Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Catherine He, Celia He
Canada

As the rate of space travel increases exponentially and off-Earth settlements multiply, the political and regulatory networks of the human species will likewise expand and diversify. From this growth emerges a new nexus of activity: Earth Port One.

Evolved from the electromagnetic propulsion technology first pioneered for space travel in the ancestral StarTram system, Earth Port One – or simply the Port – is the planet’s foremost spaceport for transporting mass volumes of people and goods between Earth and Deep Space destinations. Its Antarctic location, which allows for the most efficient access to polar orbits, by treaty, remains unclaimed by any single sovereign nation since its discovery. The Port is the result of the largest international joint venture in recorded history and is an icon of human collaboration and creation.

For these reasons, Earth Port One houses the Embassy: a singular Earth bound location which serves as neutral ground for the delegates of various extra-terrestrial agencies to assemble and interact. Whether it is to discuss off-world trade agreements, the establishment of new orbital communities, or the Interplanetary Olympic Games, the Port provides the means and space to host such conversations.

The spine of the Port is divided by elevation into two main volumes: public and private. The public domain begins with the Exchange, a single point of arrival and departure for everyone. From here, travelers may proceed to the spaceport, the airport, or enter the City proper. The first 500 levels of the Port spine are dedicated to a mixture of uses, including a 1600 acre park. The private domain is located beyond the 9km weather breakpoint, at an elevation where for half the year the sun never sets. Levels 501 and above, is home to agricultural facilities, research laboratories, and data centers dedicated to fueling the extra-terrestrial colonization effort.

The Port is many things to many people. To those who have never set foot on Earth, it is the first point of contact on foreign land. To those leaving Earth for another home, it is the last point of contact to familiar cultural and environmental conditions. To those who live and work on site, it provides the infrastructure and amenities of a self-sustaining city. Ultimately, to the citizens of this planet, whose collected efforts and curiosity brought Earth Port One into reality, this megastructure is Earth’s contribution and statement to the expanding intergalactic community. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Rebecca Nathalie Wennerstrand, Mayank Thammalla, Robert Haejun Park
New Zealand

Currently known as the worst humanitarian crisis of our time, the on-going Syrian civil war has not only eroded the nation in its entirety but also defaced its cultural identity. Over 11 million people have been displaced in the last five years and 4.8 million refugees have been forced to seek protection in neighboring countries, resulting in a continental scale exodus. What was once a land with a rich history and diverse culture is now a war-torn nation reduced to rubble.

In response to the existing ruined city fabric and architecture, ‘The Silver Lining’ concept proposes a radical approach of process driven conversion of post-war debris into a myriad of raw building material. The proposed mega form line establishes a colossal yet sublime presence above the broken city, adjoining the crumbled fabric through extreme horizontality. The proposal extracts the debris from the city into the mega form 200m above ground level and then deposits it under a series of systematic processes from which the reformed material will be placed back onto ground zero for construction.

This procedure is distinct and isolated from the post war wreckage; to accentuate the creation of the new city typology from the old. The new city will rise above the debris of war to give the Syrian capital: Damascus a new beginning.

The materials used in the building industry and its associated solid wastes account for around half of the wastes generated worldwide. Furthermore, building materials have an environmental impact at every step of the building process; extraction of raw materials, processing, manufacturing, transportation, construction and disposal of material at the end of a building’s life. This project recognizes the immense reserves of building rubble as a result of the war activity and attempts to reprocess it into concrete and distribute it around the affected areas of the city. Current practices of concrete reprocessing involved uncomplicated and well-established crushing techniques which is adopted at a large scale in the proposed mega form.

Alongside the debris conversion, the mega form will in conjunction begin to re-establish a natural landscape by the collection and distribution of water and soil beginning from under its footprint. This secondary function is vital in reconstructing the Syrian agricultural industries thus, aiding the economy to become self-sustaining. The landscape footprint will gradually increase creating a public park for the people of Syria to use for daily activities, agriculture and extract additional building materials.

Future use
The primary purpose of the mega form will be complete once the convertible material has been depleted and recycled into usable building material for the city. The empty mega form can then be retrofitted to become an extension to the Damascus city fabric for various uses the city may be presented with.

The large spaces that were used in converting debris can be adaptively re-used into civic spaces, tertiary institutions, religious sanctuaries, accommodation or new work places. Becoming a usable and reusable typology, allows Syria to revitalize and support its future economy and livelihood.

With it’s restored urban identity, stretches of Damascan skies will be filled with streaks of silver; a beacon to the scattered Syrians to return back home. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Fu Hao, Zhang Yunlong, Yang Ge
United States

Nowadays, the construction of the building needs a lot of time, manpower, and working procedure. A variety of buildings are formed through being assembled with different materials. However, the changeless rigid material has not been able to meet the people’s pursuit of the architectural form, and the complex construction process also limits the development of the building. So we hope to explore a new architectural model to meet people’s pursuit of architectural form while reducing the tedious construction process. Draping – just like putting on clothes for a building, which are tailor made from inside to outside. We hope to find out a new material which can be arbitrarily folded, cut, enclosed, sewed, turned over, and falls into a pattern. Tower just shows such a concept and form. Most of its exterior spread like vertically carpet from its top floor, the local contraction showing a part of the internal details. In addition, its interior is assembled with more detailed small units. This method not only makes the construction of the building more convenient and simple, makes the building repaired easily, but also makes the material easily reused and recycled after the demolition.

As a result, the building will be able to developed more possibilities, the burden that formed for modeling reduced in the aspect of structure, so the method is more convenient for the construction process and for recycling to reuse, which solves the problem that the vast majority of construction waste, and also brings people a new space experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Tamin Song, Jin Woo Kuk, Sun Hee Yoo, Bruce Han, Gangmin Yoo, Jun Sun Baek
New Zealand

Senseless, disconnected blocks crowd the urban scape. The absence of dialogue, of emotional connection, brings up the question: where does art end and architecture begin?

Although art and architecture are distinctly different, they share one obvious characteristic: the ability to activate emotional response. In its thousand years of history, architecture spoke of myths and tales through sculptural expression, and tapped into its ability. However, coming into the 20th century’s age of mechanization, the doctrine ‘form follows function’ manifest itself so deeply that now, architecture of raw, honest narrative is hard to be found. The issue at hand in the modern city is not simply the “modern box” aesthetic. The problem is that these structures lack an authentic connection to the ever-changing dialogue in which they exist. To our stories.

The human castell, inspired by the castells of ancient Catalonia, continue the story that was abruptly cut off. By bringing back formal expression in full force supported by new technologies, the tower begins to fill in the blank page.

Using the pure human form the tower builds upon itself, figure upon figure, each layer telling a story. Rid of exterior walls and obstructive barriers the tower opens its insides towards the city. The human castell flips the typical building inside out, bringing out the stories that are hidden within the dark enclosure of buildings. This is enabled by our developing technologies, the forms become the stories but also the structure itself, voiding the need for additional superstructure so no small gesture is lost in translation.

It presents a concrete and very solid depiction of our society as it is: the fear, the pain, the joy, and the excitement. Each layer enriching the other to finally become the most raw, unobstructed representation of who we are and what our stories create. At last breathing a much needed sense of identity and emotion into the grey city.

From the office windows and cramped apartment blocks high in the city sky we see the human castell, an enchanting yet solid reminder of who we are and the value that lies within this knowledge. When times pass and our stories change, more towers such as the castell rise up, telling the new stories and acknowledging the ones that have brought them where they are now.

More than a monument or a busy cluster of stories, the human castell is a cue for the present and a reminder for the future. Recording who we are and picking up the story that was left off far too long ago, that is perhaps the most crucial plot we have missed till now. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Maciej Kasperek
United Kingdom

New York, the densest and largest city in the World, is also widely reported to be the most wasteful in terms of garbage, water use and energy. It generates 14 million tonnes of waste each year and spends $2.3 billion per year disposing it off. Until 2001 nearly all of NYC waste ended up in landfill in the borough of Staten Island. Since its closure the garbage is transported to landfills elsewhere. This approach is only diverting the problem and fails to recognize that the reason for excessive amount of waste is not only the sheer size of the city but is mostly a result of consumer-throwaway culture. The magnitude of this manifestation of wastefulness is amplified with the density. Manhattan, the densest county in America, generates 2400 tonnes of waste alone every day.

There is a constant flow of products into the busy city centre and at the same time a flow of waste going out. This waste is scarcely recycled due to lack of public recycling facilities and either ends up in landfill or if recycled, the raw material, goes as far as China to be used in manufacture again. This results in pollution due to transport. This consumerism and wastefulness cycle continues on a global scale.

Urban Mining Factory is a vertical recycling factory in the heart of the city. A factory which turns trash to product. Process is focused on the materials and waste of the city such as paper, plastic or food and turning those into products and fuel that the city needs.

The essence of the project is to create closed loop cycle for as many materials-products as possible. The tower focuses on the things that city is using the most. Building celebrates the process of reclaiming materials, manufacturing and then selling the products.

New York’s problem with waste could be solved by recycling but foremostly by waste reduction. Positioning a recycling tower in the middle of Manhattan would not only promote recycling, educate people of New York about its importance and make them aware what happens to all their waste, but also cut down the cost and emissions of diesel burned to transport garbage out of the city to landfill and also transport the products into the city.

By its exoskeletal nature with exposed services and processes to the outside, the building serves as a noble impulse to the modern World. Its form is derived from the process taking place inside, changing from top to bottom, from raw to product. Furthermore, the form is a celebration of the process and it provides visitors an opportunity to experience it.

It is a vision to redefine the capitalist image, a symbol of responsible consumption, a modern icon of progressive society. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Zhang Bo, Liu Shuman
China

For a long time, ancient Chinese people have unlimited desire for the mysterious sky. Many years ago, China experienced the era of exploring the high-rise building, such as high-platform building, Tasha, and so on, even our ancient emperor Wei also want to build a super high palace. All of the stories show our ancestors’ aspirations and creative ideas for the high-altitude buildings. Cultural inheritance is considered as a significant design element in the development of exploring the high-rise buildings. We should solve the ecological issues by using our science and technological methods and try our best to preserve our historical cultures.

Human destroy nature, break and disorder the balance of original ecological system. Our plan try to consider architecture as a special medium to better the relationship among human and nature and recover the balance of ecological system.

We use the traditional design forms to solve the environmental problems and preserve the regional cultural context. Analyze and reorganize the functions in multiple ways to create a living complex with the local cultural significance. We try to use Chinese painting comfortable and free expression forms to plan and design architecture to strengthen the contacts between different people, human and nature.

Our plan creates a modular relationship between the part and the whole of the project by applying the unique timberwork to the design. It is similar to the relationship between wood structure, brackets and small components of windows and doors in the design of stupa. All of the components maintain their own independence and have different metabolic cycles. It forms a kind of “vertical village”based on culture. Building treatment is considered as an “unfinished form” to adapt to the development and dynamic change of city. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Yutan Sun, Tongda Xu, Luojia Zhang, Dinglu Wang, Tianjun Wang
China

Since the industrial revolution, production fuels the capitalism and consumerism, the big cities and skyscrapers become possible. And this was when workers began to play an important role in this complicated social system. Due to the height they need to work at, construction workers are viewed as one of the most dangerous professions now, not to mention in early days when security measures were less efficient. They are risking their life building our cities when architects and city planners seem to take all the credit.

Ironically, the construction builders are underpaid, surviving at the bottom of the society. As our cities sprawl over the land, the confrontation between the worker class and upper social classes has become sharper than ever. The luxurious skyscrapers take up the urban space, while the constructers of these buildings end up in city corners or even homeless. They have laid every piece of brick in the city, yet were driven away from the kingdom they built by high prices and other urban problems. Seldom do they have a chance to live a city life.

“Workers of the world, unite!”
Change will happen. The workers start from a common strike and take up movement. Soon the site of taking up will become a site to live. With scaffolds erected, workers move in, infrastructure built, a community of workers leaded by constructors grows out of the top of our concrete jungle. That’s the babel tower of workers, a heterotopia for worker class in the central and topmost area in a metropolitan, a deserved decent place to live and reproduce in the city they have devoted themselves to.

Method & Structure
Representing revolution of construction techniques as well as the new roll construction workers played, skyscraper is chosen as both the prototype and the site of the monument. Scaffold and safety net, reminding people of constructing set, are used to symbolize their identity. These skyscrapers are placed on top of pre-existing skyscrapers, which allow construction workers to create their own society in city center. Considering construction progress, the monument consists of 6 layers from the bottom up:

1. Defense. Guarded by soldiers, this is the first step of uprising, ensuring safety of the upcoming new society.
2. Equipment. Taking energy crisis and environmental pollution into consideration, we created space for large machineries to purify water and air and to converse solar power, producing clean energy for the society.
3. Transportation. Several towers would be built in a city successively to meet the need and cable cars would act as public transport among them.
4. Residence & Agriculture. After infrastructure is well-developed, housing would be built for workers moving in. Every resident is provided with a piece of farmland. Confronted with food shortage, residents can grow their own food.
5. Communication. Open space would be built on top of high-density residence for communication. It’s also place for all kinds of outdoor activities.
6. Construction. Construction process can be continued whenever is needed. On top of the tower, this layer is also for sightseeing.

These skyscrapers will allow construction builders to live a self-sufficient life in the center of the metropolitan and exist as a memorial of a group of hard workers. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Arturo Emilio Garrido Ontiveros, Andrés Pastrana Bonillo, Judit Pinach Martí, Alex Tintea
Spain

From the beginning of time we have shown our eagerness towards progress. “Mutable man may be able to make them (challenges of life within the boundaries of death) – our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However, vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” – Kubrick said.

The very meaninglessness of life forces a man to create his own meaning. We could understand the history of mankind though this eagerness, from the cave man – to the industrial revolution.

Elon Musk says there are two fundamental paths to our future, one path is we stay on Earth forever with an eventual extinction event. The other is to become a multi-planetary species, which should be our generation’s milestone. Dreaming for the stars

The first step should Mars, which is better suited to scale up to host a multi-planetary civilization that any other planet from our solar system. Our mission is to create a habitat that would host the first city on Mars. Our proposal is the axis between the first flights and the terraforming of the planet. A building that would serve as an entrance to Mars.

Before terraforming Mars we must think of an access to it. We propose a space elevator that would be composed of four elements. A counterweight to the top, a tent to the bottom, a tube that connects both elements and the elevator itself.

The counterweight would be located at a distance to which an object in the orbit moves at the same speed as the rotation of the planet. It would receive the spaceships and host the necessary laboratories in a radial composition. A skin covers the capsules and absorbs the solar energy far from the contamination of the atmosphere. It is a door to the habitat.

The tube would connect both the counterweight and the habitat on Mars. It must be strong enough to resist the traction produced by the rotation of the counterweight and wide enough to host the elevator.

“You need to live in a dome, initially”.

In order to make the planet habitable, we first start by creating a tent inside which life will start for the first time. At first, a small volume of oxygen will be separated from the abundant carbon dioxide in order to make the air breathable inside the tent. The soil would be transformed and vegetation would grow.

The tent is designed to grow larger as the population increases. It also has a radial composition that allows the dome to grow in all directions. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Shenghui Yang, Xu Pan, Yue Song, Yingxin Cheng, Binci Wang, Yuerong Zhou, Yaying Zheng, Shiman Wang
China

Typhoon, as we all know, brings huge damages to human life and property. It could be considered as one of the worst natural disasters in the world, meanwhile, contains a huge energy which could even raze a whole city to the ground. As nowadays the deterioration of our living environment, we have all reasons to assume that, like most cases of extreme weather, the strike of the typhoon will become increasingly frequent. And Taipei, by its special location where the typhoon shows its horrible power most thoroughly, is regarded as a typical district in our research and design.

Our design consists of two main correlated parts. The main building serves as a view frame of city landscape, inside which we arrange a variety of functions, including water retaining, storage, temporary shelter, research institution, and exhibition. Between the frames is a three-dimensional staggered space structure for holding numbers of devices for energy collection and typhoon intervention. Driven by the strong winds, these devices will float diffusely among a larger scale, converting and collecting the kinetic energy from winds to mechanical energy, electrical energy or thermal energy. They will also release chemical substances later in the air, including dry ice and other catalysts, for dropping the temperature and dehumidify the surrounding high moisture air. After the mission is done, another building, whose location should be chosen by probability calculation result, will capture all devices again.

With both preventing and defending approaches, we see this project as an attempt for human positive intervening measures towards future disasters.

If we see typhoons from another aspect, we will realize that they are more than a natural catastrophe. Despite that damage to the coastal cities, the consequent benefits we can get from the typhoon are obvious too, such as the enormous energy which would be 200 times larger than the worldwide output. If we could cut down the damage caused by typhoon and get use of this energy, we might be able to see typhoons as a natural fortune rather than a disaster.

In view of above-mentioned reason, the design we present is an attempt to make use of the typhoon by human intervention. Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Mention
2017 Skyscraper Competition

Jitendra Sawant
India

A city which is almost entirely built by private Industry. But when you look at the city closely it’s a city which is a direct result of the hyper capitalist consumerist economy. It has a private metro line, fire bridged, energy system and even security forces.

As much as this has facilitated the growth of the city it has resulted into some strange happenings in the city.

According to the Belgian philosopher, Lieven de Cauter, we experience our civilization only in capsular states. Based on this hypothesis, Gurgaon NOW asks what consequences such encapsulation – what Peter Sloterdijk identifies as spheres or foam formation, could have on our urban condition. The question is pursued through the architectural program of a city of call centers – that is, could serve as a model and organizational prototype for a city and the constant expansion of urbanization? The design tasks contextualize the Gurgaon as a prototype relative to the existing growing cities in developing countries. The result of the design process is a strange city building whose formal principle derives from the misfit between other, different buildings and whose form is at once familiar and strange.

The project is made from merger of the existing 64 commercial building in cyber city part of Gurgaon. It has a volume of a one million cubic meters. And would be housing 35000-45000 people at large. Read the rest of this entry »