Buildings and structures completed in 2011

Buildings and structures completed in 2011
Title	Buildings and structures completed in 2011
Year	2011
Notable	Shanghai Tower, One World Trade Center (steel core completed), Library of Birmingham, Oslo Opera House (earlier), Guangzhou International Finance Center (earlier)

Contents

Buildings and structures completed in 2011

2011 saw a diverse set of completions across high-rise Shanghai Tower planning and early works, major civic landmarks, and extensive transport projects influenced by contemporary practices from Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Santiago Calatrava, and firms such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Kohn Pedersen Fox. The year reflected investment patterns tied to cities including Shanghai, New York City, London, Beijing, Doha, and Istanbul, and intersected with events such as the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics legacy infrastructure.

Overview and Highlights

2011 completions ranged from supertall towers to cultural institutions, involving stakeholders like the China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Turner Construction Company, AECOM, Arup Group, and Buro Happold. Projects delivered in 2011 often responded to urban policies shaped by authorities in New York City boroughs, Greater London Authority, Shanghai Municipal Government, Qatar Financial Centre, and municipal governments in Dubai, Singapore, and Mumbai. Iconic completions were covered in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, and Architectural Record.

Skyscraper completions in 2011 contributed to skylines in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Taipei, Manama, and New York City. High-profile projects included towers developed by entities like Swire Group, Hines Interests, Mitsui Fudosan, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and Samsung C&T Corporation. Structural engineering partners such as WSP Global, Ramboll, and Buro Happold delivered solutions for wind loading and seismic design used on towers adjacent to projects by Lendlease and Tishman Speyer. Financial districts in Shanghai Tower-adjacent areas and new central business districts in Doha and Abu Dhabi absorbed floor area for tenants including HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Bank of China, Siemens, and Samsung Electronics.

Cultural completions in 2011 included libraries, museums, theaters, and religious sites commissioned by institutions like the British Library, Smithsonian Institution, Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, and municipal arts councils. Significant examples completed or opened in 2011 featured involvement by architects associated with Mies van der Rohe Prize nominees and won commissions from trusts such as the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Civic projects delivered by contractors with experience on work for United Nations agencies, the European Commission, and city halls in Berlin, Madrid, Rome, and Oslo emphasized public-access design and acoustic engineering by firms linked to Arup Group and Buro Happold. Religious completions engaged congregations associated with Vatican City precedents, diocesan authorities in Los Angeles and Sydney, and mosque projects under the patronage of royal houses in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Transport completions in 2011 included terminals, rail stations, bridges, and ports commissioned by operators such as Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Network Rail, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, China Railway Corporation, and Transport for London. Major station projects collaborated with designers linked to Zaha Hadid Architects, Foster + Partners, and Santiago Calatrava for concourse geometry and wayfinding systems implemented using technologies sold by Siemens Mobility and Bombardier Transportation. Highway and bridge projects involved contractors like Vinci, Bechtel, and Fluor Corporation and interfaced with regulatory frameworks influenced by European Union directives and national agencies in Japan, Canada, and Brazil.

Africa featured new commercial towers in Johannesburg and mixed-use developments in Cairo backed by investors from Nigeria and South Africa. Asia saw completions in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Mumbai with developers such as China Vanke and CapitaLand. Europe recorded cultural and civic projects in London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, and Istanbul involving funding from the European Investment Bank and national ministries. North America completed office towers, university buildings, and transit hubs across New York City, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles with universities such as Harvard University and University of California campuses commissioning research facilities. Oceania included public architecture in Sydney and Auckland supported by local councils. South America delivered stadiums, airports, and urban regeneration projects in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro connected to legacy plans for events like the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Design trends in 2011 emphasized sustainability, with many projects targeting certifications from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and standards influenced by the International Organization for Standardization. Firms like Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, Herzog & de Meuron, OMA, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill advanced parametric modeling, double-skin façades, and integrated building-management systems sourced from Siemens, Honeywell, and Johnson Controls. Construction methods incorporated prefabrication promoted by Katerra-type models, modular contractors in Japan and Germany, and materials supplied by companies such as ArcelorMittal and Saint-Gobain, while structural innovations addressed resilience priorities advocated by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and urban planners in major metropolitan authorities.

Category:2011 in architecture