It’s becoming increasingly important to develop carbon-free buildings, which only use electricity generated by green energy sources, as the world rapidly becomes more urbanized. Skyscrapers are notoriously energy inefficient. Due to their height, which exposes them to stronger wind and gravitational forces, they require much more building material to stay stable. Because so many are covered in windows, they’re harder to heat and cool.
Are skyscrapers a bad idea, or is there an eco-friendly way to build them?
The Benefits of Tall Buildings
Skyscrapers aren’t all bad. In fact, they offer many advantages that make it worthwhile to invest in carbon-free building technologies. The benefits of high-rises include:
- Housing more people: With the population projected to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050, there is a critical need for more housing.
- Using less land: Skyscrapers reduce urban sprawl.
- Making transportation accessible: Tall buildings can make cities denser and put people closer to public transit. This equates to fewer vehicles on the road.
- Reducing road noise: People living on the higher floors of skyscrapers enjoy more peace and quiet because they’re farther away from traffic.
How to Develop Carbon-Free, Energy-Efficient Skyscrapers
Here are some ways to make the world’s tallest buildings a little greener.
1. Let the Heat Out
The people and machinery inside buildings give off a lot of heat, but running the air conditioner all day is wasteful. Skyscrapers with sky gardens, atriums, voids cut through them or other cross-ventilation systems create escape routes for excess warmth. Deep balconies offer residents extra shade at no additional cost.
2. Use Solar Panels
Solar panels, a staple of sustainable building, last around 25 years, and generate clean, carbon-free energy. High-rises with enough panels to cover all their electricity needs won’t use fossil fuels for energy or emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Skyscrapers have such a skewed ratio of roof-to-wall area that putting all the panels on the roof may not be feasible. Instead, some might be located on the ground in a nearby location.
3. Build With Wood
Producing cement emits carbon dioxide. A greener building alternative is timber, which stores carbon throughout the building’s lifetime. Mass timber, which is wood that is glued and pressed together, is comparably strong to steel and concrete. It’s lighter and cheaper, too. It becomes a much more sustainable choice when produced from selectively cut trees rather than clear-cut forests.
4. Save Water
Keeping operating expenses low impacts the success of skyscrapers, making water efficiency essential. Only https://www.meco.com/facts-about-water-scarcity/ and suitable for drinking, so one way skyscrapers can help if by harvesting grey water. Grey water harvesting systems capture, filter, and store water tenants use from showers and sinks for future use, which can reduce water usage by up to 50%.
5. Get Smart
High-rises can incorporate smart LED lights that only turn on when people are nearby. They can also use HVAC systems that automatically adjust based on outdoor temperature, building occupancy and time of day. These features are simple to install — they don’t require a complete teardown and remodeling — and they save a lot of energy in the long run.
6. Install Fewer Windows
Shimmering, iridescent glaze is a trademark feature of skyscrapers, giving workers at every level a view of the city. It’s also easier to lift and install lightweight glass panels at a great height than bricks. However, a building covered floor-to-ceiling in windows is terribly energy inefficient. In fact, windows let out a full 30% of heating and air conditioning.
Solid walls are a much better insulator because they lower energy costs. Even building a small section of a skyscraper with walls instead of windows substantially reduces energy use.
Developers should outfit existing windows with reflective coatings, blinds and awnings to minimize energy leakage. They should also regularly replace seals and weatherstripping to further mitigate the windows’ impact.
A Tall Order: Building Greener High-Rises
Skyscrapers are some of the world’s least energy-efficient buildings, but they don’t have to be. Making smarter architectural choices, such as using fewer windows, designing structures with airflow in mind and using green building materials, goes a long way toward creating eco-friendly high-rises. Additionally, developers can install solar panels on or around the structures to make them carbon-free.
High-rises will likely play a huge role in the increasingly urban future. They just have a long way to go before they can truly be called sustainable.
