Page 76 - Vertical City

76 The vertical city

Above the Tropic of Cancer and below the Tropic
of Capricorn, with the exception of torrid zones, the
rectangular, narrow and long floor plan of the high-rise
apartment building must present its facades to the east
and west to benefit from the morning and afternoon
light. Despite the efficiency of its design, the problems
provoked by projected shadow and air currents at its
base limit its usage.

The tower on a square or rectangular plan of 1 on 2
limits the projected shadow, no matter what its height
(L/B rule) and also the air drafts at its base. It also offers
a lower level of exposure to wind pressure, which limits
the importance and thus the cost of bracing of the buil-
ding’s structure.

It is thus being generalized around the world.
And what’s more, in hot countries and in the tropics
this plan poses no problem: its 4 sides, whether in
sunshine or not, are habitable and can accommodate
large planted terraces, the shadow in this case projec-
ted on the other apartments of the tower are not a
problem.
This is not the case elsewhere; the north façade
(south) getting too little sunshine in the northern (sou-
thern) hemisphere is less appealing to habitation. The
rectangular plan east-west in length twice the north-
south width is best possible solution for high-rise apart-
ment buildings.
The varying length of the days and the different
seasons also result in changes of living patterns accor-
ding to the season.