A tower when compared to a house needs to be like an elephant when compared to a mouse—more energy efficient. This must be a future goal. The potential is already there. Any study will show that the energy used by an aggregate of mice required to equal the weight and size of one elephant is much higher than that elephant. If the city is to win, this law of scaling must become true for buildings. Inhabitat:

Mayor Bloomberg’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability has long been toiling away at its benchmark report on the city’s building energy use, and now the results are finally in. After analyzing over 1.8 billion square feet of properties, the mayor and officials have found that the biggest opportunities to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be found in the city’s biggest buildings (which actually makes a lot of sense). As part of the mayor’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, more of the city’s largest buildings will soon follow in the steps of the Empire State, the World Trade Center, and the Hearst Tower to become eco-friendly and energy-efficient beacons in the city.

• Taken From the Tallest Building in Seattle