Solving the Stack

With the predicted demise of large-scale single usage building formats, the shift towards more sustainable mixed-use typologies will continue, especially as increased urban land values continue to sky-rocket in price.

Commercially, mixed-use buildings are more complex to stack up in comparison to single use buildings. The fundamental economic restrictions is efficiency, as the increased cost of building is often passed onto the tenant.

With mixed-usage buildings, the biggest culprits for drops in efficiency are lifting and structure, as lift shafts pass through adjoining programmatic zones, which create an overall inefficiency in area throughout the stack of the building.

With new lifting technology and very careful lift-stacking, this impact can be minimised. Core design is more critical than ever with most supertall buildings having less area at the pinnacles, which is counter-intuitive as this is where the greatest property value exists. The future of supertalls and mixed use-developments will intelligently solve lifting efficiencies to increase the overall distribution of high-value units throughout the vertical community.