How Tall Buildings Can Be Designed Better

Global | Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Reading Time : 5 mins

As landmarks that will define our cities in a net zero world, tall buildings need to do so much more than look good and maximize the available land area. They need to perform outstandingly and adapt rapidly; they need to support our health and wellbeing; and they need to transform our lives as well as our skylines.

1. Shrinking our carbon footprint doesn’t have to mean shrinking our buildings

For many skyscrapers, height isn’t the primary factor influencing the level of carbon emissions. It’s the combined effect of geometry, shape, orientation, the structural system and the construction materials used. Our UK team has launched a new service called DAISY (Digital, Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability) that simultaneously evaluates the main parameters influencing building design, creating thousands of models to reach the optimum integrated solutions for reducing embodied carbon in the structure, increasing the energy efficiency of building services, and promoting natural daylight through the choice of façade and building orientation.

" Tall buildings are always going to be iconic in the way that they change the skyline of the city. But their impact must be positive and go beyond aesthetics, beyond the footprint, beyond the skyline. If we don’t prioritize reducing carbon emissions in the construction and operation of our buildings we are ignoring the climate emergency, which is the most urgent challenge of our generation."

Diego Padilla-Philipps
Global Decarbonization Lead for Building Structures, WSP in the UK

2. Reimagining old icons can be the best way to create something new

To achieve our Net Zero objective, it is essential that we reuse and repurpose existing buildings, especially tall buildings. Our team in Canada provided the structural design to transform the world’s tallest inclined structure – The Montreal Tower – into a modern and dynamic office space. The 175m tall, 45-degree angled tower had stood empty for over 30 years. We were able to make use of the concrete structure and add in a new glass curtain wall to let natural light into the interior spaces and create a more open feel for occupants. The building is now inhabited by more than 2,000 employees, enhancing the area’s vibrancy and the local economy.

3. The ability to perform and adapt should be built-in

With so much invested in their design and construction, tall buildings need to perform at the highest level and be ready to adapt to climate change and technological advances in the future. Digital design tools enable us to build-in longevity from the start, but an effective smart strategy is also key to a building’s operational competitiveness and adaptability. From providing a seamless digital experience for occupants, to using digital solutions to monitor performance, create efficiencies and enable future technologies. Our team recently digitized all the building services systems in the Shanghai West Bund AI Tower, integrating them on a single IoT platform to improve everything from energy efficiency to user experience.

4. Tall buildings can be home to green spaces for nature, health and wellbeing

Think vertically and the sky’s the limit. The Spiral office tower in New York has landscaped terraces spiralling up the outside of the building, providing every floor with communal outdoor spaces. The Henderson, a 36-storey office tower in Hong Kong, also allows nature to flow seamlessly through landscaped interiors connected with surrounding parks and gardens, irrigated using recycled rainwater. The architecture itself mimics the form of a Bauhinia bud, which is deeply symbolic for local people.

With their high occupancy, tall buildings have the potential to be self-sufficient communities. For example, 22 Bishopsgate in London is a vertical village built using the foundations of a previous building, that provides everything from learning to leisure spaces.

" We need to talk about the broader outcomes and think of tall buildings not just as material assets, but as integrated, vertical communities, where neighbours interact, helping with quality of life, health and wellbeing. We need to make that experience real and continue to improve upon it."

Peter O’Leary
Head of Structures, WSP New Zealand

5. Modern methods of construction are shaping what’s possible

Enabled by digital technologies, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can help us improve how we build, providing a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional construction methods. Our structural engineers helped to design and build the award-winning Innocell in Hong Kong, a 17-storey living and co-creation space for technology innovators to collaborate. The 15,300 m2 building, the first modular integrated construction (MiC) project in the city, consists of 418 prefabricated steel modules providing four flexible room types. The units were erected in just 70 days during the Covid-19 lockdown and saved 40% compared to a standard construction programme.

MMC can also help to improve the way we reuse existing buildings. At 55 Southbank in Melbourne, Australia we helped to design a 10-storey hotel in load-bearing, cross-laminated timber that was added on top of an existing six-storey commercial building – without the need to strengthen the existing foundations. It is one of the world’s tallest timber building extensions and using lightweight sustainable materials unlocked the project’s commercial viability.

More than the sum of their parts

Tall buildings have the potential to answer many of the world’s most pressing challenges. From maximizing space and providing connected living spaces for growing urban populations, to creating new places for nature and communities to thrive. It’s time to usher in a new age of icons. We just need to aim high.