Award for Emporis Skyscraper

The best new skyscraper of the year," according to the jury of the Emporis Skyscraper Award 2021, is the Valley, a mixed-use tower in Amsterdam whose design is inspired by mountainous landscapes.

Emporis, the building information website whose eponymous award is billed as “the only high-rise award presented annually and worldwide,” has announced that the Valley on Amsterdam’s Zuidas is the winner of the Emporis Skyscraper Award 2021.

The 75,000 m2 project with three towers connected by a podium, which is inspired by natural valleys, contains shops, offices, restaurants and homes, with the "valley" serving as a publicly accessible roofscape. This last piece has resulted in a lot of press attention for the project since its completion last year and the opening this year, with the jury also enthusiastic: "Valley looks like an oasis on the Zuidas that is dominated by regular office buildings. Not only an excellent architectural statement, but also an excellent example of sustainable and climate-friendly construction."

“The jury is focusing on many qualities other than just building taller and bigger. In recent years we have seen a significant shift in the way skyscrapers are designed, built and perceived by the public and we remain very excited about what the future holds apply to skyscraper architecture." - Daniel Schuldt, Senior Manager at Emporis

Valley was selected from over 600 buildings over 100 feet tall that were eligible this year, per MVRDV, all listed in the Emporis database. Two runners-up were named, with second place to 111 West 57th Street (aka Steinway Tower) in New York City by SHoP Architects and third place being NV Tower by A&A Architects in Sofia, Bulgaria.

 The former, one of a handful of super-tall residential towers on "Billionaires' Row", is notable for its extreme slenderness (reportedly 1:24), while the latter is akin to the valley, with two peaks inspired by crystals and mountains.