{"id":26147,"date":"2024-06-10T03:36:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T10:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/the-future-of-high-rise-is-localized-and-responsive\/"},"modified":"2024-06-10T03:36:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T10:36:11","slug":"the-future-of-high-rise-is-localized-and-responsive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/the-future-of-high-rise-is-localized-and-responsive\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future of High-Rise is Localized and Responsive"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By 2050, 70 percent of world\u2019s population of almost 10 billion people will live in urban areas. The presenters at the <\/strong>High Rise \u2013 Northern Exposure<\/strong><\/em> seminar envisioned how high-rise construction will meet the requirements of urbanization, and what technologies have to offer to builders and users today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"lintula
Lintula and Smithson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A line-up of high-rise specialists shared their insights with a keen audience in Otaniemi, Finland, on June 25, 2019. The conference was a co-operation between The Glass Performance Days (GPD) 2019, Aalto University, and the Glass Innovation Institute.<\/p>\n

Peter Smithson<\/strong> of BG&E Facades and Kimmo Lintula<\/strong> of Aalto University co-hosted the event.<\/p>\n

After welcoming words from Jorma Vitkala<\/strong>, the chairman of GDP, the first four presentations were by architects; one from the USA, two from Finland, and one from Australia.<\/p>\n

Principles for Good Urban
\nDevelopment and Two Finnish Solutions<\/h2>\n
\n
\"keith\"keith
Keith Boswell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Keith Boswell<\/strong> of SOM said that as a farmer\u2019s son, he knows how the climate and the weather influence agricultural production. Likewise, climate should influence architecture; how we solve a design problem both visually and performance-wise. \u201cIt\u2019s a question of balance\u201d was how he aptly put it.<\/p>\n

Boswell presented seven principles that he thinks should guide urban development: urban form, acting regionally, reinventing mobility, innovating infrastructure, embracing culture, raising people out of poverty, and sparking urban synergies<\/em>. He would insist on compact development while preserving open spaces and demanding walkable districts. \u201cCreate livable densities\u201d summarizes his approach nicely.<\/p>\n

Boswell\u2019s
\nFinnish colleagues walked the audience through two high-rise projects in
\nHelsinki. Until recently, the city has been careful not to allow many high-rise
\nbuildings on its skyline. However, as more and more people want to move to the
\nmetropolitan area, the city is now growing upwards in new, dense subcenters.<\/p>\n

Pekka Helin<\/strong> talked about Kalasatama<\/a>, a seaside development with eight towers and a highway and a metro line passing through. He explained how the architectural expression had to adapt to the realities of climate: the original horizontal design elements had to be abandoned because of concerns about ice build-up. He also talked about the local strict U-value requirements for outer walls and wondered if they could be harmonized across Europe.<\/p>\n

Architect Rainer Mahlam\u00e4ki<\/strong> presented his company\u2019s winning entry for another high-rise development. The Trigoni project consists of a group of six towers with triangular footprints and a pedestal area. Mahlam\u00e4ki explained that the triangular form derived from optimizing the performance of towers with regard to daylight, wind, views, and noise. He characterized the architecture of the towers as \u201cScandinavian-inspired\u201d, referring to simple forms and light colors.<\/p>\n

From Melbourne to
\nWashington D.C. and Hamburg<\/h2>\n

The
\n165-year-old company, Bates Smart Architects, has studied and developed
\ninnovative uses of glass in construction. Tim Leslie<\/strong> showed how they
\ncould create \u201can artificial sky\u201d as a backdrop for a nearby cathedral in their office
\nbuilding project at 171 Collins Street in Melbourne. Tilted glass surfaces on
\nthe fa\u00e7ade and in the atrium provide both transparency and reflections. Careful
\ntests with different types of meshes helped in the design of interiors that
\nprovide both light and protection for the users.<\/p>\n

How to
\nbring the Australian landscape into downtown Washington D.C.? The answer is in
\nthe combination of tinted glass and flamed copper sheets on the building
\nenvelope. That\u2019s what Bates Smart has proposed for the Australian embassy in its
\naward-winning project.<\/p>\n

Stefan Goeddertz<\/strong>, the fa\u00e7ade specialist at Herzog & de Meuron, demonstrated what top-notch engineering and manufacturing combined with unprecedented architectural expression can provide. The awe-inspiring Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg has attracted 10 million visitors with its original architecture since opening in 2017.<\/p>\n

The lower
\npart of the Elbphilharmonie has a red brick fa\u00e7ade that has its roots in the
\n1960s. Inside, the mixed-use building is entirely new. The upper part reaches to
\na height of 102 meters and is covered with unique bent glass panels. They have
\nvarying patterns and oval openings. The panel types reflect the various
\nfunctions behind the fa\u00e7ade, ranging from hotel rooms to bathrooms in the
\napartments.<\/p>\n

\"Elbphilharmonie\" <\/picture>\"Elbphilharmonie\" <\/picture>
Elbphilharmonie (Depositphotos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Technical Performance<\/h2>\n

Stephen
\nSelkowitz<\/strong> shared
\nhis experiences and experiments with smart glass at the Lawrence Berkeley
\nNational Laboratory. Electrochromic glass\u00a0allows users to control electronically
\nthe amount of heat or light that passes through it. Smart glass improves energy
\nefficiency, user satisfaction, and comfort.<\/p>\n

High-rise
\nconstruction imposes particular technical requirements on fa\u00e7ade design. Andreas
\nHiersemenzel<\/strong> of HS&A Fa\u00e7ade Consultants presented several projects from
\nhis design and engineering company. He insists on making the whole building
\nwork together, taking into account local conditions. \u201cEach building has a
\ndifferent answer,\u201d he reminded us.<\/p>\n

Peter
\nSmithson talked about the complexity of modern architectural design, and how it
\naffects design risk management. According to Smithson, cost-cutting in design
\nand construction leads to problems later on \u2013 even safety issues. The
\nprofession is under attack and the risk is disproportionate to the fee, he
\nasserted.<\/p>\n

Simulations
\nare great tools in designing fa\u00e7ade performance, but long-term monitoring
\nteaches us more. It reveals what\u2019s happening when a building is occupied and
\nthe fa\u00e7ade is subjected to the elements. Oliver Ng<\/strong>, a colleague of
\nSmithson, presented a new way to monitor performance: self-calibrating,
\nremotely readable IoT sensors that measure various factors constantly, over
\nmany years. As a result, building owners can react to issues quickly and learn
\nhow to build better in the future.<\/p>\n

Improving Design and
\nEngineering<\/h2>\n

Werner
\nJager<\/strong> of Hydro
\nBuilding Systems drew attention to the United Nations\u2019 goals to transform the
\nworld. He talked especially about sustainability in urban design. For example,
\nmaking building envelopes \u201cgreen\u201d with plants can reduce temperatures by 2\u20132.5
\ndegrees Celsius, without artificial cooling. Fa\u00e7ades can also absorb noise and
\ngenerate electricity. Jager finished off his presentation by showing impressive
\ndata on the small carbon footprint of fa\u00e7ades built with recycled aluminum.<\/p>\n

\"-\"\"-\"
Dr.-Ing. Werner Jager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Digital
\ntechnology creates new opportunities for glass design. Previous presenters had shown
\nhow meshes and patterns change the properties of glass surfaces. Michael
\nElstner<\/strong> of AGC Interpane demonstrated how his company generates different
\nhues and surfaces for glass fa\u00e7ades. The process includes true-to-life virtual
\nmockups and a manufacturing process that fulfills individualized glass orders
\nquickly.<\/p>\n

The CEO of Finnglass, Timo Saukko<\/strong>, completed the technical half of the seminar with a presentation on electrically heated glass. Saukko maintained that the technology not only improves user comfort but also saves a substantial amount of floorspace. That\u2019s because there\u2019s no need to leave room for heating convectors on the outer walls. Up to 90% of the energy of the electrically heated glass is directed inside the building.<\/p>\n

The seminar
\nwas an excellent summary of the current state of high-rise construction.
\nSustainable high-rise construction is a combination of architecture and smart technologies
\nthat offer a unique solution to specific environmental, human, and societal
\nneeds.<\/p>\n

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