Tall Buildings Research

Date: 30 April 2008

The British Property Federation, British Land and Land Securities have asked our economics team to assess the economic and sustainability impacts of tall buildings. This innovative research will draw on Colin Buchanan’s experience measuring impacts of density on economic performance. A theoretical framework will establish broad potential economic implications of tall buildings and commercial density. A more focussed agglomeration model will be developed and applied to the context of tall buildings to reveal the scale of potential productivity impacts.

For the first time, a comprehensive understanding of the economic and sustainability impacts of tall buildings will be added to the important debate on the role of tall buildings in economic development. Considerations revealed are expected to be applicable for other cities in the UK and around the world.