Planning and environmental criteria for tall buildings

The role of the tall building in the urban habitat and its interaction with urban systems is examined. It ranges over the full spectrum of engineering, architecture and social sciences. The entire volume is founded strongly on the systems approach, and upon the consideration of human factors in design—two factors that are of overriding importance if long-term success is to be achieved in high-rise projects. The results show that the most important decisions are probably not those that have to do with structure, mechanical apparatus, or architecture, but instead may be those that are made by investors, planning commissions, mayors, boards of supervisors, or governmental agencies. The volume considers the role of the social environment, interaction between public and private sectors, the intertwining economic considerations, architecture, urban design, and the integration with transit and associated parking requirements. The volume concludes with some chapters that relate to building management and ownership, energy conservation, and the case for more intensive application of project management and systems concepts.