The City of San Francisco has accepted three models for the city’s new and tallest skyscraper that will become the city’s new transit terminal. The terminal will be the end of a proposed high-speed rail line from L.A.
All three designs are more than 400 meters tall, have a wind turbine atop, and are earthquake proof. But here, we are looking for answers to the question – Does incorporating a wind turbine in this tower get it classified in the ‘Green’ list? These towers will require huge amount of steel and other building material so how can the structure be called green. Moreover, the tower will be so huge that the buildings and parks around this ‘Mega Structure’ will be completely devoid of light. It would be interesting to see how the authorities tackle the problem as the amount of energy the tower will save by generating a percentage of its own electricity requirements will be much less than what other buildings will use when the tower cuts out natural light entering these buildings.
Another concern is what if a high-intensity earthquake strikes the city and the tower cannot stand tall to the massive force of nature…? You all can very well guess what the consequences of such a disaster will be.
These designs will now be voted upon and then the selected architect would be going back to the drawing board to plan out a much detailed design. No question, the tower will be a highlight in San Francisco’s skyline, but how green it will be, is yet to be seen.
Via: Eco Geek
