Why build a skyscraper?
All our work answers this question, rather than the question: how to build it?
The starting considerations are that humans have occupied all spaces of the planet, starting from small groups in single African areas we have colonized the entire globe, reducing the living space for all living beings, animals and plants.
By virtue of this situation we have decided to reverse this destructive trend for the entire planet, reducing human presence and restoring large areas to nature.
The reduction of human presence is understood not only in the land occupation carried out by cities, but also through the reduction of the areas that men occupy for other activities, especially for agriculture.
The area occupied by agriculture can be reduced by transferring part of the crops to vertical farms (hydroponic and aeroponic crops), which also offer other advantages, such as the reduction of the distances to be covered for the transport of agricultural products, as they are located in the cities. of water purification, lower costs, etc.
To this first element of verticality is added a second related to the urban environment, which consists in concentrating most of the functions of the cities in a smaller space, all this through a vertical development of the buildings and demolishing a large part of the built, saving only the historical centres.
In this way the starting question is answered, in fact in our project we imagine to concentrate human functions in various “nuclei”, where mixtè of functions are combined in the buildings developed in height, which also allow to transfer almost entirely the transport by rail .
In fact, the various nuclei are connected through railway lines, while within them the movements take place through “people movies” located at the base, practically eliminating the machines inside the nuclei.
The nuclei are organized into various bands: the central one with the building is surrounded by a large urban park, followed by a second band consisting of an agricultural area. Finally, the natural environment that is interposed between the various nuclei and what remains of the city centers.
The various skyscrapers of these nuclei are connected to the base by a large plate, covered with an entire green surface, which contains numerous other functions inside that cannot be placed elsewhere.
The characteristic of these urban nuclei is to be as self-sufficient as possible, and to create a closed cycle, which concerns both the food, energy and waste parts. In fact, the large glass surfaces of skyscrapers and vertical farms are made with photovoltaic glass, which allows the production of electricity; rainwater is concentrated in underground tanks, for storage and reuse, and their purification also takes place through the vertical farms dedicated to the purpose.
The waste is largely recycled, while the residues are used in waste-to-energy plants that produce electricity and heat.
Even skyscrapers are characterized by a mix of functions, ranging from residential to commercial, tertiary, hotels, etc., and also inside them there are public areas and green spaces and also real squares that they allow the inhabitants to have relations in the public sphere.
The structure of the skyscrapers is made with a reinforced concrete core also containing the vertical connections, and an external structure with a bundle of pipes in steel trusses, inside corten steel pipes. Various plant systems also pass through these pipes. The core and the external structure are connected by technical floors (also containing large reticular beams) which support various blocks of floors above.
In the skyscrapers, as well as in the base, there are large amounts of vegetation and trees (in the various “vertical gardens”), so as to also contribute to the increase in the level of oxygen and the reduction of carbon dioxide.
