Foreword

The SKYHIVE 2020 Skyscraper Challenge is the third annual architecture competition by Bee Breeders seeking innovative concepts and ideas for an iconic high rise tower. Investigations that focus on unique structural methods, programmatic organization, facade typologies, forms, and building functions are encouraged.

As a building type, high-rises are subject to so many international and regional building codes, construction regulations, and financial limitations, that it is often difficult for real-world projects to be exploratory and novel. But even in the face of so many rules, standout projects find ways toward completion. This past year we witnessed the opening of a number of amazing towers around the world, such as: Zaha Hadid Architects’ 207-meter-tall twisting tower with the world's tallest atrium in Beijing, China; the 440-meter-tall torpedo-shaped CTF Finance Centre in Tianjin, China, by SOM; and the 350-meter-tall the sky-bridge-linked Raffles City Tower in Chongqing, China, by Safdie Architects. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, 126 buildings of 200 meters or taller were completed in 2019.

For this particular competition, there is no defined site. Participants are free to select any hypothetical site measuring 130m x 80m which can be accessed by roads on two sides. The design can be set in the city of one’s choice, anywhere in the world. Projects typically considered successful are those designed with some relation and response to the chosen region’s skyline and context.

Submitted projects experimented with form and green building techniques, timber construction, and adaptive re-use. The jury evaluated each entry based on its sensitivity to site, the potential for the project to serve as a landmark, and especially its conceptual strength.

Bee Breeders would like to thank the participants for their design submissions. This third annual SKYHIVE competition continues to strengthen Bee Breeders’ continually-expanding repository of thought-provoking design ideas and drawings.

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
SKYHIVE

1st Prize Winner +
BB STUDENT AWARD

Project name

The Biorefinery at Old Street

The main reason I enter architecture vision competitions is to increase the reach and publicity of my projects. As a young designer, it can be hard to publicize your own work, especially at the beginning. Therefore, competitions can offer a fast track, as the design is often published across many platforms, meaning the audience it reaches is far greater.

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2nd Prize Winner

Project name

LOW-ENERGY | HIGH-RISE

Vision competitions are thought experiments for designers. They’re great prompts to hone your skills, define ideas and collaborate with friends. The exposure they offer is also an attractive benefit.

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3rd Prize Winner

Project name

VERTICAL CITY

The reasons are many, some more intimate and personal, others more rational and reasoned. More intimately, I participate in architectural vision competitions to give free rein to my creative trend and my ideas.

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Author Carlo Alberto Guerriero
Country Italy

BB GREEN AWARD

Project name

Ridge

Participating in an architecture vision competition provides us with the chance to collaborate with peer students. We are more motivated by working as a team instead of working alone. This type of competition also evaluates our knowledge and practical skills in the field of design and architecture and broadens our vision by competing with talented people around the world.

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Authors Yiguan Liu, Julie Yang, Willy Zhou, Grace Qian
Country Canada
+78 points Buildner University Rankings

Honorable Mentions

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Project name

Skylines

Authors Piero Lissoni, Joao Silva, Fulvio Capsoni, Davide Apolloni
Country Italy
Project name

HIERARCHY TOWERS

Project name

Tessellated Timber Ribs - Ramped Moment Frame

Authors Sergio Esquinca, Daniel Ramirez, Alhakam Alaedh, Adrian Salinas
Country United States
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
Project name

LOOP IN THE SKY

Project name

Sky Gardens

Country United States
Project name

ELEVATE

Country United States

Shortlisted projects

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Tsintli Achtokaxtilantok

Fabrizio Vignettes beristain

Universidad Anáhuac México Norte

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Mexico

LOW-ENERGY | HIGH-RISE

David Ling

Harvard Graduate School of Design

+92 points Buildner University Rankings!
Canada

Tessellated Timber Ribs - Ramped Moment Frame

Sergio Esquinca

Daniel Ramirez

Alhakam Alaedh

Adrian Salinas

California College of the Arts

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

A Critical Approach to Vertical Graveyards

Nikita Klimenko

Nikita Shpakov

United States

HIERARCHY TOWERS

Gennadiy Kraev

MOSCOW INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE | MARKHI

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
Russian Federation

The Biorefinery at Old Street

Daniel Hambly

United Kingdom

Totem

John gerard Perez

Christina Shin

University of Southern California

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

Re-Integrate: COVID "Live-Work" concept tower

Ian Lai

University of Pennsylvania

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

Vertical Refuge

Yinglei Li

Yifei Mi

Tong Li

Hamza Yaseen

Italy

Urban Food Factory in Sao Paulo

Shkelqim Musiqi

Elvis Karavianskii

Sofia Manferdini

Elio Zeiater nassar

Italy

Home From Work 5G Towers

Adrian Coelho

Edward Ednilao

United Kingdom

Covision

Svetlana Kizilova

Russian Federation

The Living Factory

Made harris Kuncara

Alessandro Azzolini

Hong ngoc Pham

Benart Shala

Italy

Austin City Tower

Johan Cheah

Raymond Castro

Christian Pena

Draven Pointer

United States

Rumah Kita

Carla Wijaya

United States

Correctional Facility - Detroit, MI, USA

Pauline Duléry

Simone Perilli

Sevval Derebey

Italy

PURiHIVE London

Alexander Herrera-rojas

Kasia Ziolkowska

Jorge luis Socha

ARTES London

United Kingdom

Skylines

Piero Lissoni

Joao Silva

Fulvio Capsoni

Davide Apolloni

Lissoni Casal Ribeiro SPA

Italy

ELEVATE

Mike Sudolsky

Patrick Tria

Lemuel Urbano

United States

LOOP IN THE SKY

Flavian Basile

Mariarosaria Savoia

Marika Maio

Flavio Maio

Italy

Disrupted Curtainwall

Corina Dow

Santiago Alvarez

Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

ANTitecture

Károly lehel Kovács

Tamás Kovács

Gergely Sági

Schvarckopf Csaba

Hungary

Recovery : Our Past, Present and Future

Kristina Perkova

Serra Gokkaya

Mina Javanfardkalyan

Tuba betul Kara

Italy

The Cur(s)e of a Concrete Atlantis

Seth Amman

United States

SILVA Skysrcaper

Awab Mohamed

Sudan

bromeliad

Nick Safley

United States

Beacon

Phil Burkett

Sam Turner

Vaughn Forman

Heather Witmer

United States

The Occurent Memorial and Culture Center

Ge Zhang

China

SKYLANDSCRAPER

Lucas Meneghetti

Tomás Meneghetti

Montserrat Cadena velasco

Argentina

Carbon Neutral Tower

Jonathan Delcambre

Brent Holdman

Cesar Salgueiro

Nam Phan

BKV Group

United States

POWER PLANT

Christina Schwalm

Universität Liechtenstein

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Liechtenstein

Ridge

Yiguan Liu

Julie Yang

Willy Zhou

Grace Qian

University of British Columbia

+78 points Buildner University Rankings!
Canada

Phoenix: Verticality as endless cycle of rebirth

Joey Teh

Bryant Lau

Andre Lim

Singapore

Hong Kong Covid Verti-City Tower

Ck Cheuk Kin Kong

Koon Kau Ho

Anthony Ka Ho Leung

Wallace Chung Cheuk Hang

The chinese university of Hong Kong

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Hong Kong

H2 base723

Miriam Gohm

University of Liechtenstein

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Austria

The VIM Tower

Fadi Salloum

EK Consultants

Lebanon

Chicago Spire 2029

Michael Stanley

Anna Lukens

United States

Happy Hour

Peiwei Zhang

Kenny Chao

United States

VERTICAL CITY

Carlo Alberto Guerriero

Italy

ROBOTICORE

Fernando Garcia blanco

Elena Casini

Antonio Lara perez

United Kingdom