AS+GG’s Aerodynamic Wuhan Greenland Center to be World’s 4th Tallest Building

Today, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/adrian-smith-gordon-gills-new-vantone-center-will-be-tianjin%e2%80%99s-most-sustainable-leed-tower/">Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture</a> unveiled their competition winning design for the Wuhan Greenland Center, set to be the world's 4th tallest building. The nearly 2,000-foot <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/eco-tower">eco-tower</a> is an elegantly tapered structure featuring softly rounded corners and a domed top designed to reduce wind resistance and vortex action that builds up around <a href="http://inhabitat.com/insane-mile-high-kingdom-tower-given-green-light-by-saudi-arabia/">supertall towers</a>. Besides reaching for the sky, the green tower aims to provide for China's ever increasing population, all while reducing energy use and carbon emissions.

Clocking in at 119-levels, the Wuhan Greenland Center will have about 3,230,000 sq ft of floor space and include about 2,153,000 sq ft of offices, 538,200 sq ft of luxury apartments and condominiums, a five-star hotel, and a 90-foot-tall private club with views at the tower’s penthouse level.

A tripod like base forms the foundation of the tapered building and an extremely efficient, aerodynamic profile will reduce wind loading therefor minimizing the amount of structural material required for construction.

Apertures located at regular intervals in the curtain wall will assist in venting wind pressure and will also house window washing systems and air intake and exhaust systems.

As for energy efficiency AS+GG has included energy recovery using an enthalpy wheel integrated into the ventilation system, which will capture energy from the building’s exhaust systems and uses it to pre-heat or pre-cool air entering the building.

A high-efficiency lighting system will be combined with a daylight-responsive control system to reduce electric lighting whenever possible.

hen a greywater recovery system will take waste water from the hotel laundry, sinks and showers and reuse it in the building’s evaporative cooling system and water efficient fixtures will minimize water usage and reduce the energy needed to pump it up the building.