Hydrogen-powered skyscraper to be built in Egypt’s new capital

CNN
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Egypt’s “New Administrative Capital,” a new city under construction on the outskirts of Cairo, has spawned many innovative ideas, but few have been as ambitious as powering a skyscraper with hydrogen.

The Forbes International Tower, a 240-metre (787 ft) tall office building to be built close to the Iconic Tower (Africa’s tallest building), was planned from the outset to be environmentally friendly. Designed by Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the firm behind New York’s Central Park Tower and Saudi Arabia’s upcoming Jeddah Tower, its developer Magnom Properties has now revealed that it aims to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by powering the 43-storey office building with clean hydrogen, supplemented by solar panels on its façade.

According to its developer, Magnom, the building, which would be powered by 75% hydrogen and 25% photovoltaics, would not be dependent on a traditional electricity grid. Magnom said that construction with “low embodied carbon” materials – materials with reduced associated emissions through their sourcing, manufacturing and subsequent disposal or reuse – could reduce the carbon footprint of its construction by 58%. Meanwhile, on-site water recycling and treatment will reduce demand for fresh water, vital in a country facing increasing water scarcity.

Through these methods, Magnom says it aims to achieve a “net-negative carbon vision” (removing more carbon than it emits) for the skyscraper over its lifecycle, and become the first skyscraper in the world to register for the International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon Certification.

The building marks the latest chapter in net-zero architecture, following buildings such as Foster + Partner’s Z6 tower in Beijing, which has net-zero operating emissions, and the upcoming Curzon Wharf in Birmingham, England, which features a 565-foot tower as part of a large mixed-use development with net-zero carbon emissions.

However, using hydrogen to reduce emissions from buildings is a novel strategy. Hydrogen, a potentially clean and renewable energy source (although only when obtained and produced using certain methods), is an abundant resource that is little used at this scale in architecture or in private enterprise.

In recent years, hydrogen has received significant attention from governments, including the Biden administration, with US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm calling it the “Swiss Army Knife of net-zero carbon technologies” by 2023. However, critics have questioned how quickly production can be scaled up to meet energy demand currently met by fossil fuels.

Magnom Properties has signed an agreement with Schneider Electric and H2 Enterprises to explore the use of LOHC technology as a power source for the skyscraper.

LOHCs (Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers) are organic compounds that absorb or release hydrogen through chemical reactions and can be used to store manufactured hydrogen and transport it stably from source to end user. Liquid hydrogen compounds also allow existing fossil fuel transportation infrastructure to be retrofitted for reuse with new technology. Once transported, hydrogen can be extracted from the LOHC and placed into a fuel cell to produce electricity.

The deal, according to Magnom, will evaluate the “design, space requirements and economic viability” of using clean hydrogen for the Forbes International Tower, meaning it is not certain that hydrogen will be the final energy source.

Other architects are also grappling with alternative power sources and transmission to meet the energy needs of high-density environments.

Another architectural giant, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), recently announced a partnership with energy storage firm Energy Vault to develop a gravity-fed energy storage system inside a high-rise skyscraper. The design, which could reach 3,000 feet in height, would use an electric motor to lift giant blocks through the building during periods of low energy demand; then, during periods of high demand, the blocks would be lowered, powering a motor and converting the stored energy back into electricity. SOM is also exploring integrating pumped-storage hydropower into buildings, using water instead of blocks (an approach that’s already been taken at some dams).

Whatever its source of energy, the Forbes International Tower will rise in the heart of the central business district of the New Administrative Capital, where national and international companies are already setting up shop.

The smart city, a satellite of Cairo touted for its sustainable credentials, began construction in 2016. Although it is ongoing, many key buildings have already been completed for the project, estimated to cost around $58 billion.