The international highrise award has been announced: The 2018 winner is the Torre Reforma in Mexico City, designed by L. Benjamín Romano.
The jury honored a building that stands out among its competitors. A major reason was its technically demanding design. Because Mexico City is located in an earthquake zone, the Torre Reforma had to be extremely stable. The characteristic facade of the building consists of two massive exterior walls made of exposed concrete. With a third, glass side, they create a triangular ground plan that provides high earthquake resistance. The concrete walls also reach 60 meters into the ground over their entire width.
The architect also relies on innovative and extremely robust technology for the building. A total of 14 Schindler 7000 elevators, specially designed for use in skyscrapers, perform their duty in the Torre Reforma. With a speed of up to 10 meters per second, they transport residents to their destination in the shortest possible time. A further 15 Schindler elevators and 4 escalators ensure that traffic in the building does not come to a standstill, even during busy periods.
The operation is organized by the innovative Schindler PORT Technology, which already knows in advance which passenger wants to get to which floor and can thus avoid empty trips and detours.
The jury also honored the special financing of the building: because the Fondo Hexa investor group plans its projects as a long-term capital investment, it relies on very careful planning, high-quality materials and exact details. According to the jury, this economic approach could serve as a blueprint for successful projects beyond Mexico.
The International Highrise Award is an award that has been presented every two years by the City of Frankfurt am Main, Germany since 2003. The prize is endowed with 50,000 Euros and honors buildings worldwide that stand out for their special aesthetics, trend-setting design, urban integration, sustainability, innovative technology and cost-effectiveness.