Tall Buildings Conference 2023: Our Key Takeaways

Last week, the K Systems team exhibited at the 2023 Tall Buildings Conference, which was held at Millennium Point, Birmingham. Throughout the duration of the conference, delegates had the opportunity to learn more about the growing trends and changes happening within the industry. The conference looked to the future and explored the elevated innovations that are making high-rise buildings greener, safer and inclusive by offering more opportunities for public access.

With a dynamic combination of motivational speakers and some thought-provoking content, here are our key takeaways:

• Modern tall building construction has changed dramatically from traditionally being steel based construction to now being mixed material off site construction in keeping with netzero ESG agenda.
• Off-site construction is leading the way in making buildings increasingly efficient in speeding up on site lead times while decreasing the site’s carbon footprint.
• New build construction are not just office and residential buildings anymore but now designed to enhance well-being by implementing podiums, gardens, recreational areas and communal areas. Gardens allow for the replacement of greenery that is needed to be removed in the first place to make way for the construction of new buildings. This is also extremely important with the new hybrid culture post Covid to give people the opportunity to socially interact within shared building space.
• Residential buildings are now not just a place to house people but have become much more dynamic in having thousands of end clients and catering for families of all ages. There is now the need for buildings to facilitate communal work areas, gyms, spa facilities, swimming pools etc.
• Keeping in touch with the surrounding area has become increasingly important, especially when you could have historical or heritage buildings nearby e.g. an 18^th century Church in a major city surrounded by high rise buildings.
• One of the main challenges now is combatting design that becomes outdated when getting to the delivery point as technology progresses and methods change quickly.
• Cities account for 3% of the Earth but contribute to 75% of carbon emissions.
• Reducing technologies such as M&E and using less HVAC equipment will allow tall buildings to breathe naturally through built up floors and ceilings, for example incorporating the slap as a ceiling.

The range of EWI systems K Systems offer transform the outside of a property with durable, low-maintenance finishes, including silicone thin coat renders, dash, brick slips and brick-effect render. When designing and specifying the appropriate solution for a project, our technical team are here to support architects through the major decisions of this process. In addition, our EWI systems are fully accredited to the latest standards, offering peace of mind when finding a suitable solution for any project.