The public realm surrounding tall buildings (both residential and commercial) in dense urban environments is typically poor with factors such as fire access, national security and the need to treat buildings as ‘iconic’ islands dictating design at the cost of environmentally and socially responsible networks of public city space. Retrofitting these spaces in a manner that addresses these responsibilities will allow cities such as London to create a higher quality urban fabric that will benefit a more diverse range of receptors in increasingly common tall building clusters such as Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf.
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“ buildings are in the pipeline, 113 of which are already approved for planning” - London’s Growing Up
“Sunlight and wind conditions play a critical role for people in determining thermal comfort in public open spaces and along sidewalks” Bosselmann
Visual Relationship From Higher Floors “Vegetation can also contribute
to the mitigation
of the urban heat island effect, through
“Large species trees, as one element of Green Infrastructure, are an essential
tool for combating
climate
change. They provide cost effective
methods of reducing the effects of rising temperatures, increased rainfall intensities, increased carbon emissions and diminishing air quality. These in turn provide benefits
to local communities through improved health and well-being, reducing stress levels, encouraging healthy lifestyles and raising property values” - Ciria Report
evapotranspiration and reductions in energy use for heating and air conditioning” - Greenspace Scotland
Setting Precidence For Local Open Spaces Towards Heron Tower
Increasing tree planting to generate obstacles to down-drafts and cyclic winds generated as air crashes into the large building and down to the public realm below. This creates a more thermally comfortable landscape. Dense planting with the intention of greeting a network of urban woodlands increases the coverage of heat and CO2 absorbing material to combat local and city wide urban heat island effect and CO2 emissions. Deciduous tree planting has also been proved to be beneficial for managing bounce light. White concrete also absorbs a greater amount of sunlight. Appreciation of combining natural light with artificial lighting so that the large shadows cast by tall buildings and even in some cases trees will create more comfortable well lit city environments allowing all corners of the public realm to be utilised all day round. Increasing the quality of social gathering spaces in a manner that gives greater choice of activity will open the outdoor space to a wider demographic contributing to a more socially interactive space. Lawns allow for outdoor group interaction/ meetings while more formal seating creates more intimate space for private conversation.
Dynamic And Resilient Public Realm
Multiple levels of green landscape add a new vertical dimension to the public realm bringing the visual relationship closer to more floors. This relationship would typically be lost after the first 3 floors how this can be doubled. Visual relationships between workers and landscape is proven to increase productivity and workplace satisfaction.
Towards Aldgate
Potential Immediate Sites For Green Retrofitting Towards Bank
“The densification of land uses in tall buildings lend themselves to the
“Results showed that on
83%
22 Bishopsgate Development The Leadenhall Building
St Helens The Gherkin
sustainable communities
average promotion of more individuals engaged in social activity in green versus not only barren spaces” - Sullivan, “ through the proximity of land uses but Kuo, & DePooter remember their favourite also through the opportunities to provide experience of a city being sustainable on site energy and energy in a park or on a street” saving measures within tall building - The State Of The City proposals.” - Legacy London Experience
65%
Utilising tree planting and concrete planting structures maintains the required secure perimeter to tall buildings in the city to ensure public safety from potential terrorist threats. Lawns and raising planters above the hard landscape maintain the required floorspace for the gathering of those from within the building in the event of fire or other needs for evacuation. Gaps in planters with retractable bollards allow for fire access and goods access. Greater green coverage allows greater absorption of rainwater to reduce the pressure on the city’s drainage networks while growing green networks allow for the potential increase of biodiversity in the local area which in tern gives a more responsible character to the local area.
“Due to the increased concentration of vehicle emissions, power production and industrial activity and aviation, cities
pollution hotspots” - City Of are ‘
London Corporation
Current Site
30 ST MARY’S AXE
TACKLING THE TALL BUILDING
WHY?
London, EC3A 8EP, uk