Construction and Design of Sustainable Steel Skyscrapers in Urban Cities

This study will analyze the importance of sustainable steel production, and minimize carbon impact.

Sustainability should be one of the main objectives in the design and construction of skyscrapers. However, there is an extreme lack of data on this topic. Unfortunately, many architects, engineers, contractors, and construction firms do not publicly share sustainability performance data or material processes.

The main objective for this project is to collect and published new data over time to measure the material’s impact on structural development and design efficiency so that steel sustainability best practices will become more standardized.

Original Infographic:

The graph below shows the global skyscrapers completion timeline from 1988 to 2018 with and without China’s Skyscrapers completions. You can see the astronomical growth in tall building construction observed over the past decade in China as it’s been a major driver in completions over recent years. China has maintained its reign as the most prolific country when it comes to the construction of tall buildings, with 88 completions in 2018, for 61.5 percent of the total. [Second place is held by the United States, with 13 completions. This was followed by the United Arab Emirates with 10]

The dominance of Asia as a region in terms of the proportion of the World’s 100 Tallest Buildings continued to grow in 2018, rising to 59 buildings. Even though steel has been the preferred material in the past century, it is common practice in Asia to utilize concrete and composite as the base material for tall buildings. The number of all-steel buildings in the Tallest 100 dropped significantly. The main goal would be to address this material issue by recommending steel design mythologies as a better alternative in the construction of future buildings. So the major increase in skyscraper completions in Asia leads to the decline of steel utilization. It’s known that steel is the most sustainable material in building as it can be recycled and reused with minimal carbon impact, Data needs to be collected to measure the material’s impact on structural development and design efficiency This helps development companies pay attention to the newest innovative alternatives, composition approaches, and construction techniques. For the cost analysis:
This project will have a five year timeline with a budget of 22 million us dollars. It takes a while and a lot to collect this data. I plan on hiring about 9 employees ranging from analysts to data scientists to project leaders. The graph shows the projected distribution with raises in consideration. And assuming all other coats are similar throughout the years. Consulting and data collection falls under research and development while operation costs account for a majority of the budget at 30%

Pushing For Laws and Regulations:
In a world becoming more aware of environmental issues, it’s vital for development companies and executives to make important decisions when it comes to our future skyscrapers. The graph shows how sustainable steel is as and it only grows over the next 30 years. This study emphasizes the importance of innovative building designs and environmentally conscious steels to decrease overall carbon emissions and increase green construction. As new data is collected and published over time, sustainability best practices will become more standardized

Sustainable Steel Skyscrapers in Urban Cities
by Janet Lin

Abstract

Many recent skyscrapers utilize the latest state-of-the-art technologies and exhibit extraordinary engineering, without the prioritization of sustainability. In a society gradually responding to climate change, switching over to an environmentally responsible approach is paramount. The Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) plans on conducting a sustainability research project to learn more about the prioritization of sustainability in future skyscrapers. The CTBUH plans on focusing on the sustainability features of steel and the heavy influence it has on a building’s comprehensive life cycle, to prove the benefits of producing more sustainable skyscrapers.

Above is a tableau visualization I made,. (Asia dominates the globe as host to tall buildings, with 59 of the world’s top 100 existing within its borders) For an interactive visual, scroll all the way down.

I. Climate change initiatives in the steelmaking industry

Sustainability should be one of the main objectives in the design and construction of skyscrapers. However, there is an extreme lack of data on this topic. Many architects, engineers, contractors, and construction firms do not publicly share sustainability performance data or material processes. The Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has accumulated quite a bit of research on sustainable buildings but requires more data to enact official reforms. While there is still much room for improvement, there have been recent strides in sustainability initiatives. For example, parametric design, an algorithmic software invented to construct more efficient blueprints, has been utilized for optimization. This allows new buildings to be built with less steel and concrete.

II. Data needs to be collected for design efficiency

This study will analyze the importance of environmentally conscious steel production, as well as the push to minimize carbon impact. Data needs to be collected to measure the material’s impact on structural development and design efficiency. This helps development companies pay attention to the newest innovative alternatives, composition approaches, and construction techniques. As new data is collected and published over time, sustainability best practices will become more standardized.

III. The benefits of using sustainable steel over other materials

Steel has been designers’ favored building material for decades, but supply will soon significantly outpace demand (See Figure 1). This information can be organized and structured with material and performance data to build models which can further help the research. The underlying goal of this study is to incite resourcefulness and imagination in the structural design community by exposing professionals to new concepts of creating sustainable blueprints.

Fig 1. Steel Demand Outlook: The Steel demand outlook is robust and supplies increasingly will come from recycled scrap.

Even though steel has been the preferred material in the past century, it is common practice in Asia (especially China) to utilize complex concrete as the base material for tall buildings.

The graph shows the global skyscrapers completions timeline from 1979 to 2018 with and without China’s Skyscrapers completions. China has maintained its reign as the most prolific country when it comes to the construction of tall buildings, with 88 completions in 2018, which accounts for 61.5% of the world’s total. (See figure 2 below)

The CTBUH’s research can help address this challenge by recommending steel design methodologies as a better alternative in the construction of future buildings. The CTBUH will not only collect quantitative data on the matter but will also collect data regarding the use of steel in structural engineering. Data can be collected from The American Iron and Steel Institute, CTBUH technical journal papers, and other sustainable building research documents from established organizations. We will use predictive analytics to ensure the favorable outcome of the hypothesis.

IV. Required resources for long term success

We will need a team of about ten data scientists to participate in this research. It will take at least a year so that new data can be collected on sustainable buildings. The cost of this research may be around one million dollars in order to guarantee accurate experimentation, from employee salary to hiring different consulting firms for sustainability data. In the long term, there will be definitive proof of why building sustainable skyscrapers is necessary for the future. Our goal is to collect data, use predictive analytics and build a model using machine learning algorithms to conclusively prove these points.

V. Conclusion

In a world becoming more aware of environmental issues, it’s vital for development companies and executives to make important decisions when it comes to our future skyscrapers. This project proposes using analytical insights and historic data to explore the benefits of building more environmentally friendly developments using sustainable steel. The CTBUH will use the collected data to push for new laws and regulations when it comes to skyscrapers, with the long-term intent of forcing developers to follow a sustainability model. In a world of understanding the ramifications of using fossil fuels and other unsustainable resources, it’s important to explore new options to support the fight against climate change. This study emphasizes the importance of innovative building designs and environmentally conscious solutions to decrease overall carbon emissions and increase green construction.

VI. References

Modi, S. (2014). Improving the Social Sustainability of High-Rises. Retrieved 2020, from https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/828-improving-the-social-sustainability-of-high-rises.pdf

Trabucco, D., Wood, A., Vassart, O., & Popa, N. (2015). A Whole Life Cycle Assessment of the Sustainable. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/2412-a-whole-life-cycle-assessment-of-the-sustainable-aspects-of-structural-systems-in-tall-buildings.pdf Ali, M. (2010).

Sustainability and the Tall Building: Recent Developments and Future Trends. Retrieved 2020, from https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/318-sustainability-and-thetall-building-recent-developments-and-future-trends.pdf

Finnigan, S., Trabucco, D., Gerardy, J., & Popa, N. (2019). Steel and Skyscrapers: A Productive History and a Sustainable Future. Retrieved 2020, from https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/4217-steel-and-skyscrapers -a-productive-history-and-a-sustainable-future.pdf

Below is an interactive tableau visual, it is only viewable on desktop and not on mobile.