Making a carbon-neutral future – the road to self-sufficiency

Reducing carbon emissions from building construction and logistics is one thing. However, even after they are constructed, buildings continue to emit carbon and other GHG emissions from heating, cooling, electricity use, and other ongoing operations and maintenance activities. 

Creating a truly sustainable new tower meant accounting for these factors early in the design phase, where 80%* of the final impact is determined. This involved selecting sustainable materials and designing energy and water management systems to reduce carbon emissions during the entire lifecycle. The first thing the team needed to do to achieve carbon neutrality was to understand the future uses of the building, as well as the resource consumption and carbon emissions associated with those uses. Then, they were able to integrate that data into their conception process.

They began by clearly defining what the tower was: a vertical garden. This meant that it would play host to lots of plants and trees, all of which needed to be maintained with a huge amount of water. It also required the development of effective waste management and water management solutions which would include using recycled water to maintain the tower’s gardens.