ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to investigate commercial high-rise building as a type, focusing solely on office buildings and the typological characteristics that distinguish types of office building. It will explore the historical origins and development of the type and the current issues driving typological trends in commercial architecture. Five case studies from the Asia Pacific Region have been selected to exemplify established and emerging typologies of commercial architecture with a focus on highlighting the opportunities for appropriate bioclimatic solutions for the warm temperate climate of the Asia Pacific Region. Finally, it examines some of the opportunities and limitations for the environmental retrofitting of these commercial building types.
