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Architecture

MGM Cotai named world's best new skyscraper

By Adam Williams
November 05, 2019
MGM Cotai named world's best new skyscraper
The MGM Cotai, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, was recently declared the world's best new skyscraper by information specialist Emporis during its annual Skyscraper Award
The MGM Cotai, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, was recently declared the world's best new skyscraper by information specialist Emporis during its annual Skyscraper Award
View 11 Images
The MGM Cotai, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, was recently declared the world's best new skyscraper by information specialist Emporis during its annual Skyscraper Award
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The MGM Cotai, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, was recently declared the world's best new skyscraper by information specialist Emporis during its annual Skyscraper Award
The MGM Cotai is a US$3.4 billion casino and hotel resort in Macau that rises to a height of 495 ft (150 m)
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The MGM Cotai is a US$3.4 billion casino and hotel resort in Macau that rises to a height of 495 ft (150 m)
La Marseillaise, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Tangram Architects, came second place
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La Marseillaise, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Tangram Architects, came second place
52 Lime Street is located in London, UK, and rises to a height of 624 ft (195 m). It's designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and has a narrow point and a reflective facade, which give the building the look of a sharp knife and earned it the nickname "The Scalpel." It placed in third position
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52 Lime Street is located in London, UK, and rises to a height of 624 ft (195 m). It's designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and has a narrow point and a reflective facade, which give the building the look of a sharp knife and earned it the nickname "The Scalpel." It placed in third position
Nan Shan Plaza is located in Taipei, Taiwan. It rises to a height of 892 ft (271 m) and is the second-tallest building in Taipei, after the Taipei 101, which is also pictured. The skyscraper was designed by 48 Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei Inc. and Archasia Design Group, and is a fourth place runner-up
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Nan Shan Plaza is located in Taipei, Taiwan. It rises to a height of 892 ft (271 m) and is the second-tallest building in Taipei, after the Taipei 101, which is also pictured. The skyscraper was designed by 48 Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei Inc. and Archasia Design Group, and is a fourth place runner-up
1144 Fifteenth is located in Denver and was designed by Pickard Chilton Architects and Kendall/Heaton Associates. It's 603 ft (183.7 m) tall and its design is inspired by the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The tower came fifth overall
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1144 Fifteenth is located in Denver and was designed by Pickard Chilton Architects and Kendall/Heaton Associates. It's 603 ft (183.7 m) tall and its design is inspired by the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The tower came fifth overall
Sixth position went to Monde, which is located in Toronto, Canada and rises to 492 ft (150 m). It was designed by Moshe Safdie & Associates and Quadrangle Architects and features an eye-catching concrete blocky facade
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Sixth position went to Monde, which is located in Toronto, Canada and rises to 492 ft (150 m). It was designed by Moshe Safdie & Associates and Quadrangle Architects and features an eye-catching concrete blocky facade
Vincom Landmark 81 placed seventh and is a massive 1,513 ft (461 m) supertall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by Atkins China and boasts Vietnam's tallest observation point
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Vincom Landmark 81 placed seventh and is a massive 1,513 ft (461 m) supertall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by Atkins China and boasts Vietnam's tallest observation point
ARO is located in New York City. The building placed eighth and rises to a height of 738 ft (224 m). It was designed by CetraRuddy and is defined by its unusual glass and aluminum facade
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ARO is located in New York City. The building placed eighth and rises to a height of 738 ft (224 m). It was designed by CetraRuddy and is defined by its unusual glass and aluminum facade
CITIC Tower (aka China Zun), by KPF, is located in Beijing and reaches a maximum height of 1,732 ft (527 m). It's the 9th-tallest building in the world
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CITIC Tower (aka China Zun), by KPF, is located in Beijing and reaches a maximum height of 1,732 ft (527 m). It's the 9th-tallest building in the world
414 Light Street is located in Baltimore and was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. The 500-ft (152-m)-tall building placed at tenth position and includes luxury apartments available for rent
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414 Light Street is located in Baltimore and was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. The 500-ft (152-m)-tall building placed at tenth position and includes luxury apartments available for rent
View gallery - 11 images

Macau, China's MGM Cotai has won information specialist Emporis' annual Skyscraper Award. The unusual US$3.4 billion building rises to a height of 495 ft (150 m) and contains a casino and hotel.

MGM Cotai was designed by American architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), which also won the award last year and is responsible for many of the world's tallest buildings.

The MGM Cotai is a US$3.4 billion casino and hotel resort in Macau that rises to a height of 495 ft (150 m)
The MGM Cotai is a US$3.4 billion casino and hotel resort in Macau that rises to a height of 495 ft (150 m)

The building is conceived as nine oversized Chinese jeweler's boxes stacked atop each other to form two interconnected towers. Its interior includes the casino and hotel, as well as a multifunctional area that boasts the world's largest free-span, grid-shaped glass roof.

This area is certainly worthy of the name The Spectacle and is covered by 8,073 sq m (86,898 sq ft) of glazing that's not supported by any internal columns. The entire structure weighs around the same as 1,000 cars.

La Marseillaise, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Tangram Architects, came second place
La Marseillaise, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Tangram Architects, came second place

Second place goes to La Marseillaise in Marseille, France, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. The building rises to a height of 443 ft (135 m) and has an extraordinary facade that's painted in 30 different colors to reflect the diversity of the city.

It's relatively green too and has an unconventional cooling system that's connected to the nearby sea. This, according to Emporis, makes it possible to keep the interior a comfortable temperature using very little electricity.

52 Lime Street is located in London, UK, and rises to a height of 624 ft (195 m). It's designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and has a narrow point and a reflective facade, which give the building the look of a sharp knife and earned it the nickname "The Scalpel." It placed in third position
52 Lime Street is located in London, UK, and rises to a height of 624 ft (195 m). It's designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and has a narrow point and a reflective facade, which give the building the look of a sharp knife and earned it the nickname "The Scalpel." It placed in third position

Third place position was awarded to yet another KPF project, 52 Lime Street. Located in London, UK, the building has a sharp thin form and a reflective facade, lending it the nickname "The Scalpel." Water consumption in the office building is 45 percent lower than in comparable buildings and it has an "Excellent" rating by BREEAM (a green building standard).

Head to the gallery to see more on these and the remaining seven runners-up in this year's Emporis Skyscraper Award.

Source: Emporis

View gallery - 11 images

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ArchitectureBuilding and ConstructionSkyscrapersCompetitionkpf
3 comments
Adam Williams
Adam Williams
Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.

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3 comments
buzzclick
3.4 billion for a hotel-casino that looks like a bunch of building blocks with a giant atrium. No thank you. London continues to look like a skyscraper amusement park, with the Scalpel in good company wit the Gherkin and the Shard. The Toronto building looks like it won't age well. The China Zun in Beijing rocks, and the sleeper in the bunch is the Denver building.
rick58
These buildings are stress inducing.
ReservoirPup
@rick58 - I feel no stress looking at pictures of the skyscrapers while sitting in a single family house about 1 km away from the nearest high-rise. If it were vice versa I’d feel stress. I used to live in a high-rise, but do hope it’ll never happen to me again. Glad there are those happy living in them (if well-done, they are good for the environment).