Unit section of wind CFD analysis image (above) by Chengzhang Zhang

Hyper Green High-Rises: Towards a Zero-Energy Skyscraper is currently being exhibited at the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) in Chicago, IL. This exhibit is free and located in the John and Kathleen Buck Atrium near the CAC box office. See more information on this exhibit on the CAC website here.

Tall buildings are a fact of urban life. Influenced by building codes, engineering and profitability, their design is often predictable. Behind the glittering skylines, generic high-rises–responsive neither to climate nor culture–now dominate many of the world’s cities.

This exhibition displays work from Harvard Graduate School of Design students who were challenged to conceive of a skyscraper that consumes as little energy as possible. Class visits to Dubai and Shenzhen (prior to the COVID-19 lockdown) focused on environmentally friendly local building methods and passive energy solutions that could inspire supersized solutions for tall buildings.

CURATORIAL
Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities at the Graduate School of Design

STUDENTS
Sandra Bonito
Astrid Cam Aguinaga
Sichuan Chen
Qiaoqi Dai
Xinyun Li
David Ling
Diastika Lokesworo
Ailing Zhang
Chengzhang Zhang

INSTRUCTORS
Ali M. Malkawi, PhD
Professor, Architectural Technology
Founding Director, Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities

Gordon Gill, FAIA
Partner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture