• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2016

In early 90s the worldwide awareness about the energy crisis and global warming had been increased and emission reduction (by improving energy efficiency), as well as increasing the capacity of clean and renewable energies, showed themselves as the most important steps towards the sustainable development approach. However, investigations on Iran's environmental situation show huge decline in recent decades and apparently there is no sense of urgency about these issues through the vision of Iranian politicians. In this article the idea of replacing the old gas turbines of Polkalleh natural gas compressor station - as one of the main compressor stations of Iran - with newer and more efficient gas turbines is evaluated, emphatically for reducing greenhouse gases emissions and their environmental costs and decreasing natural gas consumption as well. Clearly such idea is costly, but analyzing its economic impacts, huge declines in annual costs and greenhouse gases emissions can be seen as well. So an investment about $95 million can decrease 40% of Polkalleh compressor station annual costs, 25% of natural consumption and 30% of $CO_2$ and $NO_x$ emissions. Besides the simple payback period of this investment is about 2.5 years from the cut-expenses of annual costs.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.107-120
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• 2023

Tall buildings are frequently decried as unsustainable due to their excessive energy usage. Early skyscrapers used natural light and ventilation to facilitate human comfort and applied organic materials such as stone, glass, wood, concrete, and terra cotta for cladding and finishes. With the advent of fluorescent lighting, modern heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and thermally sealed curtain walls, tall office buildings no longer had to rely on natural light and ventilation to provide comfort. Energy efficiency was not a significant factor when the operational costs of buildings were relatively inexpensive. However, today's skyscrapers must become more energy-efficient and sustainable due to energy crises and climate change. This paper highlights vital energy-efficient design principles and demonstrates with illustrative case studies how they are applied to tall buildings in various parts of the world. It shows how sustainable environmental systems do not act alone but are integrated with advanced curtain wall systems, sky gardens, and atria, among others, to regulate and sustain thermal comfort and conserve energy.