Opportunities of building tall and green – an overview from a European perspective

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to answer the question of whether a tall building, throughout its entire life cycle, can be sustainable. A literature review and online searches were conducted in order to gather data on the impact of environmental trends on chosen aspects of tall European building design. The conducted analyses confirm the hypothesis that the European approach considers sustainable aspects and can be the basis for general guidelines for the construction of green tall buildings, ensuring that the tall building’s location, floor areas and heights are functionally justified. Despite the demanding climate conditions, high-rise buildings are designed using bioclimatic solutions and take the use of passive phenomena and a reduction in the operating time of mechanical systems into account. The necessary technical infrastructure uses highly efficient, energy-saving equipment and solutions. Obtaining energy from renewable sources is present in architectural solutions but not very popular – these technologies are still growing and gaining importance.