Chairman of Emaar Properties selected as member of CTBUH International Awards Committee

Mr. Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties PJSC, has been selected as one of only six members in the International Awards Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the world’s leading body in the field of tall buildings and the recognized source of information on tall buildings.

Mr. Alabbar is the first Middle Eastern/Arab to serve on the prestigious committee since the inception of the Awards in 2002. The committee comprises experts in architecture, design and construction, drawn from around the world, to choose seven Tall Building awards including two Lifetime Achievement Awards and five ‘Best Tall Building’ awards which recognise excellence in design and construction.

Chaired by Richard Cook of Cook + Fox Architects, USA, this year’s Awards Committee include Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, Chicago; Eng. Lock Lee of TRANE, Singapore; Peter Murray of Wordsearch, London; Werner Sobek of Werner Sobek GmbH, Germany; and Antony Wood, CTBUH Executive Director, Chicago.

Mr Alabbar said: “It is a privilege to be on the CTBUH Awards Committee, which recognises projects and individuals who make extraordinary contributions to developing tall buildings and the urban environment. This is also a tribute to Burj Khalifa which has been recognised as a Global Icon by CTBUH – an honour conferred on tall buildings only once in 10 to 15 years. The Committee will evaluate tall building project submissions from around the world based on the parameters of aesthetics, functionality and most importantly, sustainability.”

The CTBUH Awards Committee will evaluate the entries in seven categories: Best Tall Building –Americas; Best Tall Building- Asia & Australasia; Best Tall Building – Europe; Best Tall Building - Middle East & Africa; Best Tall Building – Overall; Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award and Fazlur Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal.