Management

The Way One Can Work

Tadao Kamei, President of Nikken Sekkei, told us about the specifics of working at Nikken Sekkei, its policies and traditions.

Second Successful Year: 2019 Year in Tall Buildings Review

The year 2019 was remarkable for the tall building industry, as it saw 26 supertall buildings (300 meters or taller) completed, the most in any year. This is the second year in which this record was established, besting 18 supertalls in 2018. It was also the sixth year in a row that at least one 500-meter-plus building was completed. Overall, 126 buildings of at least 200 meters were completed in 2019, compared to 146 in 2018, a 13.7 percent decline. This is the first year in which the overall completion figure declined since the 2010 to 2011 gap, which was attributed to the lag effect of project cancellations due to the 2008 recession. The tallest building to complete in 2019 was the Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, at 530 meters. It is now tied for the fourth-tallest building in China with its sister tower, Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (also 530 meters) and is the eighth tallest in the world. This marks the fifth year in a row in which the tallest building to complete is in China.

Zeitgeist: Tall Trends in Retrospect of 2018

The 2018 CTBUH Tall Building Year in Review and Tall Buildings in Numbers data analysis report found that 143 buildings of 200 meters’ or greater height were completed in 2018, down by four from the all-time record of 147 in 2017. The year also saw 18 completed “supertalls” (buildings of at least 300 meters’ height), the largest number ever. The report covers other statistical highlights of 2018 and predicts completions for 2019.

Adaptive Skins

Inventions in digital technologies directly influence on the development of high-rise buildings construction industry. The development of software and modern design tools has led to the emergence of new trends in the skyscrapers architecture, such as additive or generative design. In order to integrate innovative systems in the design process, it is necessary to use the most advanced software and, more importantly, to provide educational programs for young professionals who will be able to apply the acquired skills in their creative practice.

Best Skyscrapers 2018

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has announced the winners of the 16th Annual CTBUH Awards Program, which competed for winning distinctions at the 2018 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference from May 30-31 at Aqua Tower in Chicago. The CTBUH Awards Jury has named Oasia Hotel Downtown the “Best Tall Building Worldwide”, in addition to recognizing the winners of nine individual award categories.

Chicago Precedent

In urban centers dominated by tall buildings, access to outdoor space is important. In this article the project architects explain how one urban office building development provides valuable outdoor open space. In Chicago, the development involves transforming an open urban scar into one of the city’s largest public landscaped areas. The development is located on a key CBD site along the Chicago River. The result is a unique 52-storey structure of which enclosed ground floor space occupies <25% of the site area, offering public landscaped open space. 

BIM: News for Designer

Today, the development of information modeling technology (BIM) in Russia is at a stage that can be characterized as active implementation in the construction industry. The main driver of technology penetration in the first half of 2017 was a number of legislative initiatives. For example, according to the document of the Ministry of Communications, until 2022 all the state-owned companies and companies with state participation must necessarily use BIM-technologies in construction. Prospects for forthcoming adoption of GOST R 57311-2016, which concerns BIM modeling in construction, were also voiced in the Ministry of Construction. Thus, stimulating the process from above along with natural technological development generates an increase in demand for technology and the supply of tools for its implementation.

Best Skyscrapers 2016

The Tool Depended on the Individual

What is the subject-matter of the profession of economist in the field of construction? Are there any particularities in BIM implementation in France? These and other issues we explored with President the National Union of Economists in the field of Construction (UNTEC), a leading adviser to the French government on BIM - Pierre Mit.

Human Oriented Architecture

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a relatively new approach in the field of architectural design. Its emergence became possible only at a certain stage of development of IT-technologies. Perhaps, the full potential of BIM not yet disclosed to the end, but it is already clear that the body of works that are carried out today with the help of PC, has a fundamentally different character than ever before. Wide range of Information Modelling options allows solving the problems that have quite recently would have seemed overwhelming. Futher on, Tomohiko Yamanashi, Senior Executive Officer and Deputy Head of Architectural Design Department explains about the architectural design practice utilizing Building Information Model (BIM) at Nikken Sekkei.