London Completes World’s First Skyscraper with Design-Inherent Wind Turbines

In Central London, a landmark structure called the Strata Tower (or Strata SE1, aka the Multiplex Living Tower, Castle House, Electric Razor, or “Razor”, as it’s known locally) creates enough weather of its own that architects decided at the inception of the building plan, in 2005, to add wind turbines. 

The measure was described as energy conservation, but the dirty little secret behind the project is the fact that the Razor’s energy profile is 6 percent over the limits imposed on buildings by the UK Climate Change Bill, which mandates zero-carbon for new commercial buildings by 2019 (and homes by 2016).

Other energy efficiency measures include using a natural, “whole house” ventilation system (with heat recovery) instead of air-conditioning – a feasible approach given the island nation’s mild climate, which ranges from about 0ºC (32°Fahrenheit) in winter to a balmy 32ºC (89.6° Fahrenheit) in summer. (Global warming notwithstanding, the hottest temperature in the UK so far occurred on August 10, 2003, when the thermometer reached 38.5ºC, or 101ºF).

Architects also nixed the idea of putting glass on the entire building. At 143 meters (469.16 feet) tall, the Razor would have become a literal eyesore for Londoners on blindingly bright summer days (England does have a few of those). Large glass surfaces also raise internal building temperatures and promote the “heat island” effect in cities.

The 19-kilowatt wind turbines, sporting five blades instead of three to reduce noise pollution, will collectively produce up to 50 megawatts per hour (MWh) per year, or 8 percent of the building’s needs. Other efficiencies include an energy-efficient district heating system, energy-efficient lighting (including daylighting), low-e (high-performance) glass, and the reuse of 96 percent of construction waste.

At a cost of £113 million (about US$170.2 million), and containing 408 units, the building wasn’t cheap, but owners expect to recoup about £16,000-£17,000 (roughly $24,000 to $25,600) per year via new feed-in tariffs (FiTs), which became effective April 1. Unit prices range from £230,000 ($353,602 USD) to £2.5 million ($3,813,000 USD).

The turbines rely on the Venturi effect (the Bernoulli principle as applied to fluid dynamics), which increases wind velocities as a result of a building’s height, shape and adjacent terrain.

Names aside, the tower is a paradigm for the building industry, marking the first instance where appropriate renewable technology was incorporated in the design phase and directed the actual shape of the building (notice the Razor’s convex front).