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Never before have so many high-rises been built. Spectacular skyscrapers with landmark character are not only appearing in boom cities like Dubai and Beijing or in the USA—the high-rise is also experiencing a renaissance in Europe. No type of building generates stronger emotions, but differentiated debate on these tower blocks only began recently. It is no longer merely a question of how many meters tall, but of new qualities in the construction of high-rise buildings, e.g. energy efficiency, sustainability, and social, economic and ecological compatibility. The projects of the International Highrise Award 2008 demonstrate current developments and so present the full range of contemporary high-rise construction, from utilisation to site-specifics.