CHICAGO (CBS) ― You could say things are really looking up for a Chicago skyscraper.
On Tuesday, Emporis, the global building database, will officially name Aqua its Skyscraper of the Year for 2009.
The award is given every year to a building 100 meters tall or higher that was completed within the award year.
Aqua, a mixed-use residential tower located at 225 N. Columbus Dr., won the award for “its fascinating shape, whose appearance changes dramatically depending on the perspective,” Emporis said in a news release.
Emporis also lauded the precision of the building’s construction, as well as its environmentally-friendly design.
“Situated in a large lakeside development, Aqua intersperses undulating balconies with flat glassy planes to create a wavy facade in keeping with its nautical theme,” Emporis said.
Aqua architect Jeanne Gang compared the exterior of the building to the striated limestone along the Great Lakes.
Aqua is also the third-tallest building in the world designed by a woman, and the tallest such building in the United States.
But Aqua wasn’t the only Chicago building on the list. Trump International Hotel & Tower at 401 N. Wabash Ave., now the city and nation’s second tallest building after the Willis Tower, ranked fifth in the contest.
The full list for Emporis’ Top 10 Skyscrapers in 2009:
1. Aqua, Chicago
2. O14, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3. The Met, Bangkok, Thailand
4. Torres de Hércules, Los Barrios, Spain
5. Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago
6. The Red Apple, Rotterdam, Netherlands
7. Bank of America Tower, New York
8, Almas Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
9, Millennium Tower, San Francisco
10. William Beaver House, New York
Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services