The purpose of this paper is to provide structural and architectural technological solutions applied in the construction of high-rise buildings, and present the possibilities of technological evolution in this field. Tall buildings always have relied on technological innovations in engineering and scientific progress. New technological developments have been continuously taking place in the world. It is closely linked to the search for efficient construction materials that enable buildings to be constructed higher, faster and safer. This paper presents a survey of the main technological advancements on the example of selected tall buildings erected in the last decade, with an emphasis on geometrical form, the structural system, sophisticated damping systems, sustainability, etc. The famous architectural studios (e.g., for Skidmore, Owings and Merill, Nikhen Sekkei, RMJM, Atkins and WOHA) that specialize, among others, in the designing of skyscrapers have played a major role in the development of technological ideas and architectural forms for such extraordinary engineering structures. Among their completed projects, there are examples of high-rise buildings that set a precedent for future development.

This paper presents the analysis of vertical gardens in selected high-rise buildings located on different continents as an example of the most popular greenery system in contemporary architecture. High-rise buildings designed in the form of vertical garden, use the urban space more effectively and at the same time create a friendlier environment for their residents. In developing large metropolises, these buildings constitute a very important element in design which compensates for the lack of green areas. The first vertical gardens in the form of a system of green walls in buildings were created in the late 30s of the twentieth century. Their inventor was Stanley Hart White. However, a professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois. However, in tall buildings, these gardens were begun by Patric Blanc in 1994, and then continued by Stefan Boeri. With the development of green wall technology, two general systems have appeared: green walls and living walls. Many of the studies conducted in the world have shown significant environmental and social benefits from the use of vertical gardens in high-rise buildings, despite their significant economic costs. In the presented paper, the green wall system has been characterized on the example of some high-rise buildings, pointing at the determination of benefits from their occurrence in the urban scale as well in the scale of the building.

The purpose of this paper is to present a new skyscraper typology which has developed over the recent years – super-tall and slender, needle-like residential towers. This trend appeared on the construction market along with the progress of advanced structural solutions and the high demand for luxury apartments with spectacular views. Two types of constructions can be distinguished within this typology: ultra-luxury super-slim towers with the exclusivity of one or two apartments per floor (e.g. located in Manhattan, New York) and other slender high-rise towers, built in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Melbourne, among others, which have multiple apartments on each floor. This paper presents a survey of selected slender high-rise buildings, where structural improvements in tall buildings developed over the recent decade are considered from the architectural and structural view.

The architectural and structural analysis of selected high-rise buildings in Japan is presented in this paper. Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya have the largest share in development of high-rise buildings. Those cities are very densely populated and moreover they are located in one of the most active seismic zones. The combination of these factors has resulted in the creation of sophisticated designs and innovative engineering solutions, especially in the field of design and construction of high-rise buildings. The foreign architectural studios (Jean Nouvel, Kohn Pedesen Associates, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) which specialize in the designing of skyscrapers, played a major role in the development of technological ideas and architectural forms for such extraordinary engineering structures. Among the projects completed by them, there are examples of high-rise buildings that set precedents for future development. An essential aspect which influences the design of high-rise buildings is the necessity to take into consideration their dynamic reaction to earthquakes and counteracting wind vortices. The need to control motions of these buildings, induced by the force coming from earthquakes and wind, led to the development of various methods and devices for dissipating energy during such phenomena. Currently, Japan is a global leader in seismic technologies which safeguard seismic influence on high-rise structures. Due to these achievements the most modern skyscrapers in Japan are able to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude of over seven degrees at the Richter scale. Applied damping devices applied are of a passive type, which do not require additional power supply or active type which need the input of extra energy. In recent years also hybrid dampers were used, with an additional active element to improve the efficiency of passive damping.

W artykule przedstawiono elementy analizy architektonicznej i konstrukcyjnej wybranych wieżowców ze stolicy Kataru Dohy zlokalizowanych w dzielnicy biznesowej West Bay oraz w kompleksie sportowym Aspire Zone. Analizując architekturę Dohy można stwierdzić, że obecnie jest to bardzo szybko rozwijająca się metropolia, która jest uznawana wraz z Dubajem za najbardziej zaawansowane technologicznie miasto świata w kategorii budynków inteligentnych. Koniunktura budowlana i rozwój konstrukcyjny spowodowały wznoszenie ikonicznych wieżowców, obiektów widowiskowo-sportowych oraz muzeów. W pierwszej części artykułu zwrócono uwagę na to jak w ciągu kilkunastu lat Doha dołączyła do najciekawszych architektonicznie miast świata ze względu na gwałtowny rozwój gospodarczy wynikający ze znalezienia ogromnych złóż ropy naftowej i gazu ziemnego. Punktem zwrotnym była organizacja XV Igrzysk Azjatyckich w 2006 roku. W wyniku sukcesu ekonomicznego tych igrzysk ponad 100 budynków wysokich i wysokościowych było planowanych do budowy w dzielnicy biznesowej West Bay i przyległych dzielnicach. Oczywiście rozwój architektoniczny miasta nie mógłby się odbyć bez uczestnictwa w nim wybitnych zagranicznych architektów takich, jak na przykład Jean Nouvell, Ieoh Pei, czy Arata Isozaki. W drugiej części artykułu omówiono wieżowce w dzielnicy West Bay: Doha Tower, Al Bidda Tower, Tornado Tower oraz znajdującą się w kompleksie sportowym Aspire Tower. Budynki te stanowią obecnie znak rozpoznawczy Kataru na całym świecie.