Living high and green

Apart from the spectacular views they offer,tall buildings make too much sense from an economic point of view to not be around.

Most civilizations of note have attempted to immortalise themselves in the tall structures they left behind. Through their pyramids and obelisks,mountaintop temples,clock towers and cathedrals,men throughout the ages have sought to make their mark by constructing prodigious monuments to themselves and their cultures.

At times planners,politicians,and well meaning citizens have tried to suppress tall buildings or limit their height. Developers have frequently found themselves wrangling with community groups over the height of their projects. Yet the trend worldwide is towards bigger and higher. Cities of the world continue to compete for the highest office structures. In India,the majority of such buildings are seen in the commercial capital Mumbai. Talks are on about a proposed 320 metres high India International Trade Center here that will have 72 floors. Hyderabad is also constructing the APIIC tower with a 100 floors. The structure is likely to be completed by 2010. Bangalores tallest building Aquila Heights is of 32 floors. Noida has got the governments go-ahead to build a skyscraper with 135 floors. This is targeted to be higher than the current tallest building on the planet 8211; Taiwans Taipei. The building is scheduled to open by 2013. Dubais 2,300 foot high Burj Dubai is also in the race to become the worlds tallest building.

Apart from the spectacular views they offer,tall buildings make too much sense from an economic point of view to not be around. In countries like India,where population becomes a major problem and due to which living space for all is a big issue,high rise seems to be the only logical solution. There are many other benefits are as well of living in high-rise buildings such as lesser air and noise pollution,gated well secured community living; so we can have more social life,more security.

One advantage of tall buildings is that they can integrate all disciplines of architecture and engineering into the built environment including exterior wall,glazing,structural framing systems,ceiling systems,lighting,ventilation,exit strategies,building mechanical systems,water recycling systems and fundamental space allocation criteria. Benefits over and above enhancement to the environment include: reduced water consumption costs; reduced impacts on local and regional sewage systems; enhanced landscaping and water features within projects,especially where water conservation is key; reduced energy costs to run the project; eliminating storm water runoff and potential pollution into neighbouring properties.

These buildings can also afford underground parking at a reduced standard than single-family homes,significantly reducing the heat island effect of roads and large surface parking lots. The underground garages offer the perfect area to store storm water on-site and offer the ability not only to collect it,but to recycle it.

Building tall,green building is a smart way to limit the spread of urban sprawl while accommodating significant population growth. The bottom line to this idea begins with education,which is within the realm of legislators 8211; local provincial and federal 8211; in promoting and rewarding sustainable mixed use smart growth design.

For the longest time,municipal politicians have been resistant to change on behalf of the residents in their constituencies,especially with respect to higher densities. But as cities mature,thoughtful but decisive preemptive steps,as well as reactionary steps sometimes need to be taken to influence the directions of growth. Furthermore,they need to be taken on the basis of a sound understanding of a citys growth policies.

Story continues below this ad

For this to happen,politicians need to sit down with planners and chart a course,weighing such things as high-rise development and density against suburban sprawl and the long-term costs related to both. If not,patterns of growth may take on characteristics that are at odds with healthy development and may be hard to control once entrenched. l

The author is MD and CEO of Tata Housing Development