At the 2025 Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) International Conference in Toronto, themed “From the Ground Up: Tall Buildings and City-Making,” SOM continued its longstanding engagement with the Council and its leadership in advancing dialogue, research, and innovation in sustainable urbanism. Throughout the week, SOM joined experts in sharing ideas and insights that are shaping how cities grow upward—advancing a more connected, sustainable, and human-centered vision of vertical urbanism.

“We are witnessing a transformation from height as the goal to quality and nuance,” said SOM Design Partner and CTBUH Chair Scott Duncan about the global shift of the organization, which will rebrand as the Council for Vertical Urbanism (CVU). “The next generation of urban architecture will respond more intelligently and symbiotically to existing fabric.”

From introducing new ways to measure the carbon footprint of cities to our buildings-as-batteries concept and being recognized during the annual CTBUH Annual Awards Program, SOM has once again proven to be a leader in advancing the future of vertical urbanism. Read on as we recap the highlights.

Contributing Leading Research Among the World’s Tall Building Experts

Across multiple sessions, the firm’s research and design thinking helped frame discussions on the future of high-rise architecture, urban systems, and sustainability. From reimagining energy infrastructure to addressing the social and environmental dimensions of density, these ideas contributed to an ongoing dialogue among leading experts in vertical urbanism.

Reimagining Energy: “Buildings as Batteries”

Exploring the intersection of energy and architecture, Partner Adam Semel presented SOM’s research on transforming tall buildings into grid-scale batteries. His session, High-Rise Gravity Energy Storage, introduced the Hydro Cell concept—an adaptation of pumped hydropower technology for the vertical environment. The research envisions towers that not only consume energy but also store and generate it, helping cities stabilize their power grids and move toward a cleaner, more resilient future.

Measuring Carbon from the Ground Up and the Sky Down

Luke Leung, Principal at SOM and newly elevated Chair of the Embodied Carbon Steering Committee, revealed a new way to measure and understand the carbon footprint of cities. His presentation in Carbon Smart Cities: Data, Density, and Net-Zero Design combined “bottom-up” modeling with “top-down” satellite data to provide a fuller picture of how urban areas emit and absorb carbon. The findings highlight key links among density, equity, and resilience—offering data-driven insights that can guide the path toward net-zero development across diverse global contexts.

Rethinking Growth in Toronto’s Suburban Skylines

At the session Suburban Skylines: Reckoning of Toronto’s Tall Communities, Andrew Lee, Canada Practice Lead at SOM, explored how mobility and transit-oriented development can redefine the future of suburban growth. Drawing on examples from global cities that have reimagined car-oriented environments, Lee described how mobility can serve as a catalyst for more sustainable models of suburban density. He emphasized that the success of these emerging centers depends not only on height or transit access, but on creating complete, human-scaled neighborhoods that adapt and thrive over time.

Building Higher, Smarter, and More Efficiently

Chuck Besjak was among several workshop leaders examining the technical and economic challenges of building ever-taller structures. Besjak presented the structural innovations behind Two Manhattan West—a 935-foot tower rising above one of the nation’s busiest rail yards at Penn Station. He detailed how transfer trusses, mega-columns, and precision node engineering allow the building to “float” above active tracks, while maintaining efficiency and transparency at its base.

The Future of Facades

At the Future of Facade Systems – Outlook of a Practitioner workshop, organized by Facade Tectonics Institute, Principal Christoph Timm reflected on the transformative opportunities facing facade design—where innovation meets responsibility. He underscored the urgency of addressing fragile supply chains, reusing existing structures, and embracing circular material systems. From digital twins to vacuum-insulated glass, Timm illustrated how data-driven design can extend building lifespans. He closed by urging a holistic approach—where durability, intelligent planning, and low-carbon design align to confront climate changes through better facades.

Celebrating SOM’s Award-Winning High-Rise in Gothenburg

In conjunction with the conference, the CTBUH Annual Awards program recognizes projects, practices, and individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability and human well-being at the highest and broadest level. We are honored to have been recognized with several awards during this year’s program.

SOM’s design for Karlatornet, developed in collaboration with DOXA AB, was named the Overall Winner – Best Tall Building by Height (200–299 meters). Presented by Kent Jackson, Design Partner at SOM, and Patrik Lindström, Director of Project Development at DOXA AB, the tower anchors Gothenburg’s new Karlastaden district as Scandinavia’s tallest building and a model for sustainable, high-density urban growth. Through smart planning, efficient land use, and low-carbon construction, Karlatornet demonstrates how vertical design can cultivate vibrant, connected communities while advancing climate resilience.

In addition to being the Overall Winner, Karlatornet also won Awards of Excellence in the Europe and 200–299m Height Categories. Torre BBVA México, for which we designed the interiors, won an Award of Excellence in the 10 Year Category, and Two Manhattan West was an Award of Excellence winner in the Structure Category.