Our commitment to architecture: the International Highrise Award
Prize statuette by Thomas Demand (Photo: © Uli Maier BFF).
Since 2004, Deka, the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Deutsche Architekturmuseum (DAM) have been awarding the International Highrise Award (IHP) to pioneering high-rise buildings. The IHP is the world's first prize for high-rise buildings and is awarded every two years at a ceremony in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt am Main.
Architecture is more than just the design and construction of buildings - it shapes our environment, characterizes the appearance and structure of cities, creates a home and establishes identity. The winning buildings of the IHP show how we can imagine building in the future. The jury evaluates them according to criteria such as design quality, innovative technology and sustainability aspects – and the winners set new standards in international high-rise architecture.
The changing IHP jury consists of four internationally renowned representatives from the fields of architecture, engineering and architectural criticism as well as representatives of Deka, the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Deutsche Architekturmuseum (DAM). The prize is awarded jointly to the architect and the builder. They will receive a sculpture by renowned artist Thomas Demand and 50,000 euros in prize money, which the winners will donate to institutions in the field of architecture and urban development. The 12th IHP will be awarded on 3 November 2026.
Architecture is more than just the design and construction of buildings - it shapes our environment, characterizes the appearance and structure of cities, creates a home and establishes identity. The winning buildings of the IHP show how we can imagine building in the future. The jury evaluates them according to criteria such as design quality, innovative technology and sustainability aspects – and the winners set new standards in international high-rise architecture.
The changing IHP jury consists of four internationally renowned representatives from the fields of architecture, engineering and architectural criticism as well as representatives of Deka, the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Deutsche Architekturmuseum (DAM). The prize is awarded jointly to the architect and the builder. They will receive a sculpture by renowned artist Thomas Demand and 50,000 euros in prize money, which the winners will donate to institutions in the field of architecture and urban development. The 12th IHP will be awarded on 3 November 2026.
With our commitment to the International Highrise Award, we wish to draw attention to forward-looking and efficient construction.
The winning high-rise 2026/27: ZIN in Brussels
The mixed-use high-rise ZIN in Brussels has won the International High-Rise Award 2026/27. It was designed by the architecture firms 51N4E, l’AUC and Jaspers-Eyers Architects for the developer Befimmo. The jury, chaired by Brian Yang (BIG), chose the project unanimously.
ZIN chose transformation over demolition and new construction. The two former World Trade Center towers in Brussels’ Northern Quarter were stripped back to their cores and basements and built into the new structure. A new slab with double-height floors was inserted between the towers and joins them into a single building. The new materials used achieved a 95 percent Cradle to Cradle certification, a level never reached before by a European mixed-use project of this size.
Today ZIN is a lively place where people work, live and meet. The Flemish Government has moved its headquarters there. The building also houses apartments, a hotel, a sports hall where local clubs train, a large roof garden and a greenhouse shared with the hotel café. Parts of the building are open to the public. For the 12th IHA, the jury focused on how a high-rise can be a “good neighbour”: a building that gives something back to its surroundings and strengthens the whole district. ZIN convinced the jury on exactly that point.
ZIN chose transformation over demolition and new construction. The two former World Trade Center towers in Brussels’ Northern Quarter were stripped back to their cores and basements and built into the new structure. A new slab with double-height floors was inserted between the towers and joins them into a single building. The new materials used achieved a 95 percent Cradle to Cradle certification, a level never reached before by a European mixed-use project of this size.
Today ZIN is a lively place where people work, live and meet. The Flemish Government has moved its headquarters there. The building also houses apartments, a hotel, a sports hall where local clubs train, a large roof garden and a greenhouse shared with the hotel café. Parts of the building are open to the public. For the 12th IHA, the jury focused on how a high-rise can be a “good neighbour”: a building that gives something back to its surroundings and strengthens the whole district. ZIN convinced the jury on exactly that point.
The winning high-rise 2026/27: ZIN in Brussels
10 IHP awards - a special summary
In 2022, the IHP was awarded for the tenth time. 34 projects from 13 countries have been nominated. Since its launch at the beginning of the millennium, it has accompanied the ongoing global boom in high-rise construction, an architectural showpiece discipline.
Although China has built the most high-rise buildings in the world in recent years, the high-rise typology is establishing itself worldwide. The construction of high-rise buildings is being discussed in more and more European cities, and new towers are also gradually being built in Africa. One high-rise building in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria) was nominated for the IHP 2020 and 2022.
Although China has built the most high-rise buildings in the world in recent years, the high-rise typology is establishing itself worldwide. The construction of high-rise buildings is being discussed in more and more European cities, and new towers are also gradually being built in Africa. One high-rise building in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria) was nominated for the IHP 2020 and 2022.
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12Winner skyscrapers, 5 from Europe
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316Nominations from all continents
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12Awards given since 2004
Unusual forms and outstanding concepts: The IHA honours the best highrise buildings in the world. (Photo: © Hufton + Crow)