In terms of feeling harmonious with a city, and contributing to a green landscape, skyscrapers rank pretty low on the list. But that seems to be changing, with a number of new and impressive designs that put nature and openness first and foremost.
This design for a proposed Skylines skyscraper in New York City is emblematic of those ideas. Designed by Lissoni Casal Ribeiro, the massive, 80+ story tower incorporates huge gardens, expansive platforms, and aims to be more of a living and breathing entity than a traditional building.
With a central building core surrounded by large platforms with ample trees and plants, the building would be housed in a vertical cable design that forms the outer facade, but also serves as a power-creating element. We think the cabling is a unique choice, used as both a structural element but also a design one, providing fresh air and the ability to grow large sky-gardens, even on higher floors.
Extensive use of wind, solar, and rainwater collection would make the building nearly carbon neutral, and onsite gardens would provide much of the food needed for the residents.
In addition, the building is designed to also accommodate a hospital, making it ideal in case of emergencies, future pandemics or other catastrophes.
While we’ve written about eco skyscrapers before, it’s exciting to think our built environment might start to incorporate some of these future-thinking ideas before too long.
Lissoni Casal Ribeiro took inspiration from nature and its most inspiring element, the Tree, to develop an architecture that is not simply a building but a complete ecosystem. Like a tree. One that gathers all the energy required from the sun and the wind, that collects water from the rain and transforms the energy from its tensioned cables into electricity to be used by the inhabitants.
