The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is the world's foremost authority on tall buildings. Every year, beginning from 2007, the Council issues seven Tall Building awards annually; two Lifetime Achievement awards and five Best Tall Building awards which recognize excellence in design and construction. Following an open call period for nominations, the Council's Awards Committee selects the winner of each category. The Best Tall Building Overall is selected from the four regional winners and announced at the CTBUH Annual Awards Ceremony & Dinner. One winner is chosen from each of four geographical regions (Americas, Asia & Australasia, Europe, and Middle East & Africa) and a further award presents the title of "Best Tall Building Overall" to one of the four regional winners. The 2010 finalist Tall Buildings were: Bank of America Tower, New York; The Pinnacle @ Duxton, Singapore; Broadcasting Place, Leeds, UK; and Burj Khalifa, Dubai. The Best Tall Building of 2010 from 4 regional finalists announced Broadcasting Place, Leeds, or as it is called "Rusty High rise " for the rusty facade feature of the 70 m high building. A key element in the design of the building is the irregular elevations, which have been tailored to optimize daylight and reduce solar penetration. An innovative analysis of the building facades was undertaken, to calculate the optimum quantity and distribution of glazing/shading at all points on the facade in order to ensure high levels of natural day lighting but without overheating. The design implements natural ventilation where practicable, ground source heat pumps, and a car-free development with bike parking provisions.

In 2009, the Best Tall Building 2009 prize was aworded to Beijing residential complex Linked Hybrid. The 220,000 square meter pedestrian-oriented complex, sited adjacent to the site of old city wall of Beijing, aims to counter the current urban developments in China by creating a new twenty-first century porous urban space, inviting and open to the public from every side.

Another award from CTBUH-2010 Global Icon Award, received Burj Khalifa, Dubai. The unprecedented height of the Burj Khalifa required design techniques, building systems, and construction practices to all be rethought and in many cases new applications developed in order to create a practical and efficient building. The building's "Y" shaped plan provides the maximum amount of perimeter for windows in living spaces and bedrooms without developing a large amount of internal unusable area.