Dive summary:

• Skyscrapers once were about flash and visual distinction, but the emphasis now has shifted to conventional designs that can contribute to the building's sustainability and efficiency.
• An analyst with Emporis, a company that keeps data on buildings globally, says that now owners and designers brag about what they have been able to design into a building rather than what it looks like.
• Engineered active facades that help with climate control and green roofs and walls are among the features that get attention now, Matthew Keutenius says.

From the article:

Along with being aesthetically pleasing, green foliage is being applied to both interior and exterior skyscraper walls and roofs to facilitate air purification, waterproof and cool the buildings, and providing habitat for insects and, in some cases, for edible plants. ...