To achieve the Paris Agreement’s net zero emissions goal by 2050 and prevent severe climate change, we must transform how we live and work.
Buildings are essential for work and leisure, yet they often harm the environment.
Globally, advancements in building technologies are helping individuals and organisations coexist with nature.
Here are 10 of the world’s most sustainable buildings.
10. Taipei 101
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Owned by: Taipei Financial Centre Corporation
Floor count: 101
Construction completed: 2003
Taipei 101 was the world's first skyscraper to surpass the height of half a kilometre, and remains the eleventh tallest building globally.
The structure achieved a Platinum LEED certification for its energy efficiency and environmental design.
Engineered for energy conservation, reclaimed water meets 20-30% of the building's requirements, potentially reducing the diversion of freshwater from vulnerable ecosystems.
The edifice also features double-glazed windows that obstruct 50% of external heat, lowering power usage for air conditioning and temperature regulation in the warm climate.
9. Shanghai Tower
Location: Shanghai, China
Owned by: Yeti Construction and Development
Floor count: 133
Construction completed: 2014
Shanghai Tower is one of only four finished 'megatall' skyscrapers, rising 632 metres and housing offices for firms such as JPMorgan, Alibaba and Allianz.
Conceived by Gensler, its tiered structure offers superior energy efficiency and nine distinct zones for office and retail purposes.
The edifice's 'outer skin' permits natural light ingress whilst diminishing air conditioning requirements to lower energy usage.
It also lessens wind load on the structure, enabling the construction to utilise 25% less structural steel than a conventional design of comparable height.
8. Torre Reforma
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Owned by: Fondo Hexa
Floor count: 57
Construction completed: 2016
The Torre Reforma resembles an open book, encased in a glass façade offering panoramic views of Chapultepec Park.
Openings in the glass façade provide natural ventilation, enhancing air conditioning efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
In Mexico’s hot climate, most buildings require meticulous temperature regulation.
The pavements surrounding the building were widened to prioritise pedestrians over vehicles, improving accessibility.
Reducing car commutes to the building helps lower carbon emissions.
7. Pasona Urban Farm
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Owned by: Pasona Group
Floor count: 9
Construction completed: 2010
The Pasona Urban Farm emerged from the refurbishment of an existing structure.
It incorporates a double-skinned green façade, a rooftop garden and urban farming facilities into the edifice.
The office space showcases over 200 species of plants, including fruits, rice and vegetables, which are harvested and served in the building's cafeterias.
This diminishes the quantity of food requiring transportation into the metropolis.
The building was conceived to unite the notions of agriculture, health and eco-friendliness to achieve harmony with nature and resource recycling.
6. City Hall
Location: London, England
Owned by: Greater London Authority
Construction completed: 2012
Formerly known as The Crystal, London's City Hall was initially constructed and inaugurated by Siemens to house a permanent exhibition on sustainable architecture.
It achieved the distinction of being the world's first edifice to attain the highest sustainable accolade with an 'Outstanding' BREEAM rating, alongside a LEED Platinum certification for sustainable construction.
The structure boasts ground source heat pumps, solar photovoltaic and thermal panels, a 60,000-litre rainwater harvesting system, and carpeting fashioned from reclaimed fishing nets.
Its building management system incorporates over 2,500 KNX-connected devices to enhance efficiency through automation.
5. Bank of America Tower
Location: New York, US
Owned by: Bank of America
Floor count: 55
Construction completed: 2009
Designed by Cookfox and Adamson Associates, the Bank of America Tower is the eighth tallest building in New York City, standing at 370 metres.
The structure encompasses 2.1 million square feet of office space and was the first commercial skyscraper in the United States to achieve a LEED Platinum certification.
Its energy-efficient features increased construction costs by 6.5% but are expected to save US$3m annually in energy expenses and boost productivity by US$7m each year.
4. Bullitt Centre
Location: Seattle, US
Owned by: Bullitt Foundation
Floor count: 6
Construction completed: 2012
Inaugurated on Earth Day 2013, the Bullitt Centre was conceived to be the world's most environmentally friendly commercial edifice.
During its initial decade, the structure has produced 30% more energy than it consumed from its rooftop solar panels, establishing it as one of the globe's largest net positive energy buildings.
The building ditched car parks in favour of bicycle racks and boasts 26 geothermal wells plunging 120 metres underground to aid in temperature regulation.
3. Bosco Verticale
Location: Milan, Italy
Floor count: 11
Construction completed: 2012
Bosco Verticale translates to vertical forest, and these edifices certainly merit the moniker.
Designer Stefano Boeri characterises them as "a dwelling for trees inhabited by humans".
These two residential skyscrapers reach 116 metres and 84 metres in height and encompass an 11-storey office structure.
The towers house over 90 plant species, including tall shrubs and trees, distributed across the façades.
The 20,000 trees and plants within the buildings convert approximately 20,000kg of carbon annually.
This vegetation is equivalent to that found in one hectare of woodland.
The flora is irrigated using a centralised maintenance drip irrigation system that utilises reclaimed greywater produced by the building.
The structures employ heat pump technology to diminish heating and cooling costs and emissions.
2. One Central Park
Location: Sydney, Australia
Owned by: Frasers Property
Floor count: 34 and 12
Construction completed: 2013
One Central Park is a mixed-use dual high-rise development created by Frasers Property and Sekisui House as part of Sydney’s Central Park urban renewal project.
The base of the towers features a six-level retail shopping centre with more than 40 retailers and a 13-screen cinema.
The building has earned a 5 Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.
One Central Park’s vertical hanging gardens rise more than 50 metres high, making it the tallest vertical garden in the world.
It includes more than 35,000 plants across 23 green walls.
The property incorporates a cantilever heliostat that uses motorised mirrors to reflect sunlight onto the gardens and atriums below.
Its recycled water network hosts the world’s largest membrane bioreactor water facility, serving 4,000 residents and over 15,000 daily visitors and workers.
The water system utilises various sources, including rainwater, stormwater, groundwater and sewage.
1. The Edge
Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Owned by: Edge
Floor count: 14
Construction completed: 2014
The Edge houses several firms, including offices for Deloitte, Salesforce and Henkel.
Deemed the world's most sustainable office building, it garnered the highest BREEAM score for an office structure of 98.36% in 2014.
It employs solar panels and subterranean thermal energy storage to generate more electricity than it utilises.
Rainwater harvested from the building's roof is utilised to flush its lavatories and irrigate its gardens.
Ceilings in The Edge contain approximately 28,000 sensors providing real-time data on CO2 levels, humidity, motion, temperature and light.
The building's ethernet-powered lighting system is 80% more efficient than conventional lighting and can be controlled via a smartphone application.
The smartphone app also enables coffee machines to recognise individuals and dispense their preferred coffee, and can alter the temperature and ambience of each room based on the person's preferences.
The Edge is heated and cooled by an aquifer thermal energy storage system that utilises hot and cold water in wells to regulate temperature.
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