Solar panels add to the tower's green credentials. [China Daily]

 

Construction of the Pearl River Tower, located in the booming new central business district of Guangzhou, which began in 2006, is due to be completed by the end of this year, said Jaime Velez, a principal designer from the United States-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM).

It is expected to become the coastal city's first commercial building with zero-energy consumption.

The tower is designed by SOM, one of the world's leading architecture, urban design, engineering and interior architecture firms.

A double 'skin' gives the building heightened eco-friendliness. [China Daily]

"Is it quite an ambitious goal? It is something we should be striving to achieve," Velez said.

The designer said making a building green is more challenging than making it tall.

"Height doesn't seem to be a problem. Pushing the building from a sustainability and green perspective is more difficult," he said.

However, Velez, who has participated in a large number of architectural and interior projects in the US, Europe and Asia, has many reasons for achieving this goal.

"We attached great importance to using natural resources such as wind and sun to generate electricity for the building from the very beginning of the design process," he said.

For example, gill-like gaps in the facade of the building will inhale wind that will propel turbines to produce electricity.

The building will harvest wind and solar energy, directing and managing prevailing winds so that they become "invisible braces" that help stiffen the tower, Velez said.

Energy consumption is reduced by maximizing natural day lighting, reducing solar gain in air-conditioned spaces, retaining rainwater for gray-water usage, and using the sun to heat the hot water supply in the building.

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SOM's sophistication in building technology applications and its commitment to design quality has resulted in a portfolio that features some of the most important architectural accomplishments, including the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago, Jinmao Tower in Shanghai and the world's highest building, Dubai Tower in the United Arab Emirates.

In China, the company has helped design more than 50 buildings, over 15 of which are skyscrapers. The Pearl River Town is the first energy-saving building that SOM has designed.

Velez said the Pearl River Tower would help emit less carbon dioxide by approximately 3,000 tons and achieve an overall energy saving of 30.4 percent a year.

"This is an iconic, high-performance building that is designed in harmony with its environment," Velez said. "It is a skyscraper for a new age."