Tall & Urban News

Paradigm Shift Anticipated for Skyscrapers in Near Future

The era of skyscrapers will continue, with some modifications in response to climate change and human health needs. Cutline: Photo by Dimitry Anikin on Unsplash
The era of skyscrapers will continue, with some modifications in response to climate change and human health needs. Cutline: Photo by Dimitry Anikin on Unsplash
10 September 2021

Skyscraper design will change over the next two decades in response to the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, according to a forward-looking article surveying industry experts in Dezeen.  

Natural ventilation will become ever more important, with ventilated façades more sophisticated than just operable windows coming into play for both health and carbon footprint reasons.

The glass box era of skyscrapers may also come to an end, with glazing limited to areas optimized for the view while other areas of the envelope would be devoted to energy generation through photovoltaics, potentially even integrated in the curtainwall.

The design professionals quoted in the article also anticipate a move away from glass as an aesthetic choice, with a return to more tactile materials such as terra cotta or masonry to “humanize” the high-rise and recover a sense of craft in the modern urban environment.

Tall timber is anticipated to continue as an important trend in skyscrapers, as well as the trend of mixed-use buildings. Mixed-use is also anticipated to support increasing levels of biophilia, through gardens and vertical farms.

In addition to reducing future carbon, skyscrapers are anticipated to need to be ever more resilient against the changing climate. Considerations for resiliency against flooding may make skybridges more commonplace.

The architects interviewed felt the skyscraper will remain a critical part of the urban landscape, if only because cities must accommodate growing populations efficiently and with minimal consumption of land.

For more on this story, go to Dezeen.