At a kick-off ceremony for the "Election of the Top 10 Chinese Buildings" panel held Tuesday in Beijing, China's top architecture critic harshly criticized the wanton construction of super high skyscrapers, worrying that the new and uniquely designed buildings would negatively impact the skyline and cultural essence of cities in China.

"This panel is not looking to award, but rather criticise China's uniquely designed architecture. We want to redefine the aesthetic values and standards of what makes good architecture," Wang Mingxian, China's top architecture critic and president of the panel told the Global Times.

The panel, held by the Architecture and Culture Society of China and the Institute of Cultural Resources of Peking University, has selected 20 candidates, most of which are landmark construction projects, including Beijing's tallest building the 330-meter-tall World Trade Center Tower 3, The Bird's Nest and the city's new CCTV tower.

Construction of super high skyscrapers has long aroused controversy among architects, cultural experts and the public. There are even disputes among members of the panel over whether some candidates are qualified to be in the running.

"Architecture should fit its surroundings. However, Chinese authorities have been racing against each other when it comes to building uniquely designed, super-tall buildings. As such they don't consider whether or not the construction project can fit into its surroundings, which is not good," architect Bu Zhengwei told the Global Times.

The panel is of the opinion that the blind construction of super tall skyscrapers, egged on by government officials, would be a disaster for the construction industry.

Among the top 100 mega-high-rise buildings, namely buildings above 300 meters, a total of 61 are in China. According to a report released by CBRE last year, within 10 years, over 1,000 super high buildings will spring up across China, four times the number found in the US.

Public voting will be hosted by 10 popular websites. Web users can log onto these sites to choose their favorite candidates. This public voting will account for 40 percent of the final score to determine the final winners of the election.