Top 10 Energy Efficient Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers are real tall buildings that stand high across the metropolitan cities of the world. When such buildings are constructed in an eco friendly manner, then they are called “green buildings” or “green skyscrapers.” The construction of these kinds of buildings needs high level of innovation that make the mother earth a cleaner, greener and better place to live in.

As modern day people are conscious about preserving the ecology, more and more eco towers are mushrooming across the globe. Green buildings are more energy efficient compared to those that are made of timber or steel. Though the construction of these buildings cost 5% more than the regular construction practices, it is to be appreciated that they save 50-70% of energy costs.

Here is a compilation of world’s top 10 energy efficient skyscrapers, some of them are already constructed and a few others are still under construction.

COR Tower is indeed unique and you can easily identify it with the holes on its shiny outer surface. It is $40 million team project undertaken by Chad Oppenheim architecture + design, energy consultant Buro Happold, and structural engineer Ysreal Seinuk. The 25-storey green skyscraper is to be used for both residential and commercial purposes.

The green features that make it one of the world’s greatest eco-towers are the wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, recycled glass tile flooring, solar hot water generation, bamboo lined hallways, and energy star appliances. COR is expected to host 113 residential units, 20,100 sq. feet office space and 5,400 sq. feet retail space.

Image Credit: danceinmygarden.blogspot.com

If you show its picture to your pre-school child, she will identify it as a stacking toy. She is not completely wrong, as Urban Cactus is of course a stack of rotated, irregular discs. The residents of this 19-storey building are indeed lucky to have plenty of natural light falling on the terraces. The entire structure makes one wonder how creative will be the designer of this building.

Image Credit: Technovelgy.com

Green Lighthouse is an eye-catching carbon-neutral building that stands majestically at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. It has to be noted that 75% of the energy reductions is achieved via the architecture but not with the help of any other advanced technology.

The building acts as the home to the faculty of science, University of Copenhagen. Here, students are able to get answers for all sort of questions related to their studies, exams and carrier. There is a faculty club that serves as a knowledge hub where researchers and other science faculties conduct meetings from time to time.

Image Credit: University of Copenhagen

Fusionopolis is Singapore’s largest green skyscraper designed by Malaysian born, UK based Ken Yeang. The architect’s vision is to design an awe-inspiring building that promotes the “go green” culture amidst the busy streets of Singapore. The building has a green infrastructure with a vertical spine of planting that mounts high along the 25 storey structure. Landscaped garden terraces decorate each floor of the 1.4 Km high building.

Sun light is directed to the interior of the building via prisms that deflect the natural light as it falls on them. Green elements are incorporated into the drainage and irrigation system too. The 30-hectare project can be viewed as an ecosystem that sees its development in five phases.

Image Credit: Inhabitat

Pearl River Tower, the zero-energy eco skyscraper is believed to be the world’s greenest building ever. Designed bythe architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill,the tower stands tallin Guanzhou, China. Erecting a zero-energy tower is not such an easy feat. To get this credit, the engineers have incorporated innovative structural techniques, passive wind and solar design and employed the best sustainable technology.

Image Credit: Greenlaunches.com

This is Chicago’s first eco-friendly parking facility. The entire building is powered by a series of six wind turbines located at the tower’s southwest corner that provide electricity for all its exterior lighting. The turbines require winds to blow at a minimum speed of 2 miles per hour. The green roof has granted a suitable solution for the problems of urban heat and rainwater run off.

First look at the green skyscraper will never let you know that it is a parking garage. This 11 storey structure has an area of 15,000 sq. feet, containing around 725 parking spaces. It supports maximum energy efficiency with minimal waste. The inside of the greenway is comprised of plug-in stations for electric vehicles, parking for bikes and spaces for car sharing services.

Image Credit: Friedman Properties

This residential skyscraper stands tall in Ramsgate Street in Dalston, London. The green feature that makes it an eco-tower is the helical wind turbine attached to its back. This 14-storey building has become the new landmark for East London. The tower is sure to meet the demanding targets of energy efficiency, which is an integral part of its design process. The project was really challenging, as the design team found it hard to identify the wind energy at the location, based on the height and form of the structure.

The key green elements are the wind turbines that are capable of providing the tower with more than 15% of its energy requirements. It is estimated that the turbines will generate around 40,000 kilowatt hrs a year, depending on the speed with which the wind blows. This green skyscraper saves 7 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere every year.

Image Credit: metaefficient.com

The Hearst Green Tower claims to be the first green building of New York City. It is the proud winner of “Emporis Skyscraper Award 2006,” for being the world’s best skyscraper completed that year. The most reputed British architect Norman Foster and structural engineer Cantor Seinuk integrated several environmental considerations into the building plan.

Heat conductive limestone is used in the atrium flooring. Water-filled polyethylene tubing is embedded under the floor that helps in cooling during summer and heating during winter. The plants around are irrigated using the rain water from the roof stored in a tank at the basement. This green skyscraper is 40% energy efficient, accounting for 40% of Co2 emissions, 30% of waste generation and 20% water consumption.

Image Credit: checkonsite.com

This green skyscraper is Dubai’s first low carbon commercial tower. The majestic eco-tower is believed to more than halve its total energy consumption and minimize water consumption by 35% compared to its fellow towers. Architect Shaun Killa is the man behind the creation of this tower that is likely to be the tallest in the world to grab the LEED Platinum status, the topmost rating in the Green Building Council Program.

The key green feature employed in the tower that contributes to low carbon concept is harnessing the wind energy. The tall and slim structure is 400 metres in height comprising of 64 floors. As said by Shaun Killa, “The Lighthouse Tower demonstrates we can consider energy-efficiency at the center of the architecture and, without compromising comfort or aesthetics.”

Image Credit: architettura21.eu

You might have seen green products in a shopping mall, but have you ever imagined a shopping mall that is green? Vulcano Buono, meaning “Good volcano,” is a green commercial complex, which is designed based on the theme of the most tragic Mount Vesuvius located nearby. The complex has a restaurant, a hypermarket, a multiplex and a gigantic shopping mall having around 155 shops.

Created by Renzo Piano, the green artificial cone, Vulcano Buono measures 320 metres in width and 25-41 metres in height. The crater mouth remains open, measuring 160 metres. The roof of the complex is a grassy slope, covered by more than 2,500 plants, providing a natural insulation. The total area occupied by the complex is 450,000 sq. metres, with floor area of 150,000 sq metres and a parking space that can easily accommodate up to 7000 cars.

Image Credit: thecoolist.com

Green skyscrapers have a spectacular look, adorable features and above all they are energy efficient. The use of green specifications and materials offer greater human comfort too. Employees of green offices are able to work with great enthusiasm delivered by the natural energy. As the demand for power is on an increase, the importance of green skyscrapers is bound to grow ten folds in the near future.