An international architecture firm has designed a skyscraper that won’t cast a shadow onto the streets below. The so-called ‘No Shadow Tower’ could help cities densify without losing natural light.
Densification is oftentimes synonymous with building upward, but many find mixed-use skyscrapers an unpopular solution to increased urbanisation because they block out sunlight and leave the areas below the towers covered in shadows. London-based architecture firm NBBJ has now come up with an innovative design that it claims won’t cast a shadow.
The design consists of building two towers next to each other that reflect each other’s sunlight and redirect it on to the streets below. By using an algorithm that takes into account the angles at which the sun shines each day over a year and then translating that information into the buildings’ design, the ‘No Shadow Tower’ visibly reduces shadows at the base of the towers by 60 per cent compared to typical buildings, reports The Independent.
Christian Coop, NBBJ design director, said that the project seeks to improve the quality of our urban environment by “finding a way in which we can have the tall buildings we need without losing natural light on the areas below”. He added: “The design ensures that the area between the towers is bright and pleasant, so is more likely to be used as a public space.”
Photo credit: NBBJ/Vimeo
