Green skyscrapers offer so much for the average EcoGeek to drool over. Each one can contain hundreds of innovations that make the world a cleaner place, they build up, rather than out, and many of them are frikkin gorgeous.
Lucky for us, more and more eco-towers are popping up all the time. In fact, a symposium about greenscrapers called Mixed Greens: An International Survey of State-of-the-Art Sustainable Skyscraper Design just wrapped up last month in NYC.
Lucky for us, Jon Schroeder is on the case, and is bringing us the top ten green skyscrapers.
10. The Urban Cactus, Rotterdam
UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
The Urban Cactus is a residential project in the Netherlands that
will offer 98 residential units on 19 floors. Thanks to the staggered design
of the curvy balconies, each unit's outdoor space will get plenty of light from
the sun. That means that this greenscraper really will be green when all the
residents' gardens are in bloom. While this tower may lack in the technology
department, its carbon-mitigation potential still looms high thanks to all the
photosynthesis happening on the porch. Plus, its white color will help to mitigate
the urban heat island
effect.
9. 340 on the Park, Chicago
NEARLY FINISHED
When 340 on the Park opens later this year in Chicago, it may become
the first residential greenscraper in the city to meet LEED standards. The building
is sure to be a wealthy EcoGeek's dream-come-true. If you have $700K to throw
down on a 1600 square-foot condo, you can enjoy low utility bills thanks to
the building's fully insulated windows and rainwater capture system. And the
most awesome amenity is the multi-storey winter garden starting on floor 25.
8.Waugh Thistleton Residential Tower, London
ON THE DRAWING BOARD
On the other side of the pond, the Waugh Thistleton Architects have an eco-residential
building in the works as well. This design will employ helical wind turbine
technology previously on
featured on EcoGeek. Four turbines attached to one side of the tower have
the potential to generate 40,000kW hrs a year, more than 15% of its energy needs.
7.The Burj al-Taqa (Energy Tower), Dubai
ON THE DRAWING BOARD
If this 68-story super greenscraper becomes a reality, it may become the tallest of all eco-towers, thanks to the proposed 200-foot wind turbine that will sit atop the building. Burj al-Taqa will occupy #22 on the world's tallest buildings list should it gets the green light.
Wind isn't this greenscaper's only bag, however. Solar panels will cover a 161,459 square foot artificial island chain connected to the building and seawater will power Burj al-Taqa's air conditioner!
6. The Hearst Tower, New York City
OPEN
FOR BUSINESS
The Hearst Tower became New York City's first skyscraper to achieve LEED Gold
accreditation from the USGBC when it opened its doors last year. 80% of the
steel used to make the behemoth was recycled. On the inside, the floors and
ceiling tiles are made from recycled materials as well.
The diamond shapes on the building's façade aren't just for show either. The diagonal grid required fewer steel beams to achieve the same rigidity as a conventional skyscraper, and the design allows more natural light to enter the tower.
What's more, rainwater is collected on the roof and is funneled into a 14,000-gallon tank in the basement. The Hearst gathers enough water from the sky to account for 50% of the tower's usage. It's pumped into the cooling system, used for irrigating plants and for the innovative water sculpture in the main lobby.
5.The CIS Tower, Manchester England
NEARLY FINISHED
Formerly on featured
on EcoGeek, the CIS Tower outdoes the pretty much anyone in solar. Weighing
in with over 7,000 panels on the façade and 24 wind turbines on the roof, the
CIS Tower will be able to produce 10% of its energy needs all on its own.
4.The Lighthouse Tower, Dubai
ON THE DRAWING BOARD
The Dubai International Financial Centre Lighthouse Tower plans to use
4000 photovoltaic panels on the south facing façade as well as three mega 225
kilowatt wind turbines to meet its electricity needs. Other details are sparse,
if it was under construction this definitely would have broken into the top
three.
3. Bank of America Tower, New York City
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The designers of Bank of America Tower, Cook + Fox Architects, are hoping
to one-up the Hearst Tower by going for LEED Platinum certification. We'll see
if they pull it off next year, when the building is slated to cut the red ribbon.
Like the Hearst, The BOA tower will also use rainwater capture and floor-to-ceiling
windows for natural lighting—but it will also employ even more EcoGeeky technologies.
Natural gas fuel cells will create on-site electricity, and sunlight-sensing
LED lights will maximize efficiency.
For more info on all of NYC's greenscrapers, check out this short film directed
by Carol Willis titled Green
Towers for New York: From Visionary to Vernacular
2. The Pearl River Tower, Guangzhou, China
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Another greenscraper designed to harness winds at lofty heights, the
Pearl River Tower will use internal wind turbines to keep the lights on. Fashioned
like a giant wing, the tower pushes air through wind tunnels on two of the building's
71 stories. This eco-marvel of a building will also employ geothermal heat sinks,
ventilated facades, waterless urinals, integrated photovoltaics and daylight
responsive controls when it opens in late 2009.
1.The Bahrain World Trade Center Towers, Kingdom
of Bahrain
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Three 96-foot propellers suspended between the towers will supply the
42-storey spires with over 1100 megawatts per year. The shape of the building
itself will create an accelerated airflow for the jumbo blades. Here are some
virtual views
of the Arabian Gulf from various levels of the building. Real views can be appreciated
later this year, when the building opens.
Information for this article came from: The Skyscraper Museum (skyscrapers.org), archidose, ecomoto.org, Jetson Green, Metaefficient, Inhabitat, dezeen, engadget, Trendhunter and TreeHugger
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written by Preston, June 07, 2007
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written by Olmec Sinclair, June 07, 2007
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written by Kelvin Nicholson, June 07, 2007
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written by Okok, June 07, 2007
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written by rahoorkhuit, June 07, 2007
http://www.templatestaff.com
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written by joshua, June 07, 2007
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written by Doug, June 07, 2007
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written by Brad, June 07, 2007
cool to see that finally the eco way is really coming out
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written by Tonya, June 07, 2007
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written by A Siegel, June 08, 2007
Thanks for this post.
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written by nozians, June 11, 2007
Thanks and impressive work indeed.
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written by MB, June 12, 2007
With the designation, Liberty (NYSE: LRY), and Philadelphia, would have the tallest green building in the country.
Comcast Center will be a fully glazed structure using glass to filter light around the building. This will also protect the building from extreme heat and cold conditions. The ceilings will be 13ft high and the windows will be clear enough to allow a free flow of light. The summit of Comcast Center will be in the shape of a rectangular glass box. The tower will be a simple geometric structure with an enormous structural core and a 110ft-high winter garden housing a luxurious interior dining court.
Robert Stern selected low E coding and lightly tinted glass to cover Comcast Center to make provision for greater floor heights and office space, sufficient daylight and better quality of air and air-flow systems.
Philadelphia's tallest building is being constructed with a sustainable design that will make it eligible for LEED Certification from the US Green Building Council. The interiors and exteriors of Comcast Center will bear the eco-friendly mark. The floor heights will vary from 13ft to 17ft, thus providing sufficient ventilation and natural light to every part of the building. These design aspects will also reduce the burden on electricity.
Recycled materials are being used for the carpeting in Comcast Center. Building systems like heating and air conditioning will be controlled floor-by-floor to avoid excess consumption. The paints used will carry minimal volatile organic compounds and external window screens will be installed in the winter garden to check the sunlight.
And waterless urinals too.
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written by Michael, June 13, 2007
Lucida, an environmental friendly tower in the Eastside of NY. You can read it over at http://www.justluxe.com/lifest...201148.php
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written by Sheila Samuelson, June 13, 2007
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written by yelda, June 16, 2007
The Burj is getting a lot of attention. I would like to see all of them....
ArkitecTrue.com
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written by Stefan, June 18, 2007
2. The Pearl River Tower, Guangzhou, China
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written by mareksy, June 25, 2007
For me number ten is numero uno - because in general is very fine, and The Dubai International Financial Centre Lighthouse Tower because design
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written by kikiblitz, July 03, 2007
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written by Batir Wardam, July 15, 2007
http://www.arabenvironment.net...364.html
and I am certain I will be a frequent visitor to your blog.
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written by brittany, July 25, 2007
this is a great way to show people and tell people about towers but then again its really quier and o this has nuffin to to wif this but (telesia your a pregnant slut)
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written by telesia, July 25, 2007
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written by brittany, July 25, 2007
With the designation, Liberty (NYSE: LRY), and Philadelphia, would have the tallest green building in the country.
Comcast Center will be a fully glazed structure using glass to filter light around the building. This will also protect the building from extreme heat and cold conditions. The ceilings will be 13ft high and the windows will be clear enough to allow a free flow of light. The summit of Comcast Center will be in the shape of a rectangular glass box. The tower will be a simple geometric structure with an enormous structural core and a 110ft-high winter garden housing a luxurious interior dining court.
Robert Stern selected low E coding and lightly tinted glass to cover Comcast Center to make provision for greater floor heights and office space, sufficient daylight and better quality of air and air-flow systems.
Philadelphia's tallest building is being constructed with a sustainable design that will make it eligible for LEED Certification from the US Green Building Council. The interiors and exteriors of Comcast Center will bear the eco-friendly mark. The floor heights will vary from 13ft to 17ft, thus providing sufficient ventilation and natural light to every part of the building. These design aspects will also reduce the burden on electricity.
Recycled materials are being used for the carpeting in Comcast Center. Building systems like heating and air conditioning will be controlled floor-by-floor to avoid excess consumption. The paints used will carry minimal volatile organic compounds and external window screens will be installed in the winter garden to check the sunlight.
And waterless urinals too.
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written by mitchell, July 25, 2007
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written by graceonline, July 29, 2007
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written by Dawn, August 01, 2007
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written by alex, August 03, 2007
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written by Amirali, August 05, 2007
His kind attnention will be highly appreciated.
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written by Amanda Lakhanpal, August 05, 2007
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written by Meteor, August 08, 2007
That is "Persian Gulf". There is no arabian gulf.
Take a look at the maps that are prepared by your ancestors from thousands years ago up to now.
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written by TsuiFan, August 20, 2007
http://www.uas.coop/node/627
'Ecological design as it is thought of presently, is not ecological design. We are only fooling ourselves if we think industrial-based and consumer-driven recycled/re-used materials constitute this. Labels like “green architecture” and “green design” are being applied to slightly modified versions of the ubiquitous box. This is not the true study of nature. Not even close to it. True ecological design comes from the profound study of nature—finding out how nature works and why'
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written by marziye, August 21, 2007
So please Correct your mistake
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written by Jeimy, August 23, 2007
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written by regie, September 24, 2007
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written by Per Corell, September 25, 2007
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written by Calvin van Rooy, November 04, 2007
yes, i'm Calvin van Rooy, Cape Town, South Africa! and you can all suq my swollen wet cock!
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written by Guy, December 07, 2007
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written by Dane Scarborough, December 08, 2007
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written by Choiri, January 31, 2008
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written by Gilles Brophy, February 29, 2008
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written by ayush, June 22, 2008
thanks for thid article.
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written by HASSAN, August 03, 2008
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written by sanaz, October 18, 2008
So Nice it is! i am studying sus arch in Iran.Can u help me more?
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written by jesse salgado, November 02, 2008
Ecobuild 2009
Ecobuild is the world's biggest event dedicated to sustainable design, construction and the built environment.
Now in its fifth year, Ecobuild 2009 will attract in excess of 800 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors, and host more than 100 seminar and conference sessions along with dozens of topical and inspiring visitor attractions.
Ecobuild started life in September 2004 as a small "green building" conference alongside another event at The Truman Brewery in London's Brick Lane.
Almost immediately it developed a following amongst pioneering architects and designers and attracted a small community of suppliers of innovative sustainable construction products.
Such was the enthusiasm that the first Ecobuild proper took place less than a year later, in June 2005, at the QEII Conference Centre.
Having outgrown that venue, Ecobuild moved - along with its sister event, Futurebuild - to London's Earls Court in 2006 where it has more than doubled in size and attendance every year since.
Over 500 exhibitors and nearly 26,000 visitors took part in 2008, making Ecobuild the biggest event dedicated to sustainable design, construction and the built environment in the world.
more: www.ecobuild.co.uk
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written by Doug Brown, December 19, 2008
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written by Sia, January 26, 2009
All the buildings pictured above are spectacular.
God bless 'em all!
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written by http://www.chihaironline.com, September 14, 2009
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written by wholesale from china, October 13, 2009
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written by ugg sale, November 05, 2009
You win. Perfect solution. You better patent that shit before it takes over the world
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