Emporis Skyscraper Award 2014.

The annual Emporis Skyscraper Award is back. If you have a particular interest in skyscrapers like me, then you should probably know the existence of this award. Emporis is a large database famous for its collection of information and photographs of highrise buildings across the world. The company also stored data of low-rise buildings and other man-made structures. Its skyscraper award which is one of the world’s most renowned architectural prize for skyscrapers is presented out annually to honour buildings with architectural excellence.

For this year’s award, the winning buildings must be completed in the previous calendar year (2014) and shall be of at least 100 metres high. The winner of the 2014 Emporis Skyscraper Award is Wangjing SOHO building located in Beijing, China. Chosen from over 300 skyscrapers built in 2014, Wangjing SOHO emerged as the prestigious winner.  The complex consisting of three unique skyscrapers with a height of 118 meter, 127 meter and 200 meter each, impressed the jury by its excellent energy efficiency and its distinctive design, which gives the complex a harmonious and organic momentum. The soft and fluid forms were designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, making Wangjing SOHO an architectural landmark of the metropolis Beijing. This complex of buildings do really look spectacular and very futuristic-looking. Zaha Hadid is always good in producing this kind of designs. Her style…

Second-placed Bosco Verticale (“vertical forest”), however, stands out through its “green” architecture, which marks a milestone in the field of sustainable construction. The facade and balconies of the two towers designed by Boeri Studio are covered with more than 700 trees and 90 different species of plants, which help to reduce smog and attenuate noise, while simultaneously producing oxygen and controlling the temperature inside the 105 meter and 78 meter tall towers.

The expert jury voted Tour D2 in Courbevoie into third place. Its elegant shape is defined by an external diagrid structure that spans the 171 meter tall oval tower in full height: The extravagant diamond design gives the skyscraper its characteristic appearance and makes the facade sparkle in the sunlight. On the roof, the steel mesh merges together to form an imposing dome above what is called the “Cloud Garden”, a 500m2 large green oasis in the heart of the business center.

Here’s below is the full list of Top 10 skyscrapers voted for Emporis Skyscraper Award 2014:

Although often represented in the Top Ten, Wangjing SOHO is the first time China manages to take the crown, since the Emporis Skyscraper Award was established in the year 2000 (fifteen years ago). Surprisingly there is not a single Canadian building among the winners this year, even with Toronto being one of the cities with the most new high-rise and skyscraper projects. Nevertheless, there is cause for celebration for North America: After the United States – the cradle of high-rise architecture – had been left empty handed two years in a row, this year two projects from New York made it into the Top Ten of the sought-after architecture prize. The iconic One World Trade Center made it to the list. I’m also surprised that my country, Malaysia made it into the Top 10 list too this time around with KKR Tower placed at No.10. It is a twisting (but the degree of twisting is not much disappointingly) office building located in my city, Kuala Lumpur. (image below)

I guess my city’s newly completed Ilham Baru Tower (274 metres tall and to be finished by this year) will be able to shine in this award next year. When choosing the winners, height records hardly play any role. Hence, only three “supertalls” (skyscrapers with a height of at least 300m) made it to the Top Ten this year. Instead of following the principle of “Bigger, Higher, Faster”, the jury put its emphasis on other qualities: “The results of recent years clearly show that criteria such as sustainability, efficiency and a clever design play a much more important role than reaching new superlatives”, says Daniel Schuldt, Emporis’ managing director.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

(Information source: http://www.emporis.com)

Michelle Yeoh honored at Asian Film Awards 2013

Michelle Yeoh, an international-acclaimed star is a Hong Kong based Malaysian actress if you don’t know anything about her. She is best known for performing her own stunts in Hong Kong action films that brought her to fame in early 1990s. She is also famous especially in Western world for her roles in 1997 James Bond film, ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ as Bond female sidekick and lover, Wai Lin and also in multiple Academy Award-winning Chinese language martial arts film ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ for which she was nominated in BAFTA at 2000 for best actress.

At the recent annual Asian Film Awards held at Hong Kong, Michelle Yeoh is awarded with Excellence in Asian Cinema Trophy, which is the most prestigious recognition presented on that particular night. The award is presented to honour Michelle Yeoh’s immense contribution to the Asian cinema for over two decades and also bringing Asian cinema to world class stage. In her acceptance speech, she mentioned that she waited for this award for so long and that she was happy to receive this award at Hong Kong, the place where her career started while also mentioning her birth country, Malaysia. She is from Ipoh, Malaysia. She is now 50 years old but still looks very outstanding. This award doesn’t means that she needs to retire, but as an indication that there would be more filming opportunities for this highly talented star.

(Image source: http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2013/03/18/21/20/525-xqMIk.St.55.jpeg)

Sammo Hung presented the trophy along with few others to Michelle Yeoh. The Chinese melodrama ‘Mystery’ was named best film at the event, which also saw two stars from the Philippines taking home the main acting prizes. Nora Aunor, 59, was named best actress for Thy Womb, while 87-year-old Eddie Garcia was named best actor for Bwakaw. Best director goes to Takeshi Kitano for ‘Outrage Beyond’. The AFA Presentation Ceremony takes place as part of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong Opening Gala. Eminent filmmakers and superstars from around the world are invited to bestow awards upon the winner(s) of each category, making the ceremony a dazzling extravaganza as well as an influential cultural event.

Let’s move back our highlight on Michelle Yeoh. She is the only Malaysian actress with a star at the Hong Kong’s Avenue of Stars, as well as the only Malaysian to reach such a great height in film industry on international scale. Her notable films are ‘Police Story 3: Supercop’, ‘The Heroic Trio’, ‘Tai Chi Master’, ‘Wing Chun’, ‘The Soong Sisters’, ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, ‘Moonlight Express’, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’, ‘Reign of Assassins’, ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’, and ‘The Lady’. Overall, she had starred in over 35 films to date. She is a former Miss Malaysia beauty pageant and is the only Asian actress to be listed as one of the all-time screen beauties by People’s Magazine. Last but not least, a big congratulation to Michelle Yeoh for taking this award and making Malaysia proud once again!

Information source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21827482

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Yeoh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Film_Awards