{"id":226601,"date":"2022-11-10T15:40:40","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T20:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/?p=226601"},"modified":"2022-11-10T15:40:40","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T20:40:40","slug":"skidmore-owings-merrill-unveil-beyond-net-zero-tower-design-cop27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/news\/skidmore-owings-merrill-unveil-beyond-net-zero-tower-design-cop27","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Buildable reality\u2019: Skidmore, Owings &#038; Merrill unveil beyond-net-zero tower design at COP27"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 id='pressboard-ad-sponsorship-tag' style='margin-bottom: 35px;'><\/h4><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/som2-e1668112539911.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[226601]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226603\" src=\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/som2-e1668112539911.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" \/><\/a>What if the solution to the climate crisis is to make buildings act like trees?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Skidmore, Owings &amp; Merrill (SOM) have created a building design that does exactly that.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">At last year\u2019s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, SOM debuted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.som.com\/research\/urban-sequoia\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Urban Sequoia<\/a> \u2013 a prototypical urban high-rise that\u2019s capable of purifying surrounding air and sequestering thousands of tons of carbon over a 100-year lifespan through its innovative underfloor ventilation system\u00a0that puts each square foot of material\u00a0to use capturing, storing and reusing carbon.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">At the time, the prototype was visionary, but still a few steps shy from the realm of possible.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This week, the firm returned to the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to reveal a more refined design that was developed after months of additional research. But this time it\u2019s not just an idea for the future \u2013 it\u2019s a buildable reality for today.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dubbed Urban Sequoia NOW, SOM\u2019s latest design promises to reduce upfront embodied carbon by 70 percent during its construction thanks to a \u2018reductive\u2019 approach to building that differs from the typical additive method in which carbon is added to the atmosphere through each step of the building process.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/som-e1668112604939.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[226601]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/som-e1668112604939.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Over the first five years of the building\u2019s life, it can achieve a net-zero carbon status. Over a 100-year lifespan, Urban Sequoia buildings could absorb more than 300 percent of the amount of carbon emitted in its construction and operations \u2013 pushing it beyond net-zero.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe asked ourselves how low we can go in emitting carbon in construction, how high we can go in carbon sequestration, and how long we can go in extending the typical building\u2019s lifespan,\u201d SOM partner Kent Jackson said. \u201cOur latest concept for Urban Sequoia answers these questions.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SOM\u2019S beyond-net-zero approach stems from the idea that buildings should be thought of as living organisms \u2013 self-sufficient entities that can significantly reduce carbon emissions, generate energy, absorb carbon from the atmosphere and survive far beyond the typical 60-year lifespan of the average building.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cUrban Sequoia is a systems approach, a philosophy,\u201d SOM sustainability director Mina Hasman said. \u201cIt is a way of thinking about cities as ecologies, as living and breathing systems that can be reconfigured to achieve dramatic reductions in whole life carbon, reframing the built environment as a solution for the climate crisis.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SOM\u2019s design is a response to the urgent need to rethink what our built environment could look like. The question is not whether the world needs more buildings \u2013 rather, it\u2019s a question of how builders can meet the needs of growing city-centres while ensuring environmental health and prosperity for generations to come.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">According to the firm, roughly 2.5 billion square feet of new construction will need to be built in cities by 2060 to meet the needs of the growing global population. However, despite only taking up three percent of Earth\u2019s surface area, cities are responsible for approximately 75 percent of global carbon emissions. Urban Sequoia promises to offer a holistic solution to these two competing forces that seem to constantly be at odds with each other.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Most notably, the design is applicable to any new building type in any location \u2013 meaning residential, business, institutional and industrial buildings could all become beyond-net-zero in the future. While densely populated urban areas are the ideal location for forests of Urban Sequoias, SOM says the options for implementing the idea are unlimited.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For more information, visit <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.som.com\/research\/urban-sequoia\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\"><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">som.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='pressboard-ad-sponsorship-msg'><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if the solution to the climate crisis is to make buildings act like trees?\u00a0\u00a0 Skidmore, Owings &amp; Merrill (SOM) have created a building design&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":226602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-11-10T20:40:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"d39a3b11-84aa-438a-afa6-f50eeac8e030","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-11-10T20:40:47Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A05o7EYSqQ4qvpvUO6sjgMA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":["https:\/\/u48r14.digitalhub.com\/sections\/09b86915-7d2b-3acd-915b-b215002d01b7"],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11108],"tags":[11163,11198,11135],"coauthors":[10598],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Skidmore, Owings &amp; Merrill unveil beyond-net-zero design at COP27<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What if the solution to the climate crisis is to make buildings act like trees? 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