With overcrowding becoming a big problem in cities around
the world, but height limits restricting how far up we can build in an effort
to circumvent this issue, one speculative project is looking at taking a rather
novel approach, constructing the world tallest skyscraper, unhindered by
building height restrictions, by suspending the entire building from an
asteroid locked in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth.
The ambitious building project, named Analemma Tower, is the
brainchild of NYC-based design firm Clouds Architecture Office. The company
recently hit headlines for their project in partnership with NASA, in which they
designed a Martian Ice Home concept aiming to create hospitable environments on
the surface of the red planet. It seems
as though space-based projects are becoming second-nature to the firm.
The Analemma Tower project aims to make use of a system
known as the Universal Orbital Support System (UOSS), by which an asteroid is
locked in geosynchronous orbit before the super-tall tower is attached via high-strength cable. The
tower would then drift through the sky, drawing a figure-8 pattern between the
Northern and Southern Hemispheres each day, returning to the same spot in the
skies above New York City every 24 hours. The orbit has been intentionally
calibrated so as to locate the tower above NYC during the slowest portion of
its travels through the sky, so I suppose the tower would technically require a
New York address and post-code.
For power, the tower would rely upon solar panels, and would
use recycled water to fill its own supply. Lower floors would be dedicated to
business use whilst residential areas would be situated approximately
two-thirds of the way up (I’m pretty sure I mean up; which way is up when the
foundations are suspended in space?).
One thing the plans neglect to mention is how people would
access the tower, and subsequently return to the ground. Illustrations seem to
show a few different possibilities, from parachutes to helicopters to an
oversized crane, but Clouds Architecture Office do not actually state which
approach they would take.
As an added bonus, those living at the top of the tower
would be gifted with an additional 40 minutes of daylight each day.
The plans lay out the thinking behind the project as
follows:
"Harnessing the power of planetary design thinking, it
taps into the desire for extreme height, seclusion and constant mobility. If
the recent boom in residential towers proves that sales price per square foot
rises with floor elevation, then Analemma Tower will command record prices,
justifying its high cost of construction."
It is worth remembering here that the project is purely
speculative, and as such is highly unlikely to enter the construction stage at
any point in the near future. What it does well, however, is encouraging
designers and architects alike to think outside the box, or in this case the
atmosphere, to find solutions to the problems which, let’s be honest, we as the
human race have by-and-large created for ourselves.
Sam Bonson
Sam is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He is currently working as a content writer, journalist & editor in an attempt to expand his horizons.
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