Image © SOM
Tall buildings can no longer rest on their iconic status to justify outsize energy consumption. That is the message one hears from architects and engineers of tall buildings today, whose clients are asking for more efficient structures, whether they be megatall buildings that exceed 1,968 feet, as defined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), or a modest 15-story high-rise. For a number of recent projects, collaborative design has engendered tall buildings whose forms not only minimize wind pressure but also vent it. One of the first is the 1,014-foot-tall Pearl River Tower nearing completion in Guangzhou, China.