Honorable Mention
2013 Skyscraper Competition

Lee Seungsoo
South Korea

The Urban Earth Worm skyscraper uses one of the basest of creatures as its inspiration. Just as earthworms clean the soil and solve pollution problems, promulgating life in thriving ecosystems, this skyscraper will clean air and soil pollution in cities and also feed cities – literally.

The structure is in fact even shaped like a worm, horizontally extends and curves throughout the city, cleaning the air, processing waste and providing food in not just one but many points. The top part of the structure has growing tubes that are filled with soil and grow trees and plants. This green area cleans the city’s air and also provides crops for the city’s residents.

An energy station near the ground (but still within the worm) takes the city’s garbage and processes it into biomass from which energy can be generated. This energy fuels the skyscraper’s own processes but also is sent back to the city. The biomass is also used to replenish the soil that is used to grow the trees and crops in upper levels. Soil is periodically transported down to the energy station and mixed with biomass. It is left to sit for some time and replenish its nutrients. When that process is complete, it is transported back up to the growing levels, and the soil already up there is moved down to be regenerated.

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