Activity at the CTBUH London Conference: Day Three
13 June 2013 - Conference
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Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
The current legal building name.
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.
A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.
Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.
Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.
Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.
Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Construction Start
Completed
Cost
Cladding
Elevator
Sealants
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Cost
Façade Maintenance
Planning
Vertical Transportation
Wind
Cladding
Elevator
Sealants
2011 CTBUH Awards
13 June 2013 - Conference
13 June 2013 - Building Tour
12 June 2013 | London
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02 June 2017
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The design of the tower provides highly flexible work-spaces which support diverse tenant needs. A series of nine three-story “villages” and one six-story “village”—with a full-height atrium at the heart of each—create independent spaces and provide high levels of visual connectivity while maximizing daylight deep into the building adding human scale and a sense of community.
Responding to its urban context, the redevelopment of the Heron Tower site also incorporates significant improvement to circulation and access around its base. On a busy traffic corner, with narrow pavements, the public realm has been enhanced by opening up a pedestrian section to the north, along Houndsditch, animating the space with planting and cafés. Similarly an arcade along Bishopsgate has been created to provide a generous footpath to the busy street and address the Grade II listed St. Botolph’s church opposite. An extension to the public realm is also incorporated at roof-level with dining terraces associated with the public restaurant and bar providing views across London.
Optimizing the core of the building off-set to the south enabled the design of large, open, flexible office spaces, which form the 10 “villages.” Each of the villages is environmentally independent, with its own mechanical and electrical systems, life safety systems and controls so that each can be tuned to exactly the comfort patterns and values of its occupants. In addition the design of the building’s services systems incorporates features that ensure that energy is used efficiently with heat recovery, high efficiency plant and low-energy cooling systems, bringing energy savings, cost benefits and allowing the refit of new technologies in the future. These villages are structurally expressed on the northern face by the stainless steel cross-bracing and articulated to the east and west, animating the façade.
The orientation of the building informed the design of the façades. To the east and west the highly transparent, ventilated façade creates a bio-climatic, energy-efficient enclosure with automatic integral blinds controlling the direct long angle sun. On the south elevation the core serves to protect the building from excessive heat gain and incorporates a photovoltaic array—laminated units on the vertical façade of the scenic passenger lifts and plant areas. This array, covering 3,374 sq m (36,317 sq ft), is the second largest PV array in the United Kingdom and ultimately results in a 2.2% reduction in carbon emissions for the whole building.
The core, positioned to the edge of the building, houses 10 main glazed lifts and two shuttle lifts to the roof level public restaurant and bar. In order to service the relatively large number of small floors efficiently, the building’s elevators incorporate double-deck panoramic high speed lifts with bespoke hall-call destination control software.
The entrance lobby is defined by a dramatic 12 meter (39 foot) long tropical fish aquarium, the largest privately owned aquarium in Europe. It contains 1,200 fish of 67 different species ranging from Green Chromis [60 mm (2.3 in) when fully grown] to Bamboo Sharks [which grow to a maximum of 1200 mm (47 in)].
The durability and solidity of Heron Tower is enhanced by the use of materials; combining stainless steel “linen” finish cladding with neutral/clear glazing. This is translated at street level with a set-back, covered, three-story arcade on Bishopsgate and full-height glazing connecting the street to the building. The mass of the building is also stepped back at the upper levels—at restaurant and bar—cut back in three-story steps up to the highest point at the south west corner, topped by a 28 meter (92 foot) stainless steel mast.
2011 CTBUH Awards
12 June 2013 | London
When creating tall buildings in cities with centuries worth of history, does the past take precedence or does the future? For a contractor or developer...
19 September 2012 | London
William Murray of Wordsearch is interviewed by Jeff Herzer during the 2012 CTBUH Shanghai Congress at the Jin Mao, Shanghai. William discusses the marketing of...
19 September 2012 | London
This presentation covers the performance differences of the Closed Cavity Façade compared with traditional single and double skin façades by means of detailed dynamic whole...
02 June 2017
This research suggests the most effective way for improving energy efficiency in tall buildings is a “fabric-first” approach. This involves optimizing the performance of the...
11 June 2013
European architecture is at a crossroads. Its commercial and environmental realities are driving buildings ever-higher, but not all are convinced. In this article – contributed...
27 April 2012
Controversy has erupted over development proposals in London and Liverpool in the UK, which UNESCO says will damage views of World Heritage sites. Critics counter...
10 October 2004
Tall Buildings are perhaps the most keenly debated building typology currently in existence. Opinion on their contribution to the urban agenda is usually clearly divided;...
01 August 2004
Tall Buildings are perhaps the most keenly debated building typology currently in existence. By relating this to recent tall buildings internationally, the paper concludes by...
13 June 2013
Tall Building Industry Gathers in London See the highlights from the tall building event of the year…
13 June 2013
Heron Tower is a world-class office building at the heart of London’s financial district. Stretching 230 meters into the London skyline, the 46-story building is the tallest in the City of London.
1 April 2012
Ten years in the making, the project finds itself well fit into its urban landscape and brings new vitality to the city.
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