The Gesterbine Skyscraper is a design entry for the 2010 Skyscraper Competition organized by Evolo Magazine. Designed by Mode:Lina Architektura and Consulting, this tower is intended for Wielkopolska region of Poland. Rapid urbanization has led to water shortage and decreasing variety of flora and fauna. A problem further magnified by the regulation of the Warta river, which has led to the riverbed being pushed by 100 kilometers.
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With the modern world stretching out vertically, rather than horizontally, it’s also inevitable for our green structures and gardens. Amin Taha Architects are building gardens in the sky in their new Vauxhall tower, with 25,000 square feet of communal gardens, each three stories in height.

The new green structures may not only be a great place for evening walk and social activities, but also our first step towards vertical farming on skyscrapers. Apparently, the one on the top, won’t be just a garden in the concrete jungle that surrounds it, because it may produce food to feed the hungry. Of course, the space also offers a great way to create fresh air and should be a portal for healthy living.

The planned tower will stand 130m tall and will feature 178 residential units, as well as office space. Let’s hope future developments will include all these … and more. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea, at all. – via TreeHugger

Dubai has a Wind-Powered Rotating Skyscraper.  Tokyo is building a Sky Tree. The two are tall. The similarities stop there though Tokyo definitely sounds like it is doing something earth friendly. The Tokyo Sky Tree is expected to be a major tourist draw at 610 meters when it is completed in 2012. Tokyo hopes 5.4 million people will take a look in the first year and 2.7 million/year for the subsequent 30 years.

The Tokyo Sky Tree is designed for terrestrial digital broadcasting and to take the place of the current analog broadcasting format by 2011. It will also aid in anti-disaster measurements. There will be observation decks at 350 and 450 meters.  The surrounding area – commercial facilities, offices and colleges. The cost Y65B ($600 million).

Read about the debate surrounding the construction here. (subscription may be required.)  Suffice it to say that in the debate, nobody is talking about how friendly or not the new tower will be to the Tokyo environment.

HSBC unveiled their latest project, the Canary Wharf headquarters in London with its 617 square meters of solar panels installed on the roof. HSBC is now the tallest corporate headquarter building in Europe using photovoltaic panels to create energy from the sun’s light.

A total of 422 monocrystalline photovoltaic Sharp panels were installed. The panels are guaranteed to withstand wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. The HSBC skyscraper is now able to see close to 1.5m kilowatt hours of energy generated.

That’s enough energy to power 20 homes for an entire year!

HSBC refused to disclose the cost of the investment and all we’ve been able to find is that it’s part of a multi-million ($90M actually) environmental efficiency program. Until now this program has helped the company reduce energy costs at their HQ by seven-percent since 2004.

Is this all about generating good press? Are they just trying to attract more green customers to their offices? If so, then Congratulations!

Image by SteveQB