Rethinking skyscrapers: the architects creating ‘neighbourhoods in the sky’
- High-rises are the most space-efficient way to house people, but they have also been accused of creating anonymous, atomised cities
- These architects are trying to change this with their innovative designs
On his recent trip to Hong Kong, legendary Japanese architect Toyo Ito made a not-altogether-surprising admission: “I try to avoid skyscraper projects. If you’re talking about high-rise buildings, you don’t have any choice but to accumulate layers, which increases homogeneity – which leads to a feeling of alienation.”
Despite this, even the Pritzker-winning designer has not been immune to the lure of skyscrapers. At Hong Kong’s Business of Design Week last month, he talked about some of his rare tower projects, designed to chip away at the silo effect that keeps high-rise dwellers disconnected from the urban and natural environments around them.
One example is CapitaGreen, a Singapore tower that was completed in 2015 with a rooftop forest and plants that cover 50 per cent of its facade. Combined with a wind funnel that draws air into the centre of the tower, the greenery helps keep the structure several degrees cooler than its surroundings, reducing the need for air conditioning.
It says a lot when even a skyscraper-averse architect like Ito sees the benefit in building a better high-rise. For the first time in human history, more than 50 per cent of the world’s population now lives in cities, more of which are beginning to resemble Hong Kong as they sprout vast forests of skyscrapers.
Densely packed high-rises are the most space efficient way to house people, but they have also been accused of creating anonymous, atomised cities.