One often hears the opinion that high-rise construction in its essence cannot be "green". Renzo Piano talked about this, for example, when discussing the New York Times tower he recently built and complaining about the large amount of energy that it consumes despite all the efforts made.
But William McDonagh, one of the world's foremost experts in energy conservation in architecture and construction, tried to refute this postulate. Commissioned by the American Fortune magazine, he developed the project "Towers of Tomorrow", which combines all the best practices of eco-design.
The volume of the building is streamlined, which reduces the resistance to winds, and its curvilinear shape will reduce the amount of spent building materials, increase the stability of the building and get the maximum usable area.
The green roof and multi-storey atrium garden across the entire height of the western façade of the tower will not only generate oxygen, but also cool the building by collecting and purifying rainwater. Used water from sinks and baths (the skyscraper will be a residential building) will be used to water them. The north facade will be covered with positively charged mosses from the inside, which will absorb harmful particles from the air. About 10,000 sq. M. Will be installed on the southern facade. m of solar panels, which will generate up to 40% of the electricity required for the building. The rest of the energy, as well as heat, will be produced by a small power plant using natural gas.
The project also includes the fact that all building materials, furniture, fittings and even detergents used by residents will be environmentally friendly and can be recycled after their use.
The Tower of Tomorrow project will be officially unveiled at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi on January 21-23, 2008.
