Never before have so many highrise buildings been built. Spectacular skyscrapers with landmark character are not only appearing in boom cities like Dubai and Beijing or in the USA - the highrise is also experiencing a renaissance in Europe. No type of building generates stronger emotions, but a differentiated debate on these tower blocks only began recently. It is no longer merely a question of how many metres tall you can build, but what the necessary qualities in the construction of highrise buildings are, 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 highrise construction, from utilisation to site-specifics.