Fuelled in part by population growth and the significant migration of people to the world’s major cities, there is a growing global trend to construct tall buildings.

This demand poses many challenges, foremost of which is the need to deliver maximum return from diminishing natural resources while creating integrated “smart” urban environments that limit pressure on infrastructure.

Buro Happold has decades of design experience in this field. Clients benefit from our breadth of expertise, which covers the residential, commercial office and hospitality sectors along with numerous mixed-use structures. Our success in designing complex and iconic tall buildings has fostered a desire to challenge engineering convention through a cohesive multidisciplinary approach.

With an understanding of logistical concerns from the perspectives of all stakeholders, our expert team knows how to provide quality buildings that are straightforward to construct, highly sustainable and economically viable in the long term.

sustainable commercial office building LEED

Creating icons

Tall and supertall buildings are the landmarks of our age. Buro Happold understands how to elevate a design beyond the ordinary to produce unique and geometrically complex structures.

De-risking investment

Tall buildings present a complex risk portfolio that requires a mix of specialist services. Limiting exposure to risk is not only an integral part of our design process but also critical in delivering safe and secure buildings that provide whole-life value.

Sustainable legacies

Our engineers combine technical knowledge with a thorough grasp of regulatory requirements and new technologies to create inspirational tall buildings with sustainability at their core. The key to achieving sustainable structures is adopting a “lean, mean, green” methodology that aligns environmental principles with design and planning from the outset. The result is high-performance design and operational efficiency at a low overall cost.

Elevated placemaking

As tall buildings become increasingly prevalent in today’s urban environment, a major challenge is ensuring that they remain connected to city life. If well designed and appropriately located, tall buildings can enhance their surroundings and increase a city’s economic viability. This requires the diverse set of skills and creative approach that our team brings to every project.

Project Highlights

The Tower at PNC Plaza

Pittsburgh, USA

Rising 33 stories above downtown Pittsburgh, The Tower at PNC Plaza provides an impressive new 800,000ft² headquarters for the PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Combining cutting-edge design with the very latest green technology to exceed even the highest LEED Platinum criteria, this tall building sets a new standard in environmentally responsible engineering.

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One Angel Square

Manchester, UK

In 2009 the Co-operative Group commissioned a 400,000 ft2, 16-storey office building. The project stipulated demanding sustainability targets – using a building energy strategy developed through extensive research into UK and European benchmark buildings – as the key to minimising environmental impact. Setting a new benchmark for commercial office design, the project successfully translates the client’s ethical approach to society and the environment into a truly outstanding building.

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111 West 57th Street

New York City, USA

Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, 111 West 57th Street is formed from the original landmark Steinway building with a new tower built alongside. This new tower has been designed to evoke historic New York City tall structures while employing the latest technology to push the limits of engineering and fabrication. This is apparent in the narrowness and height of the structure, which is 45ft wide and more than 1,400ft tall.

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The Landmark Tower

Abu Dhabi, UAE

The Landmark Tower is a major high-rise development located on Abu Dhabi’s beachfront Corniche Road. The project was the first in the country to use transformers within plant floors throughout the height of the tower; it was also the first to include owner-operated HV networks, leading to significant economies together with an efficient, integrated building services design. This tall building demonstrates Buro Happold’s ability to work with all stakeholders to challenge established practice and achieve the best outcomes.

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