Structured around examples from KPF’s portfolio of high-rise urbanism, the KPF Principal explored the future of supertall design and neighborhood-making in vertical communities at the Illinois Institute of Technology on February 12.
Forth delivered a lecture titled “From Shanghai World Financial Center to Guangzhou CTF Tower: Building a True Mixed-Use Neighborhood in A Supertall Tower,” examining how supertall towers can transcend their role as singular buildings to become vibrant, self-contained neighborhoods housing several thousand people within a single structure.
The lecture investigated how far architectural form can be pushed to accommodate the full spectrum of uses that define a true neighborhood and pose a provocative question: What would a traditional downtown neighborhood like Chicago’s Loop or Midtown Manhattan look and act like without streets? Forth will demonstrate how supertall design can align cultural, environmental, and contextual sensitivity with the creation of genuine density and community. Drawing on examples from KPF’s portfolio, such as the Shanghai World Financial Center’s early integration of office, retail, and culture; the CTF Finance Centre’s unprecedented vertical program sequence from office to residential to hotel to sky lobby; and referencing Central Hong Kong’s unique network of pedestrian bridges and tunnels that blend mega-structure, infrastructure, and tall building structure, Forth illustrated the potential of these integrated approaches.
