Supertalls

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Originally Posted by hkskyline

China skyscraper plan will generate energy
22 February 2006
Professional Engineering

A skyscraper design that claims to produce more energy than it uses is trying to win a three-horse race for a corporate headquarters competition in Guangzhou in southern China.

The designers of the 69-storey Pearl River Tower claim that the tower will raise the bar for sustainable design. Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is planning to harvest wind and solar energy for the development in the subtropical port. Its design wants to direct and manage the region's often fierce winds so they become "invisible braces" that stiffen the tower.

"This is a skyscraper for a new age," said Adrian Smith, consulting design partner at SOM. "Its sculpted facade will direct wind to a pair of openings on the building's mechanical floors. The travelling winds push turbines which generate energy for the building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. These openings also relieve wind pressure on the face of the building."

SOM claims energy consumption is reduced by maximising natural daylight, reducing solar gain in air conditioned spaces, retaining rainwater for grey-water usage and using the sun to heat the hot water supply. Stack venting, radiant slab cooling and caisson heat sinks work to chill the building. AC current is generated by solar collectors on the facade.

SOM is also the architect for the Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center in New York, which is due to open in 2010.

However, the Freedom Tower will not use wind turbines like the Pearl River Tower following a design re-jig last year. This led to the abandoning of wind turbines for what will be the US's tallest building. It was decided the canopy of other skyscrapers would cause troublesome turbulence and limit efficiency.>

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Originally Posted by hkskyline

SOM Wins Design Competition for Sustainable Skyscraper in China

CHICAGO, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP has won an international competition in China to design one of the most environmentally-sustainable buildings in the world, the Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm announced today.

SOM -- in cooperation with the Guangzhou Pearl River Engineering Construction Supervision Corp., and Guangzhou Design Institute -- will design Pearl River Tower, a 69-story corporate headquarters, for the CNTC Guangdong Company. The tower will be located in Guangzhou China, a subtropical port city of 6.6 million located 182 kilometers from Hong Kong.

"This project represents our commitment to sustainable design," SOM Managing Partner Thomas Kerwin said. "It also represents our commitment and spirit of mutual collaboration with China's design professionals, government and industry in pushing sustainable design best-practices."

Sleek and cutting-edge, Pearl River Tower will be an instant icon. SOM's design and engineering teams sought to create a visually-appealing building that produces as much energy as it consumes.

"The tower will absorb its environment and use it to its advantage," said project design architect, Gordon Gill of SOM. "It is a high performance instrument shaped by the sun and the wind."

The tower boasts an array of design and mechanical features. Winds directed into openings on the mechanical floor would power turbines that operate the tower's heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Solar collectors convert the sun's energy into electricity. Energy consumption is diminished by maximizing natural day-lighting, reducing solar gain in air conditioned spaces, retaining rainwater for consumption by HVAC systems and using the sun to heat the hot water supply. Stack venting, heat sinks and slab cooling cool the building.

SOM Consulting Design Partner for the tower Adrian D. Smith said the design "embodies the strategies of energy conservation and energy production we have endeavored to integrate into supertall projects for over a decade."

SOM was selected over seven design firms from four countries. CNTC Guangdong Company President Xiang Jin Cheng said the design "is the prototype for the intelligent building of the future -- highly efficient, sustainable and self sufficient."

Groundbreaking is scheduled for July 2006 with occupancy in fall 2009.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

Web site: http://www.som.com/>

Location at Zhujiang New Town

Costruction has started. No better pic by the moment, sorry.

Pictures and Information about this Project are courtesy of Forumer Menandro.

The project consists on:

1) Central Tower: Apartments and 5 star hotel (85 stories @ 346m)

2) East Tower: Apartments (73 stories @ 254m)

3) Weat Tower: Apartments (73 stories @ 254m)

4) High end Shopping Mall

5) Casino

Plans, Elevations, and Sections

Podium

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Towers

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Shopping Center

Location

Design Team

Developer: Grupo Mall (Madrid, Spain)
www.mall.es

Architect: Chapman Taylor (Madrid, Spain)
www.chapmantaylor.com

Structural Engineer: ARUP (London, England)
www.arup.com

Humberto EcheverrÃa & Asociados (Panama City, Panama)

Structural Features

- Continuous reinforced concrete mat

- Reinforced concrete retaining walls at basement

- Reinforced concrete shear wall system.

- Wind Tunnel Testing for design of lateral load resisting system.