The Plan to Build a Skyscraper That Doesnt Cast a Shadow

Growing cities around the world have nowhere to go but up, leadingto taller and taller buildings. But while mega-skyscrapers are the most efficient wayto build new homes,they also cast long shadows, drawing the ire of people living and working below. One solution: a pair of buildings that work together,reflecting sunlight to minimize shade.

About 250 skyscrapers are slated to redraw Londons skyline in the near futureeach with its own darkimprint on the streets below. So architects at the firm NBBJ in London decidedto see if they could come up with an entirely shadowless building. They used computer modeling to design a pair of buildings, one of which works like a gigantic, curved mirror. The glass surface of the northernmost building reflects light down into the shadow cast by itssouthern partner. And the carefully defined curve of that glass allows the reflected light to follow the shadow throughout the day. Note that the reflected light is diffusenot a focused death ray that could fry an egg or burn tourists. The relationship between the sun and shadow is the relationship between the two buildings, says Christian Coop, NBBJsdesign director.

To come up with that shape, the architects entered various building requirementslike footprints for office and living spaceinto design software called Rhinoceros. Then they told the program togeneratedesigns that maximize the light reflected onto the ground. The computer tests out every possible shape and spits back the best ones. Some are bonkers, Coop says, so to get a more practical design, the architects have to adjust the requirementslike more space on the lower levels. Then they run the program again. After several iterations, they finally gota shape they liked. Its a bit like working with clay, Coop says. The final design, with a thin base expanding as it climbs, reduces shade by up to 60 percent.

The architects designed this particular concept as a potential pair of towers in Greenwich, England, right on the Prime Meridian. But Coop points out that the software can be used to build any skyscraper anywhere. All you need to do is change the inputs: when and where the sun passes overhead at your location. The approach could be helpful inplaces like New York, where residents have resisted the construction of several new skyscrapers that they say will plunge Central Park into shadow. And itll be useful in developing countries like China and India, where new skyscrapers are going up at a rapid pace. More skyscrapers is something of an inevitability, says Daniel Safarik, a spokesperson at the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Were not going back to an agrarian lifestyle.

Although the idea of reflecting sunlight to brighten up shadows isnt new (its even been used to light up an entire town), more of thesekinds of designs are still needed. Sydneys One Central Park has moveable mirrors that reflect light onto shaded areas below or block the sun during the hot summer. And in November, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitatnamed the 363-foot high structure the best tall building in the world. Its definitely high time for this type of design to be baked into the building so it can play well with the environment, Safarik says. It should be standard practice. Maybe soon, everytall building will brighten up your day.

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The Plan to Build a Skyscraper That Doesnt Cast a Shadow