Energy Efficient Structures: Reducing Energy Consumption in Super-tall Buildings - UAE Case study

Over the past few years , there has b een an increasing emphasis on designing low-energy-use buildings. Rising energy prices and clim atic impacts of energy generation are among the important reasons. Super-tall buildings can be sustainable vertical cities of tom orrow, because of their high aspect ratios, efficien cy with res pect to lan d use, and reduced transportation and inf rastructure se rvices requ irements. Super-tall bu ildings tend to develop denser cities, which contribute to efficiency and sustainability. Consequently, new challenges for designing efficient structural systems arise, that require unique solutions and strategies. This paper dem onstrates a com parison study of a super-tall structure in UAE. Initially, energy performance of the current (conventional) design is established to serve as the baseline value. Sustainable solutions criteria are incorporated next, and new energy performance of the building is determined and compared with the baseline value. The enhanced design uses an extern al structural system that has increased building thermal mass. Additionally, a porous structure is considered, that maximizes air flow within the structure. Finally , building materials with lower em bodied energy are used, that res ult in a lowe r energy content; and hence lower carbon emissions from the building construction. The analyses of sustainable components indicate significant reductions in cooling loads.