Broadcasting Tower has beaten strong competition from some of the world’s most famous architectural schemes, including the Berj Khalifa in Dubai, to pick-up the prestigious title of Best Tall Building in the World from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) – a global panel of architects and engineers in Chicago.
The building’s striking design is characterised by stepped, irregular elevations and is clad entirely in Cor-Ten – a steel alloy which oxidises over time to give a stunning deep-red colour.
It was designed by Sterling Prize-winning architects Feilden Clegg Bradley and built by Downing’s in-house contracting division George Downing Construction (GDC).
As well as a Baptist church the development features 241 student residences that are managed by Downing, and 110,000 sq. ft. of new teaching and office space, occupied by Leeds Metropolitan University.
In May, Broadcasting Place was hailed as ””truly iconic”” when it received an award for excellence from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Leeds Metropolitan University’s Director of Estates, Sue Holmes, comments: “We are thrilled that the Broadcasting Place development has won this prestigious international award. Leeds as a city has taken this building to its heart and the building is home to students and staff from our Arts, Environment and Technology Faculty and provides a fantastic learning and working environment. Many of our students also choose to live in the tower which has some fantastic views over the city as well as providing a fantastic skyline for the city.”