The 2020 Tower

In 2001, the National Building Museum commissioned Kiss + Cathcart to design a hypothetical building for "Big + Green," originally exhibited at the National Building Museum in Washington DC. In collaboration with Arup Engineers, we have created a design that targets new ecological, urbanistisic, and quality of life standards for tall buildings. While technologically advanced, our design is not a utopian vision but a building that has been carefully engineered to be practical and economical by the year 2020.

The goal of a rigorous reaximination of all parts of the tall building program, structure, energy, water, HVAC, safety will add up to a building that is a healthier and safer place to be, more economical to operate, and a benefit to the surrounding environment. Solar and wind power will meet 100% of this building's energy needs.

The 2020 Tower has become the basis for a research grant from the National Science Foundation, in a team headed by Rutgers University, looking into the many technical and social issues raised by a self-sustaining infrastructure.

Download 2020 in PDF format

See Engineering News Record article about 2020 and advanced building skins