With the laws of nature surreptitiously disregarded by society’s ignorance as the toxins leached into the ground, traces of past civilization upon this barren land left nothing but the absence of life. Nothing was able to evolve with expedited defense mechanism against these harmful substances. Efforts calling for restoration proved inconceivable given the harsh landscape conditions- the canyon being an impossible landform to sustain urban typicality. Extreme conditions call for extreme measures. The prototypical Aerostalactitic City allows for inhabitation through minimal intrusion over the poisoned landscape, while providing land rehabilitation.

The mass rapid transit system traverses the cityscape within the structural web- a literal structure which supports all urban unit types that make a functional nucleus of a city, as well as a figurative structure which binds the urban fabric, connecting all urban and natural elements through the creation of an artificial datum. Exiting from one of the transportation nodes strategically located across the web, rather than ascending, one descends to their next destination.

‘Janine steps out once the elevator stopped at level negative twenty-three. She waits impatiently at the atrium, looking past the shuffling Saturday crowd, out into the cavernous rough terrain as the pink glow from the stalactitic groundscrapers reflects on her smooth complexion. The occasional screech of the eagle echoes into the depths of the groundscraper as it patrols the windy sky above.’

Windcatchers deflect cool gusts of air into the canyon, facilitating energy generation through a convection process- one which harnesses residual mechanical heat released from the ventilation outlets that puncture the outer shell of each unit type. These vents maintain an atmospheric equilibrium through reciprocal exchange of hot and cold air between nature and the artifice. Aerodynamically designed, the aggregation of units that compose the ‘skyline’ direct the powerful gale efficiently towards the tip of the groundscraper at the canyon’s critical depth, where energy generation is at its peak.

‘The howls diminish as she descends from the transit node to her apartment at level negative two, pausing only momentarily to glance at the central courtyard, hoping to find him waiting at the Oasis. As she moves further down the habitation complex, the whistling of the wind is eventually replaced by the giggles of a child, rolling around in the meadow.‘

The green spaces within the city become the regenerated wilderness raised from the site of current rehabilitation, left on its own to blossom and wilt at the wills of nature while reiterating the need to value what was once lost.