Winners of the 2020 Emporis Skyscraper Award were recently announced. Ten projects from around the world made to the list, including two projects from China – Beijing Leeza SOHO and Tianjin Chow Tai Fook (CTF) Finance Centre. Both were contracted to China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corporation, a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC).

Beijing Leeza SOHO was the final project by renowned architect Zahra Hadid. Located in Lize Financial Business District of Beijing, the building has a height of 200 meters and a construction area of 172,000 square meters. It sits right above where the five newly-added metro lines intersect, straddling the subway tunnel that diagonally divides its site. Given the special conditions of its foundation, the atrium of the tower, which runs through the entire building from top to bottom, divides the structure into two halves, each standing on one side of the tunnel. With a height of 200 meters, it is also the highest atrium in the world.

Leeza SOHO attracted enormous industry attention with its world-class design and construction difficulties. It was awarded with "Top 10 Most Amazing Architectural Projects of the World" in 2018, "The Most Promising Architecture" by Archdaily in 2019, and the International High-rise Award in 2020.

Tianjin CTF Finance Centre is located in Tianjin’s Binhai New Area. With a height of 530 meters and a construction area of 390,000 square meters, the building is comprised of four floors underground, five floors in its podium part, and 100 floors in the tower. It was designed for multiple purposes like A-level commercial office, serviced apartments, and five-star hotels.

The design of the ultra-high building also factors in the strong coastal winds and potential earthquake, with eight sloping mega-columns following a lyrical line connecting the centers and corners of all four elevations. These curving mega-columns and streamlined body of the tower together minimize the impact of wind force. Such complex structure of dual-curve, large torsion angle, and bi-directional tilting makes it the ultra-high building with the utmost construction difficulty in the country. Since it broke ground in December 2014, the project has set 18 new domestic and world records and received more than 200 awards, including the AEC Excellence Award, the Best Tall Building Award (400 meters and above), and the China BIM Certification Alliance's Platinum Award.

The Emporis Skyscraper Award is the world's most renowned prize for high-rise architecture and has been awarded internationally every year since 2000, recognizing the designs and constructions that represent the essence of human civilization. Buildings must have a minimum height of 100 meters and have been completed during the previous calendar year to be eligible to receive the award.