Inhabitat » NORMAN FOSTER’S GREEN TOWER IN SIBERIA

July 18, 2007

NORMAN FOSTER’S GREEN TOWER IN SIBERIA

by Emily Pilloton

Norman Foster, Khanty Mansyisk, Siberia architecture, green tower, green skyscraper, green building

Once again raising the bar on avant-garde green architectural icons in the furthest corners of the world, Sir Norman Foster has just revealed his designs for a new ecological tower in Khanty Mansyisk, Siberia. Similar to his entertainment center in Kazakhstan, the stunning tower will combine a cloud-piercing aesthetic with mixed-use functions and some of the most cutting-edge green building technologies.

Norman Foster, Khanty Mansyisk, Siberia architecture, green tower, green skyscraper, green building

The tower will provide a location for living, working, and leisure, designed sustainably to minimize site impact and be sensitive to the harsh Siberian climate. Never one to sacrifice aesthetics for function, Foster has cladded the 280-meter tower in faceted glass to maximize daylight through the winter months while reflecting natural light to illuminate the interior spaces.

In terms of green features, the tower centers around a South-facing atrium, which maximizes daylight and solar gain, minimizing the need for artificial lighting and providing insulation during the colder months. The structure will also rest lightly on the land and rely on renewable energy sources.

Space for residential, office, hotel, and retail programs will be integrated, topped off by a dramatic viewing platform and restaurant at the tower’s summit.

+ Foster + Partners

Norman Foster, Khanty Mansyisk, Siberia architecture, green tower, green skyscraper, green building

21 Responses to “NORMAN FOSTER’S GREEN TOWER IN SIBERIA”

Michael V. Says:

July 18th, 2007 at 10:51 am

Aesthetically stunning and environmental friendly, simply beautiful… Very inspiring…

Preston Says:

July 18th, 2007 at 11:17 am

A diamond perched upon a hill…

lindsey Says:

July 18th, 2007 at 11:24 am

re: that first image…..all roads lead to foster?

i hope they’re planting that forest around it rather than using an existing forest for a site. :)

Jon Says:

July 18th, 2007 at 3:33 pm

yeah. It’s in the middle of a forest!

Sir Norman Foster In Siberia?!?! « Boom or Bust: Miami Says:

July 18th, 2007 at 4:14 pm

[…] the famed starchitect is designing a monolithic eco-friendly tower in the frost-ridden and desolate Russian territory of Siberia. It looks like something out of the […]

Jack Says:

July 18th, 2007 at 6:02 pm

What a monstrosity. Just awful! Reminds me of some fantasy movie, I once saw, where the bad guy lived in a castle that looked suspiciously similiar to this one.

Tyler Says:

July 18th, 2007 at 9:37 pm

Why is it that all these new amazingly sustainable buildings stick out like a sore thumb? (Pentominium, the Bahrain WTC, etc.). Don’t get me wrong, if these structure are being built regardless, it’s good that they’re taking the sustainable route. But why aren’t architects taking a cue from Stephen Holl and his Whitney Water Treatment Plant where it’s hard to tell where the structure begins and the landscape ends? Thats good stuff…And also, is there some method of transportation or is car after car going to be funneled through the forest?

citicritter Says:

July 19th, 2007 at 1:11 am

stunning? a diamond? environmentally friendly?

This is some of the most cheesy, bombastic, heavy-handed design to come down the pike in a while. There is no way this can be justified as ’sustainable’ — and FYI “south facing atriums” have been used in one form or another for eons,

Foster is losing it in my opinion — almost as bad as Libeskind…

Norman Foster的绿色大厦 - 绿色播报IF Green Says:

July 19th, 2007 at 4:01 am

[…] [来源：Inhabitat] [参考：Foster + Partners] […]

Angélie Says:

July 19th, 2007 at 5:11 am

There used to be a time when, by just a glance at a building, you had a fair idea of its location. From pagoda-style roofs to round reddish mediterranean tiles, dark wooden japanese houses… you definitely knew where you were.

Today, so-called great architects just keep adding their own mark to wherever they can win a competition… so don’t be surprise at those ever sticking hernias in the middle of landscapes. They have their style, of course, their designer’s style… but when it comes to countries, culture, history, landmarks… architects do not have any consideration whatsoever. This tower could just be built anywhere in the world and so would the London Gherkin or the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Green… yeah, great. But that’s not all. By environmental definition, you need to respect your surrounding as well. This tower is obviously not eco-friendly to its surrounding, it is built in the middle of the forest with several roads leading to the building, meaning habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss. It was positioned far from other constructions, meaning increased need to travel with motorised vehicles. Finally, the rainwater which will be polluted while running on the building and around will probably affect the surrounding land (especially as the tower is on top of a hill). Is there more to say?

Chas Says:

July 19th, 2007 at 10:19 am

evidently you have to walk to the building or be dropped off since there is no parking provided.

Michael V. Says:

July 19th, 2007 at 11:55 am

CITICRITTER where are your innovative, groundbreaking design plans, concepts and or inspiration?
Go create something of substance before you rant about something you wish you could do! Sounds like jealousy to me or maybe you have a really low IQ and have trouble articulating your thoughts?

Ben Schiendelman Says:

July 19th, 2007 at 12:20 pm

Michael V.:

This is the same le corbusier bullshit that is endemic to egocentric designers the world over. It creates crime, it destroys sense of space, and it creates sprawl. It has no place in green design.

dipo-indonesia Says:

July 20th, 2007 at 4:21 am

hmm……nothing new from this design. only oppulence ……..poor sense place…..

citicritter Says:

July 21st, 2007 at 1:44 pm

Michael V: my “innovative, groundbreaking design plans, concepts” are in fact in the permanent collection of major museums of modern art, published worldwide, and have won awards too numerous to list here. With the tone of your own post, it in fact sounds like you are the one with the low IQ. “Jealous” I most definitely am not.

And FYI, my “inspiration” is found both in nature and in truly great design everywhere (even including any number of earlier Foster projects) — which this is clearly not. And it certainly is not “the same LeCorbusier bullshit”: — this can’t touch Corb’s better work. Foster here seems to be going for the big, overly-dramatic, expressionist gesture, like Libeskind — which clearly isn’t (and shouldn’t have to be) his forte. The reason it seems even worse than Libeskind’s rather graphic if not cheesy bombast these days, is this project’s pointless and overbearing axial symmetry (hence my terms, “cheesy, bombastic and heavy-handed” above– this Siberia project by Foster is clearly more about establishing an image of power far more than sustainability.

brian Says:

July 22nd, 2007 at 12:05 am

What the ….!

complexandcontradictory Says:

July 23rd, 2007 at 4:08 pm

i agree with the dissenters here- just because it’s green doesn’t mean it’s good. i also don’t think we should always approach the green/ sustainability challenge with a technological approach. If it’s true that there’s no parking, and siting is taken into consideration then he gets some props from me, so many “green” architects ignore the siting factor.

Criterion » Archivo del weblog » Norman Foster’s Green Tower Says:

July 24th, 2007 at 12:11 pm

[…] Norman Foster’s Green Tower [en] :: (Via Inhabitant [en]) Esta entrada fue publicada el Martes, 24 de Julio de 2007 a las 6:08 pm y está […]

citicritter Says:

July 26th, 2007 at 3:30 am

brian - just kidding with the bragging about all my accolades, I was just responding to the jerky-ness of Michael V’s attack of me above.

Though I still stand by my criticism of this Foster pile…

daigou Says:

December 31st, 2007 at 10:34 pm

it is really a excellent project by norman foster, i love his design very much

pinky Says:

May 5th, 2008 at 2:04 am

at a glance its superb!
but is illogical to have tha being build in the middle of the forest! how can that be environmental friendly when that structure stood like a SUPERMAN criptonite in the middle of no where. Its even made up of glass for god sake! environmentally friendly????
harsh weather remember! how can u use complete glass?
not a good architecture but the design its superb.that i cant deny.

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