last
updated 13th October 05
By 4ecotips
 World
Trade Centre replacement to have own
integral wind farm
Design of the eco-friendly Freedom
Tower which is replacing New York's
devasted twin tower World Trade Centre,
is to get a boost from a special computer
package. Architects Skidmore, Owings
and Merrill LLP (SOM) has standardised
on Autodesk Revit software, to enable
the entire design team to realise
their ideas faster.
The 1,776ft high single tower will
have a major impact on the New York
skyline while minimizing its impact
on the environment. Designers say
the world's tallest building will
include a wind farm, solar panels
and advanced, energy-efficient technology,
and will become an icon of environmentally
friendly architecture.
Scheduled for completion in 2009,
the building's "twisting"
elevations is not only for aesthetic
effect but also to enhance wind flow
across the facades. Guy Battle, president
of the sustainability consulting firm
Battle McCarthy, which is working
closely with SOM, says: "This
thing is going to stand out as a beacon
to the rest of the world in pushing
forward the environmentally friendly
agenda.
"It will include the world's
first urban wind farm, a series of
wind turbines located 1,200 ft above
the base, and could generate 2.6m
kW hours of electricity annually -
20% of the building's anticipated
energy needs."
Freedom Tower will also have solar
panels on its observation deck as
an additional renewable energy source.
Battle said that while solar power
did not provide the best economic
return on investment, it would draw
even more attention to the potential
uses of renewable energy.
The "skin" of the new building
will use materials that allow for
maximum sunlight while providing comprehensive
insulation. The lobby and other areas
of the building are designed to use
natural ventilation that reduces the
need for electricity.
Battle says: "The new structure
will also use energy-efficient lighting
systems and appliances.
"Around the world, the long-term
goal is to create carbon-negative
buildings, because otherwise they
can consume half of all the energy
in the world. But really they should
be giving back energy instead of taking
it, so Freedom Tower takes this whole
agenda one step further.
"And because of its size and
location, everyone will be watching
it!"
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