The World's Greenest Skyscraper Coming Soon to China

This fall a new skyscraper claiming to be the world’s greenest building will open in Guangzhou, China.

The 71-story, 2.3-million square-foot Pearl River Tower will be the most energy-efficient super-tall building ever built.

Pearl River Tower’s green features include a rainwater collection system which uses solar water to provide hot water for the building. But the building’s biggest claim to fame is that it will be the tallest Zero Energy Building (ZEB) in the world. ZEBs create more power than they pull from the energy grid – and many are able to sell excess energy to power companies. However, most true zero-energy buildings are small; Pearl River will be the first to face the challenges inherent in powering a large building.

Designed by the Chicago-based architecture firm SOM, the tower’s shape was optimized to take advantage of local solar and wind patterns. Pearl River is the first to incorporate wind turbines into the body of a building and the turbines are uniquely designed to operate at far lower wind speeds than most turbines. The turbines do more than generate electricity, though. The openings through which the wind flows help reduce the overall wind load on the skyscraper.

Photovoltaic panels in the building’s outer “skin” absorb and retain solar heat. However for most skyscrapers, cooling is a bigger problem than heating – and a greater expense. Pearl River is the largest radiant-cooled office building in the world, with raised floor ventilation, heat sinks, and vertical vents.

Throughout the building, solar panels supply power to window blinds that open automatically to let in sun and close to minimize solar heat when necessary. The exterior walls also contain an 8-inch gap. Thus, heat entering through the windows is trapped and rises to heat exchangers on upper floors. All of these features allowed the designers to install a heating system that is 80% smaller than in traditional skyscrapers.