Tall buildings present unique challenges, they can divide opinions but undeniably represent the pinnacle of construction ingenuity. With building safety top of the high-rise agenda, the 2024 Tall Buildings Conference will create a forum to debate some of the thorny issues that are dividing opinions together with celebrating the engineering feats that are transforming our city skylines.
The Tall Buildings Conference and Awards bring together those at the forefront of design, engineering and technical innovation. Taking place at etc.venues in St Pauls, London on Tuesday 25 June, this specialist event is the place for the industry to unite in an informative and collaborative environment.
Who's Speaking at This Year's Conference?
With architect Steve Watts of Turner & Townsend alinea chairing proceedings, the conference will feature a plethora of speakers from across all disciplines of the tall building arena including architects, engineers, developers and strategists.
Speaker Focus: Roger Ridsdill Smith – Foster + Partners
Roger Ridsdill Smith, of Foster + Partners will explore the history and consider the future of tall building design. Despite being an essential part of human culture today, with buildings like the Shard, the Empire State Building and the Petronas Towers in Malaysia being celebrities in their own right – extremely tall buildings are still a relatively modern phenomenon.
"The explosion in tall building construction came at the end of the nineteenth century, enabled by two major technological advances," explains Roger. "Structural steel became plentiful and affordable due to the innovations brought about during the industrial revolution. And the invention of the safety elevator enabled large numbers of people to access high levels without the risk of catastrophic failure if a pulley or rope were to break."
As a measure of tackling climate change, tall buildings must focus on sustainability in their design. Using recycled materials, generating power through renewable methods and lowering the overall carbon footprint are all ways designers can create more eco-friendly buildings.
Roger explains the methodology his firm employs when designing for the future: "Tall buildings have historically developed in step with technological innovation and societal need. A tipping point occurred around the second half of the nineteenth century, beginning on the east coast of the United States, when technological advances, economic need, and planning legislation jointly encouraged the development of tall buildings – that have since transformed our cityscapes worldwide.
"We need to build efficiently, reuse and recycle wherever possible, and minimise carbon in building construction and use. And we must consider the carbon footprint of buildings as part of the overall context of development. Increased density, which tall buildings can contribute to, results in lower overall carbon emissions and creates places for people to live and thrive in."
Speaker Focus: Philip White – BSR
Also on the billing will be Philip White, Director of Building Safety at the BSR, who will talk about the organisation's Strategic Plan. The Building Safety Regulator is leading a critical change across the construction industry in England and the built environment. The strategic plan establishes a vision where everyone is competent and takes responsibility to ensure buildings are of high quality and are safe.
Philip White, who took over from Peter Baker in April 2023, is tasked with fully establishing the BSR within the Health & Safety Executive. He says his priorities for the future is to oversee an overhaul of the building regulations, ensuring they are practical and comprehensible and to lead a critical culture and behavioural change of the BSR.
Philip White added: "This strategic plan sets out the guiding principles we have put in place to keep us focused on our priorities in delivering the new regime, and we will keep it under continuous review. We will ensure we have the right capability and capacity to meet this challenge as our remit continues to evolve, working with others sharing knowledge, expertise, and data."
Speaker Focus: Doug Baldock – WSP
A technically strong
chartered engineer with over 15 years' experience, WSP Director, Doug Baldock
works predominantly in the building services sector, advanced manufacturing
(DfMA/ modular housing) and organisational transformation. Experienced in
delivering multiple high-rise building designs with some of the UK's leading
clients and design teams, Doug will be considering 'High Performance: The Route
to Net Zero' in his address at the Tall Buildings Conference. Now a critical
factor in the design and construction of superstructures, Doug says he:
"Prioritises interdisciplinary, systems thinking for sustainable, regenerative
designs that promote novel solutions for society." Currently sitting on the
CIBSE Technology Committee and the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
(CTBUH) and the UK Chapter Executive Committee, Doug is an Honorary Professor
at UCL CGCE.
Panel Discussion, Can Skyscrapers be Circular?
The afternoon session will feature a panel discussion on the environmental impact of constructing a skyscraper, asking if they can be circular. For circular economy principles to successfully work in the tall buildings arena, business models need to evolve across the entire value chain. This will reduce waste, carbon emissions and our impact on the natural world. We are now shifting from a short-term linear model – take, make, use and dispose – to a more sustainable circular construction economy – reduce, reuse, recycle and repeat.
Joining in on this debate will be Ashley Bateson, Director and Head of Sustainability at Hoare Lea, Eszter Gulacsy, Technical Director of Mott Macdonald, Tina John, Creative and Architectural Design Manager of Pocket Living and Angie Jim Osman, Partner of Allies and Morrison.
Secure Your Place
Now in its fifth year, the Tall Buildings Conference 2024 is set to be the premier networking opportunity of the year for anyone operating in the sector.
Tickets are £225+VAT per person which includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day. To book your place and for the full line-up of speakers visit: www.tallbuildingsconference.co.uk
