IN BETWEEN THE ISLAND 

LINK BETWEEN SKYSCRAPERS AND THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
IN BETWEEN THE ISLAND 
SKY HIVE SKYSCAPER 2019 
The project is the SKYHIVE 2019 Skyscraper Challenge, the second annual architecture competition which searches out the latest and greatest designs for an iconic high rise structure. We are tasked with creating a concept for a stateof-the-art tower that breaks the norm.We are encouraged to incorporate new technologies and materials in their designs, as well as unique aesthetics and spatial organisations. Special consideration is also given to designs that implement innovations in sustainable systems, as well as those that look to solve economic, social, and cultural problems through the establishment of new architectural methods. Designs can be set in the city of our choice anywhere in the world, given that the project is in keeping with the region’s skyline and surroundings. 

The thesis aims to approach the concern of islands development by educating public about their local environment and regenerating ecosystem affected by environmental problems by providing an environmentally responsible and a profitable programming to re establish a sustainable relationship between land and water. Off the coast of Long Beach sits Grissom Island. Though it floats adjacent to an affluent community, the island itself was made for an oil refinery from another day. Today, Grissom is an opportunity. Just as land was reclaimed to create Grissom Island, the island itself can be reclaimed as another part of Long Beach’s city. 

That is the idea of this project: taking something artificial and making it natural again. Furthermore, the new use of Grissom Island takes nature to architecture and planning. Landscaping will be done with mangroves the purify both the polluted air and water. Parking will be hidden under artificial hills, surfaced with photovoltaic panels to power the island’s energy. The main skyscraper will be designed to fit the islands form in an appearance of reclaimed water, encasing community spaces and even an atrium. With this project, Grissom Island will no longer pollute Long Beach’s skies, but rather be a part of its skyline.