World's best new skyscrapers [slideshow]

A jury of high-rise design and construction professionals has selected four regional winners in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's 2013 Best Tall Building Awards, which honor the world's best new skyscrapers each year. One of the four projects will be named “Best Tall Building Worldwide” at the CTBUH 12th Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner, November 7 in Chicago.

The four regional winners are: The Bow in Calgary, Canada (Americas); CCTV in Beijing, China (Asia and Australia); The Shard in London, United Kingdom (Europe); and Sowwah Square in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Middle East and Africa). The winners were selected from a pool of 60-plus entries.

“The winners and finalists include some of the most striking buildings on the global landscape,” said Jeanne Gang, awards jury chair and Principal of Studio Gang Architects. “They represent resolutions to a huge range of contemporary issues, from energy consumption to integration with the urban realm on the ground.”

Here's a look at the four regional winners (images and descriptions courtesy CTBUH):

The Bow

Location: Calgary

Height: 779 feet; 58 stories

Function: Office

Completed: 2012

Building Team

Owner/Developer: H+R Reit

Design Architect: Foster + Partners

Associate Architect: Zeidler Partnership Architects

Structural Engineer: Halcrow Yolles

MEP Engineer: Cosentini

Project Manager: Matthews Southwest Canada

Main Contractor: Ledcor Construction Ltd.

Other Consultants: RWDI; Otis Elevator Company

CCTV Headquarters

Location: Beijing

Height: 768 feet; 54 stories

Function: Office

Completed: 2012

Building Team

Owner: China Central Television

Developer: General Office of CCTV New Site Construction & Development Program

Design Architect: Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Associate Architect: ECADI

Structural Engineers: Ove Arup & Partners; East China Architectural Design and Research

MEP Engineer: Ove Arup & Partners

Project Manager: Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Main Contractor: China State Construction

Other Consultants: RWDI

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Al Khatem Tower

Location: Abu Dhabi

Height: 509 feet

Function: Office

Completed: 2012

Building Team

Owner/Developer: Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure

Design Architect: Goettsch Partners

Structural Engineer: Oger International

MEP Engineer: Oger International

Project Manager: Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure

Main Contractor: Oger Abu Dhabi

The Shard

Location: London

Height: 1004 feet

Function: Mixed use (residential, office, hotel)

Completed: 2013

Building Team

Owner: London Bridge Quarter Ltd

Developer: Sellar Property Group

Design Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Associate Architect: Adamson Associates

Structural Engineer: WSP Group

MEP Engineer: Arup

Project Manager: Turner & Townsend

Main Contractor: Mace

Material Suppliers: Permasteelisa Group

Other Consultants: RWDI, KONE, Dow Corning Corporation, AECOM

The new elements of the facility now include: efficient lighting with day-lighting controls and occupancy sensors, a high-efficiency HVAC system used in conjunction with a newly constructed thermal envelope to help reduce energy consumption, and the installation of low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption.