Innovation and Technological Advancements in High Rise Buildings “In search of enabling the most flexible space in Architecture”

Since the design of the first high rise building, the “Home Insurance Building” erected in Chicago in 1884-1885 only with 11 floors, new technologies encourage the designers to build taller and slender buildings penetrating through the sky. In the history, high rise buildings are the results of the complex interaction of innovations in structural and mechanical systems, as well as artificial lighting, curtain wall systems, and etc. The high rise building typology developed with the office function mainly in New York and Chicago in 19th century. As people will be living in more dense cities in the near future, high rise is mainly accepted as achieving more sustainable cities. Structural system plays a significant role in determining the overall form and efficiency of a high rise building. The building typology in the globe in the last two decade, the most significant trend related to high rise constructions are iconic and competitive within each other. These new forms are the results of the technological developments and innovative structural systems, such as diagrid systems, mega frames, light concrete systems, high-strength concrete tubes, core and outrigger structures, butressed core, etc. Considering the wind load, lateral load earthquake and gravity high rise buildings’ slenderness ratio is related with its structural efficiency. The success of designers is related mainly facing these issues by optimizing these facts wihin the design itself. The developments in technologies enrich the opportunities for the architects and structural designers to create flexible spaces with slender buildings of the future. The developments in material and technologies in structural design the foot prints of the high rise buildings are using less space in cities and allow the architects to use more free spaces apart from floor plans filled with thick columns and shear walls. This paper focuses mainly on how the developments take place in recent projects in the world. Residential high rise examples from United States such as 432 Park Avenue designed by architect Rafael Vinoly and 111West 57 Street (Steinway Tower) by Shop Architects and Herzog De Meuron’s 56 Leonard Street buildings will be evaluated in detail in terms of the new technologies such as structural systems and engineering services.