Constructing Energy Efficient Skyscrapers for the Future

Extremely tall buildings over 600 meters (around 2,000 feet) have been designated as “megatall” by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).  One example of a megatall skyscraper currently under construction is “The Tower,” which will surpass the 2,716 feet high Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest building, by a “notch.” The Jeddah Tower is another mind-bogglingly megatall skyscraper that will reach the architectural height of 3,280 feet (1,000 meters, or one kilometer) tall, once it is completed in 2020.  By 2020, The CTBUH predicts there will be at least eight such buildings internationally.

However a recent article from CNN Style asserts that the most likely trend for new skyscrapers in the future will not be “freakishly tall designs.”  Rather they speculate that modern skyscrapers will be highly efficient, versatile building that “will be essential to cope with growing urban populations and keep cities running.”

New energy efficient skyscrapers with carbon-neutral footprints are being called the “fifth generation” of skyscrapers by architects.  These modern buildings feature things like “renewable energy generation, solar shading and double-skin facades with natural ventilation.”  They also may have landscaped atriums, underground heat storage and water catchment systems as well as recycling, and linear induction elevators.  Modern skyscrapers are being constructed with vertical urban farms and green areas along with facades and roofs used to generate electricity.

One prime example of a skyscraper of the future is the Council House 2 (CH2) in Melbourne, Australia.  As part of the city’s commitment to achieve zero emissions for the municipality by 2020, the CH2 office building was designed “to be a holistic system with its occupants as participants. The design follows a model that promotes a more interactive role between the city and nature, in which all parties depend on each other.”   The building’s facades are nature inspired and help to moderate climate with tapered ventilation ducts that integrate day lighting.  An undulating concrete floor plays a key role in the building’s heating and cooling system.  The CH2 was the first commercial building to meet and exceed the Green Building Council of Australia’s six star rating.  

Conco is one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offers a wide range of quality services and products.  While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the entire cast-in-place concrete for the Wilshire Grand, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, along with other notable projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

Sources: cnn.com/2016/12/08/architecture/rise-of-glass-skyscrapers/index.html 

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