Housing in Southern Africa April 2015

Infrastructure & Mixed Use

bility and usability

to cities, or are they the preserve of the rich? A: Many of the existing tall buildings are upmarket residential buildings or luxury hotels and it’s true that most people won’t have a chance to live that way. The current and planned tall buildings, however, address a very real and important issue that many countries and cities face – the fact that we are running out of space to house people. This is a key driver of many planned projects. In China, for example, a single square kilometre typically houses 50 000 people. These people are typi- cally living in 3 to 4 storey buildings (blocks of flats) that cover approxi- mately 50%of the land area. After you have laid the infrastructure such as roads, another 20%of the land space is accounted for. This leaves you with about 30% of the area for recreation, growing food, energy production and so forth. This is a serious concern because areas in China will eventually run out of land. So with this in mind, tall buildings not only address sustain- ability issues but in many cases an issue that could mean life or death to large segments of the population. Instead of looking at marginalisation and equality, tall buildings become part of a life and death argument. If, for example, we can house the same 50 000 people in 10%of the land space thanks to tall buildings, then we are left with 90% of the area for recreation, food production, energy generation and infrastructure, which is an incredible improvement from the current situation. Housing the population of a growing city in these tall buildings is a big winner for all involved – developers, government as well as citizens – and it’s a driving force behind tall buildings. Aureconwill continue to partner with clients and architects to create futur- istic buildings that offer remarkable, innovative aesthetics. Whether the requirements are energy saving, tight timeframes or complex structures, our team is willing and ready. ■

the customised, handcrafted ideas of architects, which leads architects to dreamand plan bigger. In turn, the pressure is put on engineers to find workable building solutions to bring the visions of architects to life. Our ability to create extraordi- nary and inspirational projects can be attributed to the collaboration that goes on between our design teams and our willingness to cross traditional boundaries. Whether it’s unique geometric shapes, complex facades or extreme wind testing and analysis that needs to be done, the engineers on a project need to come upwith aworkable solution to get the job done. Engineers and architects work very closely right from the start of any supertall building project, so it’s a very dynamic and refreshing working environment to be in.

A: Buildings are not only becoming taller, but they’re becoming more majestic and are able to performbet- ter in terms of energy efficiency and indoor comfort levels for occupants. We continue to produce what would have been unimaginable a decade ago thanks to world-class engineering solutions that were needed to construct the demanding and visionary buildings that archi- tects havemappedout. Besides being more aesthetically pleasing, they’re also becomingmore economical and easier to construct. Design professionals, specifi- cally architects, feel they are less constrained by technology than in the past. As consulting engineers, it’s our job to use technical skills so that an architect or a client’s vision can be realised. Today, we’re able to build magnificently intricate tall buildings that tell a story thanks to

Q: Do supertall buildings add value

April 2015