be considered seriously. To minimize the effects from vortex shedding, many wind resistance
techniques have been used in Burj Khalifa. If the tower has a uniform shape along its height
and is in a steady wind, vortices form in a well-organized pattern and hit the building violently.
Therefore, the Burj design includes variation of its cross-section with its height. Every tier of
the building is different than the segment above or below it. In addition, the corners of the outer
buttresses are softened and take a tapered shape as they rise. Moreover, the tower has oriented
relative to the wind directions as it gets the minimum wind effect.
SHANGHAI TOWER (CHINA)
Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China and the
second tallest in the world. It dwells in harmony with
the other two skyscrapers nearby; the Jin Mao Tower
of 420.5m and Shanghai World Financial Centre of
492m. Its architectural height is 632m and this tower
has the highest observation deck of the world with a
height of 562m. This was designed by the Chinese architect
Jun Xia of Gensler. Construction of Shanghai
tower began in November 2008 and was completed in
2015. This tower has 128 storeys above the ground and
5 storeys below the ground.
Shanghai Tower claims to be one of the world’s greenest
skyscrapers and has won awards for its sustainable
practices and energy efficiency.
The building is designed with two glass facades, inner
and outer whose purpose is to maximize the natural
sunlight through the curtain walls and reduce the reliance
on man-made light sources. It reduces the energy
cost for electricity. Glass material is selected for the
facades as it minimizes light pollution too. Therefore, the exterior facade
is a staggered one with 12% of the visible light reflection. Heat
transfer and solar heat gain coefficients of the facade were studied
through energy efficiency analysis methods when designing the facades.
Moreover, there are 21 annular lobbies (atriums) between inner
and outer facades to reduce the cost of energy of indoor air conditioning
and heat supply systems.
Used indoor air is spilled out to atriums before being exhausted from
the building. During warm months, temperature above the occupied
level of the atrium is maintained below the outdoor ambient temperature
which reduces the cooling load requirement for the offices, hotels
and observation zones. Similarly, during winter season atriums proceed
to reduce the required heat loading.
From left to right- Shanghai World
financial Centre, Jin Mao Tower,
Shanghai Tower
Atrium Design
Shanghai Tower
GAUGE Magazine
University of Peradeniya
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