��������

CHICAGO — The  (CVU), formerly known as the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, has named , in Brussels, Belgium, the Best Tall Building Worldwide for 2025.

The recognition was announced at the organization’s annual international conference in Toronto recently.

Selected from entries across 24 countries, ZIN in No(o)rd was recognized for its “transformative reuse of a 1970s-era office complex into a mixed-use vertical ecosystem combining workspace, housing, hospitality, and public amenities,” states a release. “The project embodies the tenets of vertical urbanism — verticality, sustainability, livability, and innovation — by knitting together new and existing structures within an energy-efficient, carbon-conscious framework.’

The design extends urban street life vertically with terraces, gardens and public spaces throughout the tower’s height. It features a highly efficient double-skin façade, passive ventilation system and integrated photovoltaic elements reduce operational energy use.

Eight-five per cent (in mass) of the existing structure, including cores and basements, was retained, and more than 60 per cent of the project material has been reused onsite or elsewhere.

“We envisioned ZIN as a vertical neighborhood that redefines how existing buildings can live again…where people work, live, and connect in a continuous urban ecosystem,” explained John Eyers, CEO of Jaspers-Eyers Architects, which led the ZIN in No(o)rd project. “To have this vision recognized by CVU affirms that sustainable density is not just a design strategy, but a cultural and environmental imperative for cities worldwide.”

The 2025  honoured more than 100 projects.

Winners were announced in multiple height, regional and functional categories, each highlighting a distinct facet of performance, from structural innovation to adaptive reuse and urban habitat integration, the release adds.

2025 Award of Excellence category winners

• Best Tall Building Worldwide: , Brussels, Belgium
• Best Tall Building (under 100 metres): , Sydney, Australia
• Best Tall Building (100-199 metse): , Brussels, Belgium
• Best Tall Building (200-299 metres): , Gothenburg, Sweden
• Best Tall Building (300 metres and above): , Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Best Tall Building Americas: , Canada
• Best Tall Building Asia: , Hong Kong
• Best Tall Building Europe: , Brussels, Belgium
• Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa: , Dubai, UAE
• Best Tall Building Oceania: , Sydney, Australia
• Urban Habitat Award: , Toronto, Canada
• Future Project Award: , Tokyo, Japan
• ��������ion Award: , Toronto, Canada
• Repositioning Award: , New York City, United States
• Innovation Award:
• Structure Award: , Toronto, Canada
• Façade Award: , Hong Kong
• Systems Award: , Singapore
• Space Within Award: , Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award: , New York City, United States
• 10-Year Award (joint winners): , China & , Singapore

“This year’s winners demonstrate that vertical urbanism has come of age,” said , CEO of CVU. “These projects go beyond creating efficient buildings; they create ecosystems. They show that we can design upward not merely for density, but for regeneration, reducing carbon, restoring nature, and enriching the social life of cities in the process.”