Honorable Mention
2014 Skyscraper Competition
Cities are strongly
influenced by their landscapes resulting in various spaces and unique
structures, which define its inhabitants’ way of life. Some cities have open,
free spatial structures while others evolve vertically following a particular
grid.
The New Tower of Babel is a
steel construction built over the desert surface with multiple levels planned
depending on the landscape’s topology. The top two panels are made of glass,
and the air contained in between is warmed up by the sunlight. The structure is
slightly tilted upwards, which leads the air to the middle of the tower into an
inner cylindrical. The updraft power channels the warm air into the chimney
tower, propelling the wind turbines located in the base of the building, thus
converting kinetic energy into electrical power. Under the glass panels,
protected from adverse weather conditions, dust, and debris, photovoltaic panels
are placed. They generate electricity while reflecting the sunrays thereby
further increasing the temperature of the air contained between the glasses.
Underneath, the floor plates are transformable and can be utilized in different
ways, including the transportation of people and goods as well as the
transmission of water, gas or electricity. Moreover, the photovoltaic panels
cast a shadow, which cools down the land’s surface. This newly created
microclimate allows the creation of residential and recreational areas as well
as the development of agriculture.
The individual spatial
elements create a common body and allow the use of space in different ways. The
elements follow the principles of statics: by gradually decreasing the weight
of the structures moving from the base up. Different solutions of the open
spaces break off the continuity of inner spaces and create places with unique
identity. The Tower of Babel establishes a new landscape, which makes use of
the natural forces of an upwind power plant and therefore stretches from the
horizontal to the vertical. The environment is decided as an open city, with
maximum freedom. The building is characterized by many different spaces and
leaves their use open to improvisation. Therefore, life develops in different
places with different intensity. The project reinforces the principles of
sustainability, which allow long term economic, social, and ecological
development.