Are high-rise skyscrapers that seem to be getting taller and taller sustainable in the long run? This is a key question raised by Steve Mouzon, a new ‘urbanist’ architect in a recent report, ‘Uninhabitable High-Rises.’

While there is a growing school of thought that traditional hi-rises are certainly not ‘green’, there are also a number of contemporary developers who have created ‘vertically green’ skyscrapers, bringing key environmental elements into space-short areas.

Mouzon points out that due to the problems of high wind at greater heights, natural climate control options are exceedingly more difficult at greater heights. Natural ventilation and lighting become more and more difficult, particularly in central spaces. Creating genuinely green hi-rises is not possible, he avers.

The writer goes on to point out that when the cost on carbon soars, and he is confident that it inevitably will, massive skyscrapers will be simply too expensive to inhabit, as the cost to completely light, heat, cool and run tall buildings that are completely on-grid and have no capability to perform these tasks naturally will simply be too much for this generation and the next.

He argues, therefore that a time will come when these buildings will need to be redeveloped, or simply left unused.

Other architects like Mouzon have also pointed out that height is one element of a building only, and while growing urbanization may force upward construction to accommodate higher city density, unless a building is significantly sustainable, in the future, merely being recognized as the tallest may lose a lot of the value that it currently has!