Recent Advances in Sustainable Vertical Urbanism

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 21233

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Urban Planning and Policy, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
Interests: tall buildings; ecological design; biomimicry; intelligent systems; smart skins; renewable energy; wood skyscraper; retrofitting skyscrapers; vertical farms; green roofs; security systems; ultra-high speed and regenerative energy elevators; social life; life cycle assessment; recycling; bio-degradable materials; sustainable high-rise development
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our cities continue to face numerous challenges: climate change, rapid population increase, demographic shifts, and, recently, COVID-19. Of course, there is a tremendous volume of literature that examines each of the above; however, there are fewer studies that address the role of vertical developments in promoting or demoting urban sustainability. This Special Issue will focus on the various architectural and urban planning aspects that are critical to ensure sustainable vertical developments. It will examine pioneering architectural design, creative site planning, innovative engineering, and promising spatial patterns of both existing and emerging high-rise global cities. Related urban topics will include walkability, mixed-use schemes, tourism, cultural vibrancy, transport accessibility, environmental considerations, and the organization of buildings in relation to public spaces and amenities. Importantly, tall buildings in relation to the mass-transit network are seen to be crucial to the sustainability of a high-rise city. Collectively, this SI will shed light on recent architectural and urban developments and provide guidance on the design and planning of future vertical cities.

Prof. Dr. Kheir Al-Kodmany
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Urban Design
  • Sustainability
  • Tall Buildings

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 16613 KiB  
Article
Incremental Production of Urban Public Green Space: A ‘Spiral Space’ Building Typology
by Xiang Zhang
Buildings 2022, 12(9), 1330; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12091330 - 30 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4846
Abstract
This paper addresses a challenging global problem, insufficient accessible urban public green space, based on building typology. Offering sufficient public green spaces and maintaining the equalities of citizens’ accessibility in high-intensity urban cities has been increasingly challenging. Thus, providing adequate and accessible green [...] Read more.
This paper addresses a challenging global problem, insufficient accessible urban public green space, based on building typology. Offering sufficient public green spaces and maintaining the equalities of citizens’ accessibility in high-intensity urban cities has been increasingly challenging. Thus, providing adequate and accessible green public spaces by 2030 is a sub-goal of SDGs No. 11. Solving this urban problem is commonly considered the responsibility of urban planning; however, the potential of buildings is scarcely discussed in academia. Luckily, in the industry, many top architecture firms (studios) have tapped the particular potential of buildings via design practice. This practice-led research aims to understand the efforts made by industrial circles. Based on the fieldwork worldwide, this study proposes a ‘spiral space’ building typology to work as a conceptual framework for this emerging field. The key benefit of this building typology—incremental production of public green spaces—is qualitatively verified, and the good flexibility and international acceptance of this building typology are demonstrated based on global cases. This work could serve as a basis for future research on how buildings could play a greater role in supporting urban sustainability, such as enhancing the residents’ accessibility to public green space in metropolises. In addition, the building typology and corresponding design strategies discussed herein could also serve as references for future design practice for architects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Sustainable Vertical Urbanism)
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22 pages, 2728 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Life-Cycle Energy Costs of Heritage Buildings
by Abobakr Al-Sakkaf, Ashutosh Bagchi and Tarek Zayed
Buildings 2022, 12(8), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12081271 - 19 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2142
Abstract
After the sustainability of heritage buildings (HBs) has been evaluated and it is determined that rehabilitation is needed, then the life-cycle cost (LCC) of energy for HBs can be analyzed. The objective of this research was to evaluate the LCC of energy for [...] Read more.
After the sustainability of heritage buildings (HBs) has been evaluated and it is determined that rehabilitation is needed, then the life-cycle cost (LCC) of energy for HBs can be analyzed. The objective of this research was to evaluate the LCC of energy for HBs and develop a comprehensive life-cycle model that will aid in expenditure planning and budget allocation. This study was validated through the weighted sums method and two case studies—Murabba Palace (MP), Saudi Arabia; and Grey Nuns Building (GN), Canada—were evaluated. For any HB, the project life cycle includes planning, manufacturing, transportation, construction, operation, and maintenance phases. Saudi Arabian and Canadian experts completed questionnaires to attribute a percentage of importance of each of the aforementioned phases with respect to energy consumption. The findings from this study will enable facility managers to make effective rehabilitation decisions. The operation phase has the highest impact on the energy consumption, gas consumption, and cost of the building in both case studies. Moreover, the findings from this study can be used to establish cost-effective intervention strategies. Their responses were employed in the development of a life-cycle model. Excel® and Minitab® were used to calculate Cronbach’s alpha values for data reliability, and the project LCC of energy for the two case studies was studied. The operation phase appeared to be the most energy-consuming phase in both case studies, contributing the most to the cost of the building. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Sustainable Vertical Urbanism)
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32 pages, 36529 KiB  
Article
Hierarchical Quantification of Utilization Rate and Related Indicators of Mixed-Use High-Rise Buildings
by Yuchen Xie, Peng Du and Jianhe Luo
Buildings 2022, 12(7), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12070956 - 05 Jul 2022
Viewed by 4545
Abstract
Mixed-use high-rise buildings are vertical superpositions of various business types in the category of mixed-use development. It has become a highly intensive organizational form in the urban high-density environment. Under China’s “height limit” policy, the simple superposition of business types does not meet [...] Read more.
Mixed-use high-rise buildings are vertical superpositions of various business types in the category of mixed-use development. It has become a highly intensive organizational form in the urban high-density environment. Under China’s “height limit” policy, the simple superposition of business types does not meet the government requirements for planning, construction, and management, and does not fully utilize the advantages of the mixed development mode. The single utilization rate index used in the past could not accurately describe such buildings’ usage value and spatial variation characteristics. In this study, a quantitative analysis of data from eight construction projects was carried out, and a utilization rate index system was established at three levels, namely, the typical floor utilization rate k1, business utilization rate k2, and building utilization rate k3. In terms of k1, the emphasis was placed on the design elements of the mixed-use development and the variation of relative indicators. In k2 and k3, it was found that the business type, floor area, and utilization rate were negatively correlated. In conclusion, by establishing a hierarchical utilization rate calculation method, the efficiency values and design characteristics of mixed-use high-rise (MUHR) buildings were explored, which provide references for the future design of such buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Sustainable Vertical Urbanism)
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22 pages, 59652 KiB  
Article
Reconfiguring Vertical Urbanism: The Example of Tall Buildings and Transit-Oriented Development (TB-TOD) in Hong Kong
by Kheir Al-Kodmany, Qiuli (Charlie) Xue and Cong Sun
Buildings 2022, 12(2), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020197 - 09 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 8636
Abstract
As the world moves toward becoming 70% urbanized by 2050, urban density becomes imperative in decisions on the urban environment and living quality. This paper builds on the polycentric and “rail village” development model that applies a “concentrated” density in strategic locations to [...] Read more.
As the world moves toward becoming 70% urbanized by 2050, urban density becomes imperative in decisions on the urban environment and living quality. This paper builds on the polycentric and “rail village” development model that applies a “concentrated” density in strategic locations to create hyper-connected, socially vibrant hubs. Notably, it proposes the Tall Buildings and Transit-Oriented Development (TB-TOD) model, a type of development that refers to vertical mixed-use developments centered on mass transit nodes, as a sustainable option for large cities going forward. The key factors that promote the TB-TOD model are the efficient use of costly land, increased population density, boosted ridership, better regional connectivity, more sensible suburban growth, and improved placemaking. The paper examines the relationship between high-rise buildings and TOD in Hong Kong. The paper identifies and compares four types of TOD model, including “plug-in” TOD in the old city; city-edge TOD; “one building” TOD; and suburban TOD in the new area. Overall, this study documents urban design prototypes applicable to cities facing the challenges of high urban density and an excessive population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Sustainable Vertical Urbanism)
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