Selected comments"

research conducted by the CTBUH into alternative design approaches has resulted in a number of innovative buildings forms such as vertical farms to help alleviate the problems of agricultural imports, and vertical aquifers to maximise rainwater capture, which will help address the growing global decline of water resources. Tall buildings must also be able to accommodate more social-communal spaces within them, such as skygardens and skyplazas.

"While there are those who believe that the embodied energies involved in tall buildings combined with the impact on the urban realm, make them inherently anti-environmental, I believe that the opposite is true," Wood said.

"The biggest impact on a building's energy consumption is the fundamental early decisions that are taken in the building's design, in respect of size, form, shape, skin and the positioning of cores etc - all relative to the environment: sun, wind, light. Moreover, tall buildings provide a great potential for harnessing wind energy; more efficient energy production and distribution systems and an increased access to view, light and air."

In the Gulf, which is experiencing some of the world's fastest growth rates in construction, the need for more sustainable patterns of life as a response is becoming more and more critical. According to recent studies, the construction boom in the Gulf alone has reached new heights, with 2,837 projects estimated to be worth in excess of Dh8.8 trillion ($2.4 trillion) now under way.

Carbon footprint

"The UAE, for example has the highest carbon footprint in the world with almost 9.06 global hectares per person, closely followed by Kuwait with 6.38 global ha/person and the USA with 5.66 global ha/person. The main challenge for these countries is to move directly to more energy efficient building solutions," said Wood.