High-rise buildings, towers, skyscrapers—different names for an architectural typology that is gaining increasing prominence and reflects a veritable race among the world’s most dynamic economies to reach the highest heights. China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries that will reach new heights in 2015 with four unique towers in the cities of Shanghai, Wuhan, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi.
The Shanghai Tower will reach a height of 632 meters, making it the tallest building in China. It consists of nine stacked cylinders whose cross-sections rotate as they rise. The double-glazed facade drastically reduces heat absorption. The building’s design was conceived to minimize wind loads and reduce the amount of steel required in the structure.
The Wuhan Center tower will stand 438 meters tall. Its aerodynamic shape is designed to reduce wind resistance, and the vertical incisions in the facade break up the continuity and eliminate the vortex effect.
The Capital Market Authority Tower in Saudi Arabia will have 79 floors and stand 385 meters tall. The building’s exterior has been specially designed to withstand the desert climate through a unified envelope and glazing system. A combination of fins and perforated panels triples the thermal efficiency of the facade.
The National Oil Company Tower in the United Arab Emirates, standing 342 meters tall, aims to achieve LEED Gold certification for its energy efficiency. The choice of a glazed prism within a solid frame is designed to address solar exposure; while the portico shields the east and west facades, the south facade is entirely clad in photovoltaic glass.
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