Council on Vertical Urbanism

The Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU), formerly known as the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), is an international group focused on studying tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and sustainable urban design. Based at the Monroe Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States, the CVU is responsible for naming "The World's Tallest Building" and is seen as the expert on how tall buildings are measured. The group's goal is to research and share information about every part of making tall buildings, from planning to building them.

The CVU started at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1969 by Lynn S. Beedle. It stayed there until October 2003, when it moved to the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. On October 6, 2025, it changed its name to the Council on Vertical Urbanism. This new name matches its wider purpose: to guide how cities can grow responsibly and densely around the world.

Ranking tall buildings

See also: List of tallest buildings and structures

The CVU ranks how tall buildings are using three main ways:

1. Height to the top: This is the main way they rank buildings. They measure from the lowest entrance to the very top of the building, including spires but not things like flagpoles or antennas.
2. Highest used floor: They measure up to the floor that people use most often.
3. Height to the tip: They measure to the very highest point, including antennas and flagpoles.

A way to measure to the roof was stopped in November 2009 because it was hard to decide what counted as a roof for modern buildings.

The CVU says a building can be called the tallest only when it is fully built, covered in its outer skin, and open for people to use. They keep a big list of the tallest buildings around the world and also list the tallest buildings finished each year.

Events

The CVU holds yearly conferences and a World Congress every three to five years. In 2012, the World Congress took place in Shanghai. The next World Congress was in Chicago in 2019.

Each year, the CVU gives out Tall Building Awards. There are four regional awards for the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and Australasia. One of these wins the "Best Tall Building Award Overall." There are also two special awards for lifetime achievement. Since 2010, these awards are given at a special event on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology. In 2012, the CVU added two more awards for Innovation and Performance.

Publications

The CVU shares news every day and sends out a monthly newsletter. It used to have a special magazine called the CTBUH Journal, which had detailed stories about tall buildings, interviews with important people, and more. Now, it publishes a magazine called Vertical Urbanism Magazine.

The CVU also writes books and guides about tall buildings. In 2006, it published a book called 101 of the World's Tallest Buildings with author Georges Binder. This book shows photos, plans, and facts about many of the world's tallest skyscrapers. Since 2008, the CVU has also published a book each year to go along with its awards for the best tall buildings.

Awards

Main article: CTBUH Skyscraper Award

The CVU gives out several awards each year to recognize great tall buildings around the world. Some of the winners include buildings in cities like Manchester, Dubai, Beijing, and San Francisco. These awards help highlight amazing examples of tall building design and architecture.

Research

The CVU teams up with universities around the world to study projects about designing tall buildings. They look at many ideas to help make these big structures better and safer.

Building as used on the CVU www.skyscrapercenter.com