Shaping the future of rising cities.
The Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU), formerly known as the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), is a nonprofit organization that shapes the future of rising cities and advances the knowledge required to build them. With over 50 years as a global authority on tall buildings, CVU has established height standards, certified records, and driven the design, engineering, and construction of skyscrapers. Multiple, Inc. partnered with CVU as it embarked on a broader transformation — repositioning the organization under new leadership to focus not just on tall buildings, but on creating sustainable, equitable, and livable cities for the 21st century.
With 70 percent of the global population projected to live in cities by 2050, the focus shifted from “how can we build taller?” to “how do we build cities that are sustainable, equitable, and livable?” The organization’s decades of expertise in tall buildings positioned it to answer these questions—it just needed a broader lens.
CVU’s network of hundreds of thousands of professionals across architecture, engineering, urban planning, and construction provided it with unparalleled insight into the challenges of urbanization. Leveraging this expertise, the organization set out to explore the full complexity of city systems, connecting buildings, infrastructure, and communities in a more holistic approach.
The global board voted to pursue a comprehensive rebrand and consider a name change that would better reflect a forward-looking mission: shaping the cities of tomorrow. We conducted in-depth member research, stakeholder interviews, and strategic positioning work, laying the foundation for a transformed identity and purpose.
The engagement included:
- Strategic positioning and naming exploration
- Member research and stakeholder engagement
- Complete visual identity system
- Website redesign with a new backend platform
- Conference experience design
- Publication templates and communications systems
- A versatile visual language framework built for global implementation
CVU now elevates four tenets guiding the cities of tomorrow: verticality, sustainability, livability, and innovation. The rebrand positions the organization to lead the global conversation on “building tall better,” emphasizing that responsible density is essential to creating sustainable, equitable, and thriving urban systems.
“Multiple has a remarkable way of bringing order to complexity. They helped us navigate a deeply layered conversation—balancing legacy, ambition, and global perspectives—with clarity and confidence. What could have been overwhelming became an inspiring, focused process.”
Charles Mutscheller — Marketing Director, Council on Vertical Urbanism
