Seeking Zero Energy

The Pearl River Tower, in Guangzhou, China, has been designed to be the most energy efficient of all the world’s supertall structures. Although the design team’s original goal of constructing a “net zero energy” building that would sell its excess power to the local electrical grid is unlikely to be achieved, the structure is expected to consume nearly 60 percent less energy than a traditional building of similar size and could serve as a model for future “carbon-neutral” towers.