Editor’s Choice
2016 Skyscraper Competition
Phuchong Yamchomsuan, Boonjira Phaisitwanichkul, Warut Duangkaewkart
Thailand
Most of architecture we design is for humanity. What if the design can support both humanity and wildlife? What if we give back the ground to nature? Hence, the design purpose is to increase spaces for not only humanity but also wildlife simultaneously.
The design scheme is inspired by Banyan tree, the king of forests. As we’ve known, Banyan tree is the great murderer killing most trees in forests, yet it is the great giver providing habitat and food to most animals. Even though Banyan tree is categorized as a parasite plant, it is peculiarly special. After it slowly leeches and consumes all nourishment from another tree, the tree will be killed and then create interior space that’s covered up with Banyan tree’s limbs and roots as structure. This space will become homes for little animals and its enormous branches will create shades and provide food to all creatures. ‘Contributing one life is worth lots of life.’
In this project, the Banyan tree’s growing process is adopted as the main concept proposing how human could develop our world and sustainably grow up into the futuristic era.
The new structure will be introduced as a special parasitic creature. When it’s attached to any existing buildings in any cities, people will slowly move to the upper space for better lives. The new urban fabric will expand, while the old buildings will be abandoned eventually. Afterwards, nature will gradually take back the Earth’s surface and animals will get their natural habitat back.
The design aims to increase both humanity and wildlife habitat at the same time. The proposed structure will be developed on the higher surfaces, above high-rise buildings. Its form should be light and low dense, in contrast with today’s high-rise, so that the ground level would not be decadent and finally died. There will be sunlight and fresh air for every creature. With the new structure, people will leave the ground floor to expand new lives on sky surface, while trees and animals live on Earth’s surface where belong to them. Should it be the time we give back the land to our mother nature.
To avoid using the Earth’s surface, horizontal, vertical and underground transportation tubes are introduced in order to connect between living units and communities, personal and public spaces. The existing buildings that are abandoned will be cut to create the opened space for public activities where human and animals may stay close to each other.
In addition, the deserted high-rise where humans evacuate from can be boundaries creating zones between wild animals and mankind. With the sense of living together but staying not too close to, the zoning will protect humans from wild animals and protect wild animals from humans. This could be the way how metropolitan people stay close to nature again, recalling the former times when people and animals were neighbours.
