Alums’ Projects Win International “Best Tall Buildings” Awards

Two Distinguished Alumni in Architecture, Sean Gallagher ’00 and Jeff Kenoff ’92, have added even more accolades to their long lists of accomplishments, receiving Awards of Excellence from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat at the 2022 CTBUH International Conference. The David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago (Diller Scofidio + Renfro), for which Gallagher was Project Director, won Best Tall Building Worldwide – the top award – as well as Best Tall Building Americas and Best Tall Building Under 100 Meters. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), where Kenoff is principal, received Awards of Excellence for Best Tall Building 400 Meters and Above, Best Tall Office Building, and Best Geotechnical Engineering for the One Vanderbilt Avenue in New York City. The building is the fourth tallest building in New York City and the fifth tallest building in North America. Gallagher and Kenoff presented their projects to multidisciplinary juries assembled at the organization’s annual conference, held November 9–12 in Chicago. According to the CTBUH release, juries were comprised of CTBUH members from across the globe with expertise in architecture, engineering, construction and other diverse disciplines. Overall category winners were then selected and conferred at an award ceremony and dinner. “The projects selected for our yearly Award of Excellence competition represent the most advanced concepts and technologies currently employed around the world, and the David Rubenstein Forum in particular exemplifies the diversity of interdisciplinary ingenuity required to address the complex needs of students, workers, communities, and the public in general,” said CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Una in the release. Gallagher, who received the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award in Architecture from the College of Arts + Architecture, is an Associate Principal and the Director of Sustainable Design at DS+R, and his commitment to environmental sustainability is evident throughout the LEED-Gold certified Rubenstein Forum. In addition to using abundant natural lighting and energy-efficient conditioning systems, the building integrates bird-safe technology in its glass façade, green roofs, rain gardens, and landscaping that incorporates native flora. “The David Rubenstein Forum, and all of this year’s Award of Excellence winners, demonstrate that it is possible to consider the built environment—transportation, public and cultural institutions, green spaces, commercial enterprises, and other crucial infrastructure—holistically and adapt it broadly and equitably for positive, sustainable outcomes,” said Quintana de Una. Pictured above: Sean Gallagher (left) and Jeffrey Kenoff at the 2022 CTBUH International Conference.