The World's Greenest Skyscrapers - Reality, Future, & Vision

Reality: The Bank of America Tower - New York,self-sufficient skyscraper is currently under
USAconstruction in Dubai and is expected to be
Completed in 2009 after 5 years of construction, thiscompleted this year. This innovative piece of green
magnificent feet of eco-engineering is located indesign is the brainchild of Italian architect David Fisher
Midtown Manhattan is the second tallest building inand will feature 79 power-generating wind turbines
the city after the Empire State Building and thelocated between each floor. These turbines along
fourth tallest building in the United States! It waswith solar panels on the roof and top of each floor
designed to be one of the most energy efficient andwill generate enough energy to power the entire
eco-friendly buildings on the planet and was the firstskyscraper and five further buildings of similar size.
ever skyscraper to be awarded The Leadership inThis truly unique building has an unlimited amount of
Environmental and Environmental Design Platinumdifferent looks, is totally self-sufficient energy wise
Certification.and is the world's first prefabricated skyscraper.
- The building has an uncountable number of energyVision: Ciadade Suspensa (Suspended City) - Rio De
saving and green features including:Janeiro, Brazil
- The building is constructed mainly of recycled &This incredible structure designed by Coolie Calahan &
recyclable materials.Charles Johnson aims to bring the city of Rio into
- Floor-to-ceiling insulating glass that contains heat andperfect harmony with nature and the environment.
maximises light meaning that an automatic dimmingThis structure is proposed for completion on the
system has been placed on interior lights.city's waterfront by the 2016 Olympic and uses an
- A greywater system that collects rainwater andenormous suspension system to lift the heavy
reuses it throughout the building.city-like structure above the ground and water. The
- Waterless urinals that save up to 8 million gallons ofstructural pylons to which the structure is anchored
water per year and reduce CO2 emissionsprovide all of the mechanics and transport systems
dramatically.and feature a biomass generator which also conducts
- The building has its own combined heat and powerfish farming, hydroponics, water recycling and waste
plant to fulfil basic energy requirements.composting. All these technologies create a
On top of all these features, all the cement used inrenewable and sustainable food source that can be
construction was made with 45% slag, a blastdirectly provided to the residents. This development
furnace by-product, which meant less cement wasis unlike anything that has ever been proposed
needed reducing CO2 emissions. Let's not forget tobefore and will include markets, apartments, green
mention, it's a truly stunning building too!areas and many other urban environments yet to be
Future: Dynamic Tower - Dubai, United Arab Emiratesthought up.
An 80-storey fully rotating and totally energy