Yeang, who published his ground-breaking The Skyscraper: Bioclimatically

Considered more than 13 years ago, said: If we keep using energy at the rate
were using it, then in 10 or 20 years the whole world will run out of fossil fuels
and the whole economy of the world will change. If we keep building without
landscaping, our cities and buildings will become increasingly synthetic,
inorganic and artificial.
Architects and developers failure to increase organic life in cities has meant
new buildings continue to consume more energy, claimed Yeang. He said:
I wouldnt say [developers] are ignoring the benefits, they are not aware of
them.
The document is published in tandem with the BCO report Whole Life Carbon, by
Simon Sturgis of Sturgis Associates, which aims to de-mystify the commercial
benefits of long-term thinking about energy use.
Sturgis warned: [The] industry is still not factoring whole life carbon
considerations into developments as much as they should be, meaning that they
run the risk of sleep-walking into longer and deeper problems in the future.

The theory of skyscraper design might, in the future, be derived in part from the
ethic of energy conservation.
- Ken Yeang, The Skyscraper
Bioclimatically Considered

With latest figures for climate change predicting an increase in average global temperatures
between 1.8 4.0C this century (IPCC, 2007), it is clear what effects our global consumer
society is having on the environment. In light of this, the Bioclimatic Tower project seeks to
challenge the tall building standard model the high-energy consuming, air-conditioned glass
box that exists in countries and sites around the world and instead explores the potential fo
environmentally responsive skyscrapers, set within the existing high-rise context of Canary
Wharf.
The programmatic brief for each project was derived from site studies and research, with the
majority of the towers looking to enrich the overtly commercial area through residential
provision. Particular emphasis is placed on tall buildings abilities to generate a proportion of
their energy on-site from renewables, through harnessing of wind and solar power. The project
began with a fieldtrip to London, whilst the normal system of weekly tutorials and design
reviews were supplemented by video presentations of the design proposals.
The Bioclimatic Tower final projects incorporate a wide range of design agendas; these
include a tower with an integrated wind farm at its summit, a design where occupants can
customize their apartment faade using prefabricated technology, designs incorporating
schools, gardens, markets, gyms and even temples at height within the building and a

vertical university scheme.

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