Archinect - News

Encircling the Burj Khalifa high up in the sky, Dubai architects propose a massive 'gated community' megastructure

2022-08-19T12:03:00-04:00

Downtown Circle is made up of five levels and would sit on five points, or pillars, embedded into the ground. The massive span of the circle itself would be composed of two main rings held together by a continuous green belt named the Skypark which vertically connects the floors with each other creating a connected three-dimensional urban green eco-system.

The National mentions that the (supposedly) self-sustaining 550-meter-tall (1,804-foot) structure would include a tram system and incredible landscaped features such as swamps and a waterfall in and around its three-kilometer (1.86-mile) long tract. ZNera Space, the Dubai-based firm behind the proposal, mentioned it in terms of the NEOM project’s recently-announced 'The Line' megastructure, stating that its concept differs within an urban context, but that the radical design, which was thought up during the pandemic, "raises the discussion of what we can do better" in terms of agricultural production and social division.

"Our roles as architects is to come up with these ideas," co-founder Najmus Chowdry said. "We want people to comment on it, criticise it, to see how we can think about building topographies."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ZNera (@znera.space)

The Line, the largest part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious NEOM project, looks like a total fantasy

2022-07-29T08:30:00-04:00

A clearer picture of Saudi Arabia’s mind-blowing NEOM megaproject is coming together after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s office unveiled plans for an elevated 170-kilometer (105 miles) long linear city called The Line that he says will eventually house more than 9 million people.

According to the Saudi government, The Line will “embody how urban communities will be in the future in an environment free from roads, cars, and emissions.” It is designed to run 100% on renewables and prioritize individual health and well-being while helping the state preserve some 95% of NEOM’s total existing land. The development will be confined to a 34-square-kilometer (13.1-square-mile) footprint to reduce infrastructure encroachment into nature.

Image courtesy of NEOM

The Line comes complete with a high-speed rail system capable of transporting riders from end to end in the development within 20 minutes. The rest of the habitation’s layout will be based on the principles of a concept called "Zer...

Luca Curci Architects imagine a self-sustaining vertical 'city-building'

2019-12-06T08:54:00-05:00

In an effort to explore the architectural possibilities in addressing sustainability and population density, Luca Curci Architects have imagined Vertical City, a conceptual project proposal for a vertical "city-building" settled in a body of water.

The group began by analyzing the contemporary skyscraper, which it sees as "a compact element, smooth and alienated from the surrounding [landscape]" and reimagines it as an open structure, realized through modular prefabricated construction. The concept structure is encased by a membrane of photovoltaic glazing, intended to enable the city-building for energy-independence.

Green zones and exterior perforations encourage light on each level as well as a natural circulation of air. Standing 180 floors (750 meters) high, Luca Curci sets Vertical City at a total volume of 3,750,000 cubic meters, with over 200,000 square meters of green area. Aimed to host up to 25,000 people, the ambitious thought experiment is a what the architects call "a ...

What makes a city vertical?

2019-07-18T13:38:00-04:00

Which is the world's most vertical city? You might think of Hong Kong, given its famous skyscraper skyline, but by different measures of verticality other cities come out on top

"According to building data research company Emporis," writes Matthew Keegan for the Guardian Cities series, "Seoul in South Korea has more high-rise buildings, with 16,359. Emporis defines a high-rise as a building at least 35m, or 12 storeys tall. In second place is Moscow, Russia, with 12,317 high-rises, followed by Hong Kong in third place, with 7,913."

BIG's latest development in Quito, Ecuador pulls influence from the city's color and topography

2019-05-01T18:54:00-04:00

This week, Bjarke Ingles Group announced its latest project in Quito, Ecuador. Titled EPIQ, the mixed-use residential and commercial building will be a new "vertical city" in Quito's green neighborhood of Parque La Carolina. Driven by sustainable design priniples, BIG strives to incorporate a diverse collection of eco-friendly solutions within the development. From a greywater treatment plan to re-use rainwater, to recycled building materials and a climate-conscious structural design, BIG aims to utilize these initiatives to aid the city and its inhabitants.

Image rendering of EPIQ. Image courtesy of Camron NY

The structure consists of two divided blocks merging to form a 24-story tower, with open green spaces found throughout the structure—a key feature. Rather than having a singular rooftop, BIG focused on various parts of the building to have its own exterior space. Said to enco...

UNStudio's Raffles City Hangzhou is an all-in-one destination for living, working, and leisure

2017-09-19T15:48:00-04:00

Dutch firm, UNStudio, has completed their largest single building to date—the new Raffles City mixed-use development described by the firm as "a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure." Back in 2009, the firm opened their Shanghai office to oversee the complex's design and construction.

Conceived as a vertical city, the structure occupies almost 400,000 square meters of space and will offer a rich mix of 24/7 functions. The two streamlined, 250-meter tall towers house residential units, Grade A offices, the Conrad Hotel and a rooftop helipad. The six-story podium and plaza, which has direct underground connection to the metro, offer retail, restaurants, leisure facilities and parking.

The design is representative of the distinctive, sinuous style the firm has become known for. The pair of winding towers, featuring an outer layer of rotated, vertical solar shading fins, placed atop the curtain wall system, starts calmly at t...

China's obsession with vertical cities

2014-10-30T14:04:00-04:00

By the end of next year one-in-three of the world’s 100m+ skyscrapers will be in China, as its state-orchestrated urbanisation drive prompts a megacity building bonanza [...] China now has over 140 cities of more than one million people; America has nine

OMA completes De Rotterdam “Vertical City” Tower

2013-11-21T14:52:00-05:00

OMA announced today the completion of De Rotterdam Tower at the Wilhelmina Pier in Rotterdam. Widely described as a "Vertical City", stacked on top of the structure's six-story base are three transparent towers - built with 7 meters of space between them.

Images courtesy of OMA; photography by Ossip van Duivenbode, Philippe Ruault, Michel van de Kar (see image gallery below for details).

Living Art: The Rise Of The Vertical Gardens

2013-01-07T00:34:00-05:00

A growing number of small urban spaces are creating landscaped gardens that stretch beyond floor pots, with greenery growing upwards along walls and fences. This new trend toward ‘vertical gardens’ is renewing apartments, offices and restaurants inviting greenery to flourish in small spaces.

Glen Small: VERTICAL CITY 3, DOWN TO EARTH

2012-09-18T16:49:00-04:00

TO THIS DAY I FIND THE PROCESS OF TEACHING WITH NUMBER CRUNCHING A HUGE MISTAKE. THE PRINCIPLES ARE WHAT COUNT. IF A STUDENT IS AWARE HOW THE STRUCTURE WORKS TO BE THE STRONGEST AND WEAKEST THEN THEY CAN DESIGN WITH KNOWLEDGE.

Genius of Glen Small strikes and stuns again... This time it is Vertical City 3 from his student years at Cranbrook Academy of Art. It is "Down to Earth."