Honorable Mention
2018 Skyscraper Competition

Alexander Nikolas Walzer
Austria

As the world population grows and cities usually expand into the surrounding areas, or because of static infrastructure form way too high urban densities, the question arises what alternatives we have at the latest after exhaustion of land reserves. The proposed project entitled “E Mare Libertas” (Latin, for Freedom from the Sea) provides a scenario of a vertically packed settlement in the port of Singapore, a state that has already exploited 92% of its building land and that is forced to create new land artificially.

The creation of open spaces on the water, the idea of energetic self-sufficiency, a modular construction system and the inclusion of privacy represent design challenges that are playing extremely with the tension between density and freedom.

With this work, the author tries to point out the problem of our demographic future on an urban scale and to embed it in a proposal for the development of the remaining 70% of the world surface.

“E Mare Libertas” is the national motto and the name of the national anthem of the Micronation Sealand in the North Sea, on a former naval fort off the coast of Great Britain. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2018 Skyscraper Competition

Dong Jingzhe , Li Boyu , Zhang Zihan , Sun Zhe , Wu Yilun , Yu Yang , Zhang Haohao
China

Several years after World War III, a global war breaks out between countries in the world to fight for exhausting petroleum resource. Use of large amount of nuclear weapons in late war resulted in destruction of whole ecological environment in the earth. Most particles produced by nuclear explosion has size less than 1 micron floating in the air for tens of years to severely influence environmental temperature of the earth, so a scene like biter cold winter will appear on the earth – “nuclear winter”.

Damaged by nuclear weapon, the ecological circle is destructed and people cannot live on the earth’s surface, so we propose the “central survival of people” boldly. Facing long time span damage caused by nuclear pollution, people need to live underground temporarily and restore ground environment, meanwhile, people need to contact outer space closely to explore new planets suitable for people to live.

Individual lifesaving building, with most volume underground, has spiral lift device according to restoration condition of ground, providing living environment isolating nuclear pollution size a small city for survivors, with top space mainly used for takeoff and landing of Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), green plant and space purification. UAV carries chemicals to purify and reclaim soil and sow seed, giving the earth life while purifying environment. Water in the air is collected through top condensing tube and stored in storage device, they are transported through pipe to be used for green plant and people’s life. Lower film structure turn CO2 to O2 while purifying dust and air. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2018 Skyscraper Competition

QiLong Wu, WuHong Fang, HuiFang Duan, Chenhui Bao
China

In Buddhist culture, there is a saying called “reincarnation” which believes that the death of life is actually a fresh new start. It is not only a renewal of life and the eternity of spirit, but also a new starting point of a legend.

Every mortal dies eventually. Cemetery is often considered as the place where the deceased rest after their life comes to an end, however, the end of life does not mean virtually meaningless sleep underground. It is not only the place where the living remember the deceased, but also a station where the latter can reincarnate and continue to give back to nature and the living with a different form of life.

Based on the foregoing, in this case we put forward the idea of using the cremains of the dead as the nutrients for seed germination to symbolize the reincarnation of life by the process of seed germinating and growing, whilst minor parts of the plant, through sampling, processing and design, can also become a present for the living who would feel that the deceased are still around them.

In terms of architectural design, if the function of cemetery is simply vertical overlaid, the architecture created can only be a cold tombstone. What we hope is that the architecture could become a bridge between the living and the dead, which carries the affection of the living and allows the life value of the dead to continue and make spiritual dialog between the two possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2018 Skyscraper Competition

BoSheng Liu, Jon Rankin, Bryan Daily
United States

By 2300 the Arctic north will no longer be a sequestered, seemingly uninhabitable, frontier – with a projected annually averaged temperature increase of 15 degrees Fahrenheit by 2099 (GlobalChange) – as two-thirds of the world will become uninhabitable. (CleanTechnica) (IPCC) (NCA) In recent years – due to climate change and rapid warming of the polls leading to large ice melt – the Northwest Passage has become navigable during the warmer months. In conjunction with this occurrence the permafrost has begun to thaw. This has lead to an array of corporate interest in the region – ranging from oil, mineral, shipping, and tourist entities, as well as, nations attempting to pioneer the circumpolar territory. (ENR) Now the land and sea of the Arctic north is one of the most contentious geo-political campaigns of our time that will inexorably impact the world in coming centuries – in some ways malignant and in others benevolent. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2018 Skyscraper Competition

Keon Hee Lee, Dong Hyun Kim, Elicia Jiwoo Eom
Australia, South Korea

What do we miss from our current city? Large metropolitan areas such as Manhattan, Hong Kong and Tokyo have a dynamic culture and environment which attracts and sustains a lot of people. These areas are international hubs for commerce and the government. As the number of cities and urban population grow, not only does the demographic change but also its social, economic and psychological shape alters constituting demographics changes. Despite big cities having its fascinating sides, it brings with it significant disadvantages caused by the demographic changes and urbanization. It reduces the available green space and creates higher greenhouse gas emission and also affects mental health through the influence of increased stressors and factors such as overcrowding, pollution, high levels of violence, less ‘human fitting environment’ and lack of social support etc.

According to ARCADIS Consultancy, there are 3 main benchmarks in being a sustainable city. Quality of life, Green factors and Economic health. Here is where the problems rises. Many of those metropolitan areas have such a high ratings on the latest indicators yet the quality of life(people) ratings is very low. City planning, urbanization, advanced technologies all made the city greater however, it seems to have less consideration in ‘us’. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2018 Skyscraper Competition

Jinzi Wei, Yiliang Shao
China

Background
Since the rapid evolvement of 3D-printing technology, inevitably this technology will take a significant role in industrial projections. In a near future, as lifestyle evolves, new urban spaces, and therefore, city structures would be required. This new mode of production system will greatly shorten the distance between consumer and manufacturer, and provide wider options for urban services. The building 3D-printing system we are proposing for the future society will have similarities to the printers currently using paper. Like paper printers, this “Building 3D Printing System” should vary based on user groups, ranging form family to enterprise, or to an entire society. It can be as commonly owned as a paper printer, and just as easy to use with installed spatial cartridges, as building materials. Furthermore, the “cartridge” itself carries another “Crater to Crater” life circle as a part to the entire sustainable scheme. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2018 Skyscraper Competition

Peitong Liu
China

Though a socialist country, there are some unequal phenomena in People’ Republic of China. Liulin is a small county along Yellow River in Shanxi Province of People’s Republic of China. With its abundant coal resources underground, the county has developed rapidly and its urban area has been expanded fast within recent decades. Especially in the past ten years, the gap between rich and poor is growing greatly with its coal prices rising, which has been embodied distinctly in the urban space. This project is intended to design a complex building which reflects equality and ensures everyone to be treated equally. Read the rest of this entry »

Qiu Song, Zhang RuiChang, Wang Ji, Sheng Tianzi, Zhang Hui, Li Pei
China

The Tower of Time is a comprehensive museum skyscraper integrating heritage exploration, excavation, protection, research, exhibition, education and tourism, etc.

This building is divided into two parts: the part on the ground and the underground part. The underground part is the building foundation with functions of exploring, excavating and exhibiting geological rocks, animal fossils and burial heritage. This part not only preserves exhibits in the original and stable environment, but also allows visitors to experience process of relics excavation and the environment in which relics are preserved so as to know relevant geological and human heritage information. The part on the ground is designed for archaeological research and cultural relics exhibition and a sightseeing area with various research institutions, theme pavilions, theaters, catering, accommodation and leisure, etc.

Construction materials for ”The Tower of Time” are excavated locally. Excessive earth of excavating underground relics are grounded and processed as the main materials of constructing the building. And the entire building is built from the ground up and down at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »

The XS pocket fountain pen designed by ēnsso was conceived with mobility in mind. It is one of the smallest fountain pens in the world, but it grows into a regular size pen when posted- making it ideal for everyday carry. In addition, the cap is secured by o-rings, allowing a fast uncapping for quickly jotting down your ideas.

The XS has twelve facets that prevent it from rolling down your desk and it is available in several aluminum and brass finishes. It is equipped with #5 Peter Bock nibs made in Germany and it uses standard international ink cartridges or small aerometric converters.

The XS is available to pre-order on Kickstarter at 50% off from the future retail price.

Zhou Luqing, Tian Runjia, Xu Ziyi, Zhang Yaxuan, He Chuyue, Cai Yanqi, Zhu Sunqi, He Run
China

The North Atlantic circulation has great influence on heat and moisture. as a result of global warming, ice sheet in Greenland and north pole have been melting. So salinity of Atlantic is becoming lower, which becomes an obstacle of convection current in the vertical direction. North Atlantic circulation is at risk of stagnating.

The project is located at Atlantic in the south of Greenland, where the north Atlantic circulation has problem exchanging energy, and the area is also called sinking area. The project is meant to monitor and adjust salinity difference between different depth of ocean, maintain the current running, recover cracked and melting ice sheet and save water for future.

The project consists of two ring tangent in general outline, and seawater is disposed along the ring continuously. The big ring is responsible for the drawing and the separation of mixed seawater. The small ring is responsible for saving freshwater and for research and living. Low temperature in the north pole and height of gigantic structure provide natural advantage to the architecture to dispose seawater. Seawater is lift to upper air. Then freshwater and salt water are separated by freezing desalination process, taking advantage of low temperature. The salt water in high concentration is drained  through antennal pipes into the sea . One part of freshwater is transported into the small ring to be stored as domestic water ,the other part  is carried to the ice shell to repair it .The  whole object is supported by a ship typed foundation  floating at sea .There is a needle-liked probe connected to the foundation to monitor the differential concentration , and the foundation can move to the area in need of it in this way. Read the rest of this entry »