Editors’ Choice
2025 Skyscraper Competition
Anh Duong
United States
Ho Chi Minh City is facing one of the highest air pollution indexes in the world. This pollution mainly comes from motorbikes, construction sites and factories, seriously affecting the living environment and people’s health. Therefore, Breath of Cities was created to help filter the city’s polluted air, reducing air pollution and dust. This skyscraper is envisioned as a giant air purifier.
The skyscraper is built with a central core that functions as a massive air purifier, drawing polluted dust and gases from the lower levels into the center of the building. The system filters and separates different types of exhaust gases, purifies them and releases clean oxygen through the roof, allowing the air to be continuously renewed. In addition, the outer layer surrounding the filter core is covered with dense greenery, further supporting the process of filtering the air, especially for lighter dust and smoke emitted from vehicles that can be filtered instantly. The combination of these two systems creates a continuous loop to help the city “breathe” again.
Beyond cleaning the air, the building also demonstrates how architecture can support daily urban life. With vertical farms distributed throughout the tower, it provides fresh produce for residents and surrounding communities, promoting both convenience and health. This is not just a filter, but a place where people can live, gather, learn and connect with nature in a city that is now too crowded and polluted. The glass facade combined with kinetic shading panels also plays an important role in maintaining the indoor vertical farming. When facing the intense tropical heat in Ho Chi Minh City, plants often struggle to grow well. The kinetic facade helps regulate sunlight by opening and closing throughout the day to prevent direct glare and create a suitable environment for vegetation to grow.
Breath of Cities is a project that represents how architecture can help rebalance a polluted urban environment. By combining technology, green gardens and adaptive sun protection systems, the building presents a new way for a skyscraper to function; not as a structure that causes further environmental damage, but as one that returns benefits to the city. For tropical places like Ho Chi Minh or Southeast Asia in general, designing future developments that contribute to a healthier living environment becomes increasingly important. Through this project, it can be seen that a skyscraper is more than a building; it is also a tool that can help heal a city and create a better living environment for people.
