Eco Factor: Sustainable tower houses sky gardens and wind turbines.

Gensler architects have announced a sustainable tower that at 632 meters will be the tallest tower in the whole of China. The spiral-shaped tower will also be high on sustainably and environmental awareness, incorporating various ecofriendly features. The tower will adorn Shanghai's Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone, an area that used to be a farmland just 18 years ago.





The Shanghai Tower will be composed to nine cylindrical buildings piled on top of each other and surrounded by an inner facade. The triangular outer façade creates space for nine sky gardens that serve as public spaces. The tower will also include a rainwater harvesting system for the tower's heating and cooling systems and a series of wind turbines attached beneath the parapets for onsite electricity generation. The multipurpose tower will provide room for businesses, restaurants cafes and stores. The tower is expected to be completed by 2014.




The Dark Side:

The tower seems green from top to bottom, so if the construction costs of such a tower are kept low then there is no doubt that this might just be the future of modern architecture.

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