Philip Oldfield, Associate Professor of Architecture at UNSW Sydney, shares insights on the sustainable performance of tall buildings, and strategies to reduce their carbon footprint.

Tall buildings are a divisive building type. There are many who think they are inherently unsustainable, pointing to their high energy requirements, greater material needs and general unsuitability for family housing. However, others highlight their ability to foster high-density living and low-carbon lifestyles as an opportunity for efficient future cities.

In this webinar, Philip Oldfield talks about the evidence base for and against tall buildings from a sustainability perspective, covering both environmental and social factors. Drawing on the findings of his book, “The Sustainable Tall Building: A Design Primer”, published by Taylor and Francis, he highlights the architectural ideas, engineering strategies and cutting-edge technologies available to improve the performance of tall buildings in the future.

The presentation provides insight into designing social spaces at height, zero carbon towers, appropriate façade design, Passivhaus thinking, tall timber and low-carbon structures and renovation opportunities.