Preface
The Seventh International Conference on Tall Buildings (ICTB-VII) is a continuation from a series of international conferences on a topic which has proven to be well received. Since the last conference in 2005, numerous landmark skyscrapers have been built in the Asia Pacific rim and all over the world. The timing of the Conference is ideal as it allows experts and researchers to share information pertinent to the latest professional practices, lessons and research findings on tall buildings. The Conference provides a forum for all stakeholders in the construction industry and related professions to exchange ideas on how to further advance the development and management of tall buildings so as to fulfil the needs of the society, clients and end-users.
This Conference continues the direction of the previous conference (ICTB-VI) in addressing holistically various aspects related to the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of tall buildings. It thus provides a forum for exchange of information and ideas between engineers, architects, planners and estate managers. Sustainability has specifically been chosen as the theme of this conference recognizing the importance of environmental and social considerations in the development of modern tall buildings.
This volume consists of keynote papers, invited papers and other conference papers. The papers submitted have gone through a rigorous review and selection process before being accepted for oral presentation and inclusion in the conference proceedings.
On behalf of the members of the Organising Committee, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the keynote speakers, invited speakers and other contributors. Without their contributions, we could not have produced this valuable volume of state-of-the-art proceedings. Thanks are also due to the members of the International Advisory Committee and the Technical Committee for their assistance and valuable support. The assistance of the Organising Committee, the Fund Raising Committee and the Conference Secretariat—Centre for Asian Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, is gratefully acknowledged. We are grateful to the financial sponsors for their generosity, unfailing support of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and Hong Kong Institute of Architects, and all those who have devoted their time and effort to the organisation of the Conference.
Peter K. K. LEE
Executive Chairman
7th International Conference on Tall Buildings
October 2009