# Space Efficiency of Tall Buildings in Singapore
## 4 Results
### Relation of Space Efficiency and Key Design Considerations
This highlights the importance of building form in balancing functionality, efficiency, and aesthetics in the design of tall buildings in Singapore. Figure 11 analyzes the relationship between structural material and space efficiency. The data show that concrete is the most prevalent structural material, utilized in 43 buildings across all functions. Residential buildings using concrete (28 in total) display relatively high space efficiencies, predominantly clustering between 75% and 90%. This high efficiency suggests that concrete, due to its versatile and robust nature, supports designs that maximize usable space in residential buildings. Concrete office buildings (11 in total) exhibit a moderate range of space efficiency, mostly between 70% and 85%. This reflects concrete's suitability for creating the open and flexible floor plans required for office spaces. Hotels (one concrete building) and mixed-use buildings (three concrete buildings) show greater variability in space efficiency, indicating that, while concrete is a common material,  
Figure 10: Cases by form. its efficiency depends significantly on the specific design and functional requirements of the building. Composite structures are represented by 19 buildings in the dataset. Office buildings with composite structures (10 in total) show a wide range of space efficiencies, from about 65% to 90%. This variability could be due to the flexibility that composite materials offer, allowing for innovative designs that may prioritize aesthetic or structural considerations over space efficiency. Residential buildings with composite structures (three in total) have a slightly lower efficiency range than concrete, suggesting that, while composites offer design flexibility, they may not always be optimized for maximizing usable space in residential settings. Hotels and mixed-use buildings (three each) with composite structures also demonstrate diverse space efficiencies, reflecting the varied design goals these buildings must meet, which may impact the optimization of internal space. Steel, used in only one building (an office), shows a lower space efficiency at approximately 70%. While steel structures are known for their strength and ability to support large spans, the data suggest that, in this particular instance, the design may not have been optimized for space efficiency. This lower efficiency could be due to specific architectural choices or structural requirements that prioritize other factors over maximizing usable space. Overall, the data suggest that structural material choice greatly affects space efficiency in tall buildings. Concrete typically supports higher efficiency, especially in residential and office buildings. Composite materials provide design flexibility but show more variation in efficiency due to differing architectural and functional needs. Although steel is less common in the dataset, it shows that efficiency depends on the combination of material properties, design, and functional requirements, rather than material choice alone. Figure 12 investigates the relationship between structural system and space efficiency. Shear-walled frame, used in 48 buildings, is the most common structural system in the dataset. Residential buildings using this system (31 in total) show high space efficiencies, predominantly in the 80% to 90% range. This suggests that shear-walled frames are highly effective for residential buildings, providing structural stability while maximizing usable floor space, likely due to the placement of walls that efficiently compartmentalize space without excessive intrusion into living areas. Office buildings using shear-walled frames (13 in total) exhibit a broader range of space efficiency, mostly between 70% and 85%, indicating that this system supports the functional requirements of office spaces, such as open-plan layouts and flexibility for partitioning, albeit with some variation based on specific design needs.