Video Presentations: When Buildings Give Back: A Positive Tower Paradigm

Ross Wimer
Senior Vice President
AECOM, Los Angeles

Zero, neutral, negative—these kinds of terms usually inform approaches to building performance since new construction is generally understood to be a burden in terms of its consumption of resources and its impact on an existing city. Although much has occurred over the last 50 years in the realm of tall building design, a study of what has been produced since 1969 shows that the fundamental role of the tower in the city has remained consistent. Zoning and building codes have made towers safer and limited their negative impacts by controlling height and density. Technology has made design, construction and operation more efficient and cost effective. It is expected that those trends will continue, towers will continue to define our cities and affect our skylines but ultimately present challenges for municipalities.

Through three case studies of projects that have striven to make a positive impact on the surrounding environment, design concepts for towers that illustrate ways to improve cities for the next 50 years are outlined and analyzed. These buildings go beyond aesthetics to improve their context in meaningful ways. Towers that increase public open space, rather than limit it. Towers that generate energy, while they consume it. Towers that increase daylight at street level. Towers that improve wind conditions in their neighborhoods. These three case studies are sited in North America, Asia, and the Middle East and represent the work of a cross-disciplinary collaborative team.