, which centered on urban development and adaptation in the Americas.
CTBUH Chicago Future Leaders Committee Ashley Rogow, Designer, Gensler (left); Brad Wilkins, Design Principal, Perkins+Will (center); and CTBUH Melbourne Committee Member Shaun Schroter, Principal, Architectus (right), enjoy a tasty lunch break, Sponsored by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
The Geotechnical Engineering Jury reviews Awards submissions for the 2020 Awards Program. From left to right: James Pawilkowski, Associate Director, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Michael Wysockey, President/Treasurer, Thatcher Foundations Inc; Chair Tony Kiefer, Senior Consultant, Terracon; Darren Diehm, Senior Professional, GEI Consultants; and Alan Poeppel, Managing Principal, Langan Engineering.
Colleagues and old friends reconnect at the Ramboll Group reception. Pictured: CTBUH Scandinavia Future Leaders Committee Co-Chair Shazlin Ahmad Murad, Marketing and Business Development Manager, Ramboll.
CTBUH Chicago Future Leaders Committee Chair Dan Figatner, Senior Architect, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, informs attendees about the Chicago Future Leaders Committee and local opportunities for engagement.
The CTBUH Future Leaders Committee hosted a soiree at the LondonHouse Chicago, located in a historic, once-threatened Beaux-Arts gem. The event, kindly sponsored by Multiplex, serves as the first annual social event to celebrate the industry’s emerging professionals.
CTBUH Global Future Leaders Committee Co-Chairs Andy Campbell, Director, Technology Sector, Multiplex (left) and Ilkay C. Standard, President, GenX Design & Technology Consulting (right) thank guests for attending the social and provide an overview of the CTBUH Future Leaders Committee initiative.
Otis Elevator Company hosted a reception at Cindy's on the rooftop of the stately Chicago Athletic Association building.
At the Otis Elevator Company reception at Cindy’s at the Chicago Athletic Hotel, Thomas R. Vining, President, Otis America; Rick Pulling, Executive Consultant, Otis Elevator Company; and Peter Weismantle, Director of Supertall Building Technology, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, stand together for a photo.
Jay Leno entertains delegates at the Field Museum event, kindly sponsored by Schindler.
Schindler welcomes guests to the magnificent Field Museum for dinner and entertainment during their sponsor social event as part of the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
From their 27th floor Chicago headquarters, Ramboll Group invites “celebrity” bartenders to serve and entertain VIP guests during their sponsor social event as part of the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
From the 99th Floor of 875 North Michigan Avenue, guests enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a view, during a sponsor social event held by TetraTech as part of the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
Michael Liu, Chief Operation Officer, TAIPEI 101, addresses the audience with words of welcome at the sponsor social event at The Peninsula Chicago.
Uno Lai, Principal, Unolai Lighting Design & Associates, relays the contribution his firm made to the redesign of the lighting on the TAIPEI 101 exterior.
CTBUH Advisory Group Member Angela Chang, President, Taipei Financial Center Corp., describes the cultural and social importance of TAIPEI 101, while speaking at The Peninsula Chicago during the social event sponsored by Taipei 101 as part of the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Samsung C&T Corporation, Senior Executive Vice President, Maciej Kranz, Chief Technology Officer, KONE; and Santeri Souranta, Head of Technology, Major Projects, KONE.
Hosted by the Chicago Architecture Center, VIPs explore the “Building Tall” exhibit at the Drake Family Skyscraper Gallery, featuring scale models of iconic skyscrapers from around the globe.
Guests from around the world arrive at the stunning new Chicago Architecture Center for a private VIP reception, sponsored by Dow, on the second night of the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
CTBUH Leaders and special guests enjoy some social time at the Chicago Architecture Center. Pictured: CTBUH Canada Chapter Secretary Mark Garland, President, LCL Builds; Lee Gray, Senior Associate Dean, Arts + Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; CTBUH Germany Chapter Chair Roland Bechmann, Managing Director & Partner, Werner Sobek Group.
After a full day of core Congress programming, laughter and good cheer fill out the agenda.
Lynn Osmond, President & CEO, Chicago Architecture Center, delivers opening remarks with CTBUH Chief Executive Officer Antony Wood at the CTBUH Private VIP Reception.
Dow spokesperson Stanley Yee is a Technical Service and Development Scientist specializing in Façade Design and Construction.
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) hosts a delightful social event at their offices, located at One Prudential Plaza, on the second evening of the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
An energetic crowd gathered at the AISC offices for food and festivities following a successful kick-off to the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
Delegates take a moment to network during the AISC social event, held at One Pru, during the CTBUH 10th World Congress.
Delegates that attended the AISC social event entered a raffle to win a painting done live by an artist at One Pru.
A table filled with custom AISC pins sporting humorous steel puns were available for delegates to take home at the AISC social as part of the CTBUH 10th World Congress.