04/28/2021
Metropolis in Crises;
Tall Buildings and Urban Environments
A thriving metropolis has been at the epicenter of every great civilization throughout history. From the Great Pyramids of Giza to the exquisite Hanging Gardens of Babylon and from magnificent Parthenon of Greece to the mesmerizing dome of Pantheon, these capital cities were made eternal by their monuments. Skyscrapers rising today are no short of monuments for the cities that we inhabit now in the 21st century. These tall buildings have become the identities of our cities, our culture and our global presence. Last decade witnessed the most significant rise in the number of skyscrapers around the globe. Our cities are quickly becoming more vertical than ever before and one can start to see the effects of such rapid change on our environment. From man-made crisis to the unforeseen weather phenomena, our built environment is faced with many challenges.
Tall buildings are an integral part of our cities. Design, construction and operation of tall buildings is complex and often requires interdisciplinary collaboration from experts. To resist the forces created by high winds as well as reducing the impact of seismic movements, structural performance of a tall building is studied. New structural systems are invented along with studies related to structural materials. Environmental studies are performed to study the building facade to develop a more sustainable design. Life cycle analysis is a relatively new way of describing the environmental impact of tall buildings. New policies are made related to the design of skyscrapers. City ordinances are updated so that new developments are part of the existing urban fabric. What are the challenges in designing building systems of tall buildings? How do we make decisions related to construction materials? What are the effective research methods for energy analysis? How can simulation help us understand the environmental impact of buildings? What are the policy goals that we need to address? How does zoning ordinance help in shaping development of the city? What did we learn from civic, health and natural crises throughout modern history? As designers, engineers, planners and thinkers, how can we address these issues for our metropolis in crisis?
We seek to answer similar questions and many more at the 2021 International Graduate Student Symposium in its 6th consecutive year. Organized by the students of the PhD Program at College of Architecture at IIT, the symposium is a platform for researchers, professionals to come together and interact to find answers related to Design, Construction and Operation of Tall buildings in a contemporary metropolis.
Selected full papers will be published in Prometheus Issue 06, the journal of the PhD program in Architecture at IIT. Authors of accepted extended abstracts will be invited to present their papers at the symposium.
METROPILIS IN CRISIS
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
3360 SOUTH STATE STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60616-3793, USA
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