Past International Research Seed Funding Winners and Projects
2024 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Carbon-Neutral Tall Buildings: Projecting the Impact of Better Performing Structural Systems and Renewable Energy Technologies on High-Rise Typologies
Principal Investigator: Nirmal Kishnani, National University of Singapore
Objective: Demonstrate that future tall buildings can attain onsite carbon neutrality, whilst existing buildings can be retrofitted today to become low-carbon.
Research project to be completed in April 2025.
2023 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Architectural Harmony in Chilly Times: Exploring the Thermal Comfort and Heating Energy Demand Trends in Non-Uniform Twin Tower Skyscrapers
Principal Investigator: Matthew Adams, University of Toronto Mississauga
Objective: Explore the Thermal Comfort and Heating Energy Demand Trends in Non-Uniform Twin Tower Skyscrapers
Research project to be completed in late 2024.
2022 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
CEMUH: Carbon Emission Models for Urban Habitats in High Density Neighborhood
Principal Investigator: Rahman Azari, Pennsylvania State University
Objective: Develop a hybrid modeling framework consisting of bottom-up and top-down approaches to assess urban embodied and operational carbon in high-density urban environments, focusing on Manhattan, New York City, as a case study.
Research paper will be available soon.
2021 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Children's Preferences for Biophilic Design in Vertical Schools
Principal Investigator: Fatemeh Aminpour, University of New South Wales
Objective: Explore the nature of spaces preferred by children in vertical schools and used for their self-directed activities.
Read the resulting research paper.
2020 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Building Above Our Cities: Mass Timber Construction Creating Sustainable and Socially-Connected Communities
Principal Investigator: Paul Kremer, Deakin University
Objective: Explore how mass timber vertical extensions can work with bridging connections, at height, to form interconnected communities.
Read the resulting research paper.
2019 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Tall Mixed-use Building Real Estate, Energy System, and Solar Photovoltaic Performance
Principal Investigator: Sofia Dermisi, University of Washington
Objective: Assess the ways in which energy-efficient systems and sustainable energy supplies can address the unique demands of tall mixed-use building programs.
2018 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Tall Buildings' Lower Public Spaces: Impact on Health and Behavior
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ye Yu, Tongji University
Objective: Research the health and social impacts of public spaces around tall buildings, with the goal of identifying urban design strategies that enable healthy lifestyles.
2017 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Façade Fire Incidents in Tall Buildings
Principal Investigator: Michael Spearpoint, Olsson Fire & Risk
Objective: Develop a database of high-rise fires that could be applied to the field of machine-learning, which may lead to new and innovative fire solutions.
Read the resulting research paper.
2016 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
How Do Outdoor Pollutant Concentrations Vary Along the Height of Tall Building?
Principal Investigator: Brent Stephens, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)
Objective: Measure the variations in pollution levels along the height of a supertall building, considering floor height, wind speed, and wind direction as factors.
2015 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Skyscrapers and Skylines: The Case of China
Principal Investigator: Jason Barr, Rutgers University
Objective: Conduct research on the determinants of skyscraper heights and completion rates across 62 Chinese cities from 1978 to 2014, to determine which factors contribute to development.
2014 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Building Façade Retrofit: A Database of Completed Projects
Principal Investigator: Andrea Martinez and Mic Patterson, University of Southern California
Objective: Conduct a study and build a database of existing façade-design optimization projects undertaken on tall buildings to date.
2013 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Vertical Greenery: Evaluating the High-Rise Vegetation of the Bosco Verticale, Milan
Principal Investigator: Dr. Elena Giacomello, Iuav University of Venice
Objective: Examine all aspects of the design and construction, as well as the ongoing status of the extensive plantings, on the “Vertical Forest” tower in Milan, evaluating the effectiveness of the plants as part of the building envelope.
2012 International Research Seed Funding
Funding Sponsor:
Designing Tall Buildings to Promote Physical Activity in China
Principal Investigator: Dr. Kristen Day, Polytechnic Institute, New York University
Objective: Study the impact of tall building developments on physical activity in China, and provide guidance for the design of tall buildings and districts that can positively improve health in China’s rapidly growing cities.
Get the Latest News and Updates from CTBUH
Fields with an asterisk (*) next to them are required.
View our privacy policy