Of the many ways that scientists and researchers have proposed to solve all the problems associated with global warming and climate change, sustainable architecture seems to be one promising approach. The need for better architecture with a low environmental impact has made architects ponder over designs that are self-sufficient and in one way or the other try to make the planet a much better place to dwell. Here is a list of 15 such proposals that can generate all the energy they need using renewable sources of energy and reduce the burden on the electrical grid.
10MW Skyscraper:
Designed by Studied Impact, the 10MW Skyscraper has been proposed for Dubai. The tower has been designed to generate 10 times more energy than it needs. The tower is equipped with a 5MW wind turbine that sits on top of the building harnessing the wind, a 3MW concentrating solar system and an additional 2MW is to be generated with a solar updraft system. The 50-story skyscraper will pump renewable energy back into Dubai’s electric grid.
Costanera Sur:
Envisioned by VisionDivision, the Costanera Sur is a unique skyscraper that won’t house offices or apartments but will provide sustainable living space for animals. The vertical zoo will be built from debris left over from the construction of Buenos Aires’ decades-old highways and will be self-sufficient in terms of water and energy. The vertical zoo will be equipped with a central pipe structure that will draw water from a nearby river and pump it all the way to the top of the building. Water will then be allowed to flow down the building’s façade, creating a unique waterfall. The basement of the building will feature turbines and a central generator that will produce electricity from this waterfall.
Water-Scraper:
Unlike proposals which are designed to touch the sky, this one is simply the reverse and is designed to be built underwater. Conceptualized by Malaysian designer Sarly Adre Bin Sarkum, this unique skyscraper is a futuristic self-sufficient floating city. The design expands the concept of a floating island into a full-fledged underwater skyscraper that harvests renewable energy and grows its own food. It generates its own electricity using wave, wind and solar power and it produces its own food through farming, aquaculture and hydroponic techniques. The surface of the submerged skyscraper sustains a small forest, while the lower levels contain spaces for its inhabitants to live and work. The building is kept upright using a system of ballasts aided by a set of squid-like tentacles that generate kinetic energy.
Oasis Tower for Zabeel Park:
The Oasis Tower for Zabeel Park, Dubai, is an answer to the rise in population and the dearth in the amount of land available for farming. Designed by Rahul Surin, the tower would provide a solution for urban farming and sustainable housing. The architect believes that the Oasis Tower will be able to provide food enough to feed 40,000 people each year. The mixed-use tower incorporates the latest in renewable energy technologies including wind turbines and a PV-layered façade.
Gesterbine:
Designed by Polish architecture firm Mode:Lina Architektura & Consulting, the Gesterbine skyscraper has been designed to maximize renewable energy using a series of wind turbines, human kinetics and water. The self-sufficient tower is being envisioned for Greater Poland, an area characterized by a small amount of precipitation. During the day when energy demand is high, the Gesterbine uses wind energy to provide renewable electricity to households, farms and small offices. However, during night when energy demand falls, the turbines generate electricity to power water pumps that transport river water into the land.
Aviapolis Tower:
Conceptualized by K2S Architects, the Aviapolis Tower will be 70m high with a slender shape and spherical voids serving as common spaces, meeting areas and green spaces. An energy park has especially been designed to fulfill the required energy demand. It includes wind generators and solar panels built in a series. The park lies somewhere between the building and the highway. Even in its aesthetic point of view, the tower will be a landmark of its own kind.
Gyre:
Similar in concept to the Water-Scraper, the Gyre too is being envisioned to be built underwater. Proposed by Zigloo, the conceptual floating development will bring scientists and vacationers together to understand the ocean without polluting the delicate ecosystem. Peaking at a depth of 400m, the development will provide space for a comfortable living and working environment, including space for shops, restaurants, gardens and recreation. The Gyre’s unique design will allow the integration of systems to harvest renewable energy from wind, the sun and tides. In addition to an array of vertical axis wind turbines, the Gyre will generate solar energy from windows with a glass printed array of solar cells. Moreover, underwater nacelles function both as tidal generators when the structure is anchored and as thrusters for propulsion. Rainwater is also harvested and mechanical systems and emergency freshwater storage basins are in the deepest portion of the structure.
BURJ AL-TAQA:
Designed by Eckhard Gerber, this 322-meter tower has been proposed for development in the Middle East. The zero-energy development will use the sun, wind and water to create all the energy that it needs. The state-of-the-art tower will use natural air conditioning based on Iranian wind towers, which draws wind in and down to cool the interiors. Solar gain control is dependent on a new type of vacuum glazing that is still in development but is expected to be over 60 percent more efficient than current technology. A rotating solar shield covering one sixth of the building’s circumference will provide shade at the highest incidences and use an integrated photovoltaic array to capture the sun’s energy for electricity.
Food City:
The Food City skyscraper by GCLA Architects has been designed to be developed in Dubai. The completely off-grid development is designed to make people live the greenest possible life. The Food City features green walls, aquatic farms, artificial roof landscapes and renewable energy generators at a scale no one has ever tried before. The metropolis will generate all the electricity it needs using concentrated solar collectors, towers draped in photovoltaic modules and piezoelectric pads in all pedestrian areas. Additionally, the complex will extract methane from sewage tanks for days when the sun isn’t shining.
Seawater Vertical farm:
This one-of-a-kind skyscraper has been envisioned by Italian architects Studiomobile and has been designed to solve some freshwater woes of Dubai. The vertical farm will make use of seawater to irrigate crops. The air going in the greenhouse is first cooled and humidified with seawater, providing necessary conditions for plant growth. As this air leaves the growing area it is mixed with warm dry air, making it more humid and hotter. This warm and humid air is then condensed, again using seawater, until condensed drops of fresh water appear. These drops are then collected in a tank and used to irrigate the crops.
Valdrade:
Designed by Axel Cailteux, Céline Hautfenne, Julie Neuwels and Delphine Termote, the Valdrade brings a new definition of a city dense space that is based on three interdependent vectors – density, sustainability and diversity. The facades of the design are composed from facets reacting with their environment. Each facet takes its inspiration from a natural element. These facets do everything from generating renewable energy to harvesting rainwater.
Rotating Wind Power Tower:
Another self-sufficient tower for Dubai, the Rotating Wind Power Tower by Dynamic Architecture is a sun and wind-powered sustainable tower that has aptly named the Rotating Tower, as the floors would be capable of rotating around a central axis. It will be continually in motion, changing shape and giving the residents the ability to choose a new view at the touch of a button. The form of the building would constantly change as each floor rotates separately giving a new view of the building as it turns. According to the designers, the building ensures a very high resistance to earthquakes as each floor rotates independently.
Dragonfly:
The Dragonfly by Vincent Callebaut has been designed to be developed in New York. The 600m-tall structure takes inspiration from a dragonfly’s wing and spans 132 floors to accommodate 28 different agricultural fields for the production of fruit, vegetables and dairy items. The structure will have space for offices, research labs and communal areas which are spaced between orchards, farms and production rooms. The space between the set of steel and glass wings is used to take advantage of solar energy by accumulating warm air during the cold winter season. The 100 percent self-sufficient ecosystem collects rainwater using the exterior vertical gardens, which is then mixed with domestic liquid waste. The waste is treated and reused in the farms. Apart from producing water and food for the inhabitants, the structure has been designed to be kept off-the-grid with wind turbines and solar panels generating the adequate energy.
Suspended City:
The Suspended City by Coolie Calihan and Charles Johnson aims to refine urban architecture and bring it in harmony with nature and the environment. The site of this proposal is located on the dense urban waterfront of Rio de Janeiro and is to be completed in time for the 2016 Olympics. The self-sufficient city will harvest natural sources for all the power it needs.
Eco-Cybernetic City:
Envisioned by Orlando De Urrutia, the Eco-Cybernetic City resembles a forest of trees that are in search of sunlight. The building has been designed not only to be self-sufficient in terms of energy, but features systems that allow it to save energy and rely on natural resources for everything from energy to water. The building with 150 floors has been touted to be an “alive machine” by the designers, as the building interacts with its surrounding environment. The Eco-Cybernetic City incorporates a façade of photovoltaic lattices, which generate solar energy for the building and its unique multimedia LED façade that interacts with the changes in the atmosphere.
