LEED
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Issue 325 : Feb 2025

LEED

Toyin-Ann Yerifor Discusses the Top 5 Buildings in The World and Their Environmental Impact

Super tall structures are a modern phenomenon, and as little as a hundred years back, structures rising over sixty stories were unheard of. Today, dozens of buildings across the world exceed the one-thousand-foot definition of a supertall construction. As buildings reach new heights, what unique features are they adopting to deal with environmental questions? To delve deeper into this question, we caught up with Toyin-Ann Yerifor, an architectural consultant based in Calgary, Alberta to discuss the top five buildings in the world. Toyin-Ann has an architectural master’s degree in advanced environmental and energy studies from the University of East London in the United Kingdom. Lotte World Tower The Lotte World Tower stands at an architectural height of 554.5 meters or 1,819 feet and is the fifth tallest building in the world. Located in Seoul, South Korea, the supertall structure was completed in 2017 and is today one of the most iconic structures in East Asia. As with all supertall structures, says Toyin-Ann Yerifor, major environmental challenges such as water and energy utilization and wind and pollution must be considered. To overcome these environmental challenges, the Lotte World Tower is built near the banks of the Han River, an important decision that reduces the impact the building has on adjacent structures. Further, the Lotte World Tower is designed to minimize wind disruption, which, says Toyin-Ann, is an essential component when managing pollution within an urban setting. Other environmental considerations in the Lotte World Tower include the addition of photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, water harvesting systems, and external shading devices. Ping An Finance Centre Ping An Finance Center is currently the fourth tallest building in the world. Standing at an imposing architectural height of 599.1 meters or 1,965 feet, the office complex commands the Futian District skyline in Shenzhen, China. What makes this building interesting from an architectural perspective, says Toyin-Ann Yerifor, is its dense and hyperconnected design. Typical of many Asian supertall structures, this design approach offers a reduced environmental footprint while increasing the amount of usable space within the building. Ping An Finance Center also stands out from an environmental perspective, says Toyin-Ann Yerifor, because of its Gold LEED certification status. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a certification that rates a building’s level of sustainability. LEED certifications range from certified to platinum. As a Gold LEED certified building, Ping An Finance Center has achieved the second-highest LEED certification, just below the platinum LEED rating. This level of rating shows the building has proven sustainability in the areas of energy and water usage, indoor air quality, material and resource utilization, among others. Makkah Royal Clock Tower The Makkah Royal Clock Tower is part of a mega tall complex of hotels called the Abraj Al-bait in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The clock tower rises to an architectural height of 601 meters or 1,972 feet and was completed in 2012. Besides being the third tallest building in the world, the complex holds the record of the most expensive building in the world, having cost $15 billion to build. The hotel complex is built strategically next to the Grand Mosque of Mecca to accommodate the millions of pilgrims who visit the site each year. From an environmental perspective, says Toyin-Ann, the hotel complex meets a crucial environmental benchmark especially in its use of water. Avoiding the use of traditional sprinkler systems to protect the building from fire, the Abraj Al-bait complex uses an advanced protection system that uses high-pressure water mist instead. This new system uses a fraction of the water that traditional sprinkler systems use while putting out fires in a more efficient way. Shanghai Tower The Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China is the second tallest building in the world. The building rises to an architectural height of 632 meters or 2,073 feet, beating the next tallest building, the Makkah Royal Clock Tower by a mere thirty-one meters.  The tower broke ground in late 2008 and was completed in late 2015. From a design perspective, says Toyin, the building has a unique triple adjacent superstructure design which increases energy efficiency significantly. Aside from being the second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower also holds the record for the second fastest elevators in the word, which move at a top speed of 20.5 meters per second (74 km/h or 46 mph). In terms of sustainability, the building incorporates a raft of sustainability measures. To this end, the building has been certified by the China Green Building Committee as well as the US Green Building Council which has certified the building LEED Platinum BD+C: Core and Shell. Some of the sustainable features that stand out, says Toyin, include the towers glass façade designed to reduce wind loads, wind turbines that supply 10 percent of the building’s energy, and a double layer glass shell that significantly insulates the building from external temperatures. Burj Khalifa Soaring to a breathtaking height of 828 meters or 2,717 feet is the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, previously known as the Burj Dubai. Beating the second tallest building, the Shanghai Tower by 196 meters, the Burj Khalifa has retained its position as the tallest building since its completion in 2010. Located in the heart of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the building stands as a testament to the advances in design and construction technologies. Aside from holding the title of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa also holds numerous other titles including tallest existing structure, tallest freestanding structure, tallest skyscraper, building with most floors, highest elevator installation, longest travel distance elevators, among others. The Burj Khalifa is not only an architectural marvel, says Toyin-Ann Yerifor, but also an interesting study in the environmental impact of supertall structures. For instance, the building, like most buildings in Dubai, relies on energy-intensive desalination plants for water. Paradoxically, the building produces millions of gallons of fresh water from air conditioning condensation. This paradox, says Toyin-Ann Yerifor, makes the Burj Khalifa simultaneously one of the

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The Perfect Property: 7 Key Features You Need to Look for When Choosing the Right Construction Company for Your Building Project

When you’ve found the perfect piece of property for your home or real estate investment, the next step is to find the right construction company. It’s essential to select the right company in order to ensure your initial investment is protected and to give you the best possible future outcome for the project. There are lots of different construction companies out there, but they definitely are not all equal.   Look For a Construction Company With Relevant Experience  First, you should choose a construction company that specializes in the kind of work you need to be done. Construction styles vary greatly between commercial and residential. They also vary greatly between materials used. If you’re looking for a construction company for a commercial steel beam building, you wouldn’t hire a company that’s only done wood residential projects. Similarly, if you have a pole building to construct, you’ll want to hire a construction company with that exact kind of construction experience. Read more here. You can easily narrow down your choices by reviewing the project portfolios of construction companies in your area. Once you find some that do similar work, move on to the following list of seven key features you need to look for when choosing the right construction company for your building project.   1. Longevity In Business  In the construction world, companies come and go. The good ones survive and the other ones go out of business due to poor quality. When choosing a construction company for your building project, look for one that has been in business for as many years as you see fit. It bears repeating that the longer a construction company has been around, the more likely it is that they know what they’re doing and they do good work. Chapman’s Construction has a proven track record of excellence, ensuring top-quality results for all your building needs.   2. Financial Stability  Another key feature to look for in a construction company is financial stability. Construction companies have quite a few expenses to take care of in order to complete a job. They have to payroll, tax payments, equipment lease payments, travel expenses, and all sorts of miscellaneous costs. This all comes out of the company account – or it should. Some nefarious construction companies that aren’t financially stable may rely on the latest client payment to fund older projects. Companies like these don’t manage their finances well and end up using your money to finish off another customer’s job. Meanwhile, when it comes time to start on your project they come up short until they can find yet another customer.   3. Sound Management  The construction company should have a sound management system in place that includes a general contractor, site security personnel, assistant managers, crew supervisors at a bare minimum. Construction companies that try to operate with a skeleton management system often end up disappointing customers because there isn’t sufficient supervision on the job site.   4. Sustainable And Eco-Friendly Work Practices  If eco-construction is important to you, then you should seek out a construction company that is LEED-certified or at least tries to use sustainable materials and eco-friendly construction practices. If you’re going for a building that you ultimately want to be LEED-certified, you will be forced to choose a construction team that is also LEED-accredited. If eco-friendly construction isn’t important to you, it’s safe to not worry about this feature. If you don’t, however, you should realize that there may end up being a lot of material and hazardous waste from the project. Disposal of these materials will most likely come out of your pocket.   5. Insured  Your building permit from the town may be contingent upon you hiring a construction company with a certain minimum insurance coverage. Liability insurance is an important consideration when hiring anyone to work on your property. Typically, a two million dollar liability policy is standard. Be sure to ask for and retain a copy of the certificate, which should name you or your building project company as the covered party.   6. References  Most construction companies will have a website and an online portfolio of completed projects for you to review. However, you should also ask for some references along with contact emails or phone numbers. Contact a handful of past clients to find out how the construction company was to work with. Specific questions to ask include, was the project completed on time, was the budget adhered to, and if there were any issues, did the company satisfactorily take care of them. If the company rep can’t supply at least three references for you to contact, this is a sign that you might want to continue looking elsewhere for a construction company.   7. Good Rapport  Most importantly, you should be able to have a good rapport with any construction company you plan to hire for your project. Communication is the foundation of a successful construction project. Without it, there can be misunderstandings, intimidation, and mistakes that cannot be rectified. Be very certain that there is trust and respect between you and the construction company representative. It’s important that you feel that your opinions are being listened to and that you have input as to how you’d like the final project to come out. Finally, pay attention to how the subordinates at the company respond to the company rep. Do they appear confident in their job? Or do they seem intimidated or frightened of the boss? Frightened workers can be afraid to speak up if they see something wrong on the job site, which is not conducive to a safe work environment.   Once you’ve found the perfect property, the best construction company for the job will be one that meets all or most of the above features. Don’t be afraid to take your time choosing which one. Before going ahead with any home renovation work, we always recommend getting multiple quotes so you can compare the service and price. You’ll be working with whomever you choose for the duration of the project, which could take many months. You’ll be glad you chose a

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