Architecture

The good, the bad and the bonkers: eVolo's 2017 Skyscraper Competition

The good, the bad and the bonkers: eVolo's 2017 Skyscraper Competition
First place goes to Pawel Lipiński and Mateusz Frankowski for their Mashambas Skyscraper concept
First place goes to Pawel Lipiński and Mateusz Frankowski for their Mashambas Skyscraper concept
View 28 Images
First place goes to Pawel Lipiński and Mateusz Frankowski for their Mashambas Skyscraper concept
1/28
First place goes to Pawel Lipiński and Mateusz Frankowski for their Mashambas Skyscraper concept
The Mashambas Skyscraper is conceived as a "moveable" (i.e easy to disassemble, transport in pieces and re-build) educational center for Africa's poorest areas
2/28
The Mashambas Skyscraper is conceived as a "moveable" (i.e easy to disassemble, transport in pieces and re-build) educational center for Africa's poorest areas
Second place winner Vertical Factories in Megacities, by Tianshu Liu and Lingshen Xie, is imagined for modern megacities like Beijing
3/28
Second place winner Vertical Factories in Megacities, by Tianshu Liu and Lingshen Xie, is imagined for modern megacities like Beijing
Vertical Factories in Megacities aims to bring factories back into the center of modern inner-city life
4/28
Vertical Factories in Megacities aims to bring factories back into the center of modern inner-city life
Third place goes to Espiral3500, by Javier López-Menchero Ortiz de Salazar
5/28
Third place goes to Espiral3500, by Javier López-Menchero Ortiz de Salazar
Espiral3500 would build public spaces, such as parks and artificial beaches vertically
6/28
Espiral3500 would build public spaces, such as parks and artificial beaches vertically
The Mountain, by Ryan Ibarra, envisions installing a skyscraper into a mountain at California's Yosemite National Park
7/28
The Mountain, by Ryan Ibarra, envisions installing a skyscraper into a mountain at California's Yosemite National Park
Adriann Jeevananthan's Adaptive Capacity calls for an oddly-shaped vertical village to replace housing slums
8/28
Adriann Jeevananthan's Adaptive Capacity calls for an oddly-shaped vertical village to replace housing slums
Luca Beltrame and Saba Nabavi Tafreshi's Heal-Berg would "cease, heal and reverse the process of climate change and its impacts on the earth"
9/28
Luca Beltrame and Saba Nabavi Tafreshi's Heal-Berg would "cease, heal and reverse the process of climate change and its impacts on the earth"
The Pod Vending Machine Skyscraper, by Haseef Rafiei, dispenses houses instead of snacks
10/28
The Pod Vending Machine Skyscraper, by Haseef Rafiei, dispenses houses instead of snacks
This entry is dubbed The Forgotten Memorials: The Utopian Future of Urbanization. Designed by Zhonghan Huang and Wen Zhu, it imagines a future of cities growing ever upwards while maintaining links to the past
11/28
This entry is dubbed The Forgotten Memorials: The Utopian Future of Urbanization. Designed by Zhonghan Huang and Wen Zhu, it imagines a future of cities growing ever upwards while maintaining links to the past
This is the Arch Skyscraper, by Wenjia Li, Ran Huo and Jing Ju. It's a skyscraper that celebrates the use of the arch in architecture over the ages
12/28
This is the Arch Skyscraper, by Wenjia Li, Ran Huo and Jing Ju. It's a skyscraper that celebrates the use of the arch in architecture over the ages
The Scaffold of Babel was designed by Yutan Sun, Tongda Xu, Luojia Zhang, Dinglu Wang, and Tianjun Wang. It calls for builders to launch an armed revolution to transform the skyscraper into a workers' paradise
13/28
The Scaffold of Babel was designed by Yutan Sun, Tongda Xu, Luojia Zhang, Dinglu Wang, and Tianjun Wang. It calls for builders to launch an armed revolution to transform the skyscraper into a workers' paradise
Kristina Rykova designed the interestingly-named Acupuncture of Urban Traffic Structure. It imagines solving Moscow's traffic jams
14/28
Kristina Rykova designed the interestingly-named Acupuncture of Urban Traffic Structure. It imagines solving Moscow's traffic jams
Catherine and Celia He designed Earth Port One is out of this world, literally. According to the brief, it "serves as neutral ground for the delegates of various extra-terrestrial agencies to assemble and interact"
15/28
Catherine and Celia He designed Earth Port One is out of this world, literally. According to the brief, it "serves as neutral ground for the delegates of various extra-terrestrial agencies to assemble and interact"
The City Skyscraper by Jitendra Sawant, is literally that. A city in skyscraper form, housing around 35,000-45,000 people
16/28
The City Skyscraper by Jitendra Sawant, is literally that. A city in skyscraper form, housing around  35,000-45,000 people
In Two Minds: Magnetic Cemetery, was designed by Marine Joli and Judith Haggiag. It imagines the future of the cemetary
17/28
In Two Minds: Magnetic Cemetery, was designed by Marine Joli and Judith Haggiag. It imagines the future of the cemetary
The Sustainable Urban Mining Factory Skyscraper was designed by Maciej Kasperek. It's envisioned as a vertical recycling factory for the heart of the city
18/28
The Sustainable Urban Mining Factory Skyscraper was designed by Maciej Kasperek. It's envisioned as a vertical recycling factory for the heart of the city
This effort is titled The Silver Lining: Reconstructing Post-War Syria. Designed by Rebecca Nathalie Wennerstrand, Mayank Thammalla, and Robert Haejun Park, it proposes using post-war debris to build anew
19/28
This effort is titled The Silver Lining: Reconstructing Post-War Syria. Designed by Rebecca Nathalie Wennerstrand, Mayank Thammalla, and Robert Haejun Park, it proposes using post-war debris to build anew
The aptly-named Giant Sequoia Skyscraper is designed by Ko Jinhyeuk, Cheong Changwon, Cho Kyuhyung, Choi Sunwoong. It envisions turning a giant sequoia into a skyscraper
20/28
The aptly-named Giant Sequoia Skyscraper is designed by Ko Jinhyeuk, Cheong Changwon, Cho Kyuhyung, Choi Sunwoong. It envisions turning a giant sequoia into a skyscraper 
Parallel Manhattan was designed by Zhiyong Dong, Jiongcheng Mou, Xiuping Han, Xingyu Liu. It's not clear what's going on with this but it seems to involve a new, parallel Manhattan of some kind
21/28
Parallel Manhattan was designed by Zhiyong Dong, Jiongcheng Mou, Xiuping Han, Xingyu Liu. It's not clear what's going on with this but it seems to involve a new, parallel Manhattan of some kind
Fu Hao, Zhang Yunlong, and Yang Ge designed the Flexible Materials Skyscraper. It imagines a new material that can drape towers like fabric, replacing standard cladding
22/28
Fu Hao, Zhang Yunlong, and Yang Ge designed the Flexible Materials Skyscraper. It imagines a new material that can drape towers like fabric, replacing standard cladding
The Human Castell was a group effort by Tamin Song, Jin Woo Kuk, Sun Hee Yoo, Bruce Han, Gangmin Yoo, and Jun Sun Baek. "It presents a concrete and very solid depiction of our society as it is: the fear, the pain, the joy, and the excitement," says the team
23/28
The Human Castell was a group effort by Tamin Song, Jin Woo Kuk, Sun Hee Yoo, Bruce Han, Gangmin Yoo, and Jun Sun Baek. "It presents a concrete and very solid depiction of our society as it is: the fear, the pain, the joy, and the excitement," says the team
The Wind Skyscraper was designed by Shenghui Yang, Xu Pan, Yue Song, Yingxin Cheng, Binci Wang, Yuerong Zhou, Yaying Zheng, Shiman Wang. The skyscraper would capture energy harnessed by typhoon winds
24/28
The Wind Skyscraper was designed by Shenghui Yang, Xu Pan, Yue Song, Yingxin Cheng, Binci Wang, Yuerong Zhou, Yaying Zheng, Shiman Wang. The skyscraper would capture energy harnessed by typhoon winds 
The Vertical Traditional Chinese Village takes the idea of a traditional Chinese village and builds on it. It was designed by Zhang Bo, Liu Shuman
25/28
The Vertical Traditional Chinese Village takes the idea of a traditional Chinese village and builds on it. It was designed by Zhang Bo, Liu Shuman
Will Mars need skyscrapers? The Genesis Mars Skyscraper depicts such a thing. Designed by Arturo Emilio Garrido Ontiveros, Andrés Pastrana Bonillo, Judit Pinach Martí, and Alex Tintea, it's envisioned as a kind of expandable, modular mars habitat
26/28
Will Mars need skyscrapers? The Genesis Mars Skyscraper depicts such a thing. Designed by Arturo Emilio Garrido Ontiveros, Andrés Pastrana Bonillo, Judit Pinach Martí, and Alex Tintea, it's envisioned as a kind of expandable, modular mars habitat
High Density Urban Order was designed by Lisa Albaugh, Ben Bourgoin, Jamie Edindjiklian, Roberto Jenkins, and Justin Oh. It's organized into four main components: a high-density tower, a mid-rise neighborhood, a train station that bridges between the two, and a park
27/28
High Density Urban Order was designed by Lisa Albaugh, Ben Bourgoin, Jamie Edindjiklian, Roberto Jenkins, and Justin Oh. It's organized into four main components: a high-density tower, a mid-rise neighborhood, a train station that bridges between the two, and a park
Data Cemetery Skyscraper, by Joanna Targowicz and Mateusz Binkowski, is described as "an infinite archive of memories and civilization milestones"
28/28
Data Cemetery Skyscraper, by Joanna Targowicz and Mateusz Binkowski, is described as "an infinite archive of memories and civilization milestones" 
View gallery - 28 images

This year's eVolo Skyscraper Competition winners have been announced. Established in 2006 to promote new ideas for vertical living, the competition regularly produces unusual and interesting conceptual architecture. Providing you don't go in expecting workable plans that could ever actually be built, you shouldn't be disappointed with the architectural eye-candy on offer.

A total of 444 skyscraper designs were submitted to eVolo's judges this year, from which three winners were chosen, highlighted below. If they pique your interest, be sure to head to the gallery and check out the 22 honorable mentions. Standout entries include a skyscraper crossed with a vending machine that dispenses houses and a tower based in a sequoia tree.

First place winner

The Mashambas Skyscraper is conceived as a "moveable" (i.e easy to disassemble, transport in pieces and re-build) educational center for Africa's poorest areas
The Mashambas Skyscraper is conceived as a "moveable" (i.e easy to disassemble, transport in pieces and re-build) educational center for Africa's poorest areas

First place honors went to Pawel Lipiński and Mateusz Frankowski for their Mashambas Skyscraper. Conceived as an easy-to-move educational center for Africa's poorest areas, it would provide training on modern agricultural techniques, and the like, while also making supplies such as fertilizer and seeds readily available.

The building would include a trading area and a drone warehouse and delivery system (which isn't as crazy as it sounds), and could be built as high as necessary to serve the local community. Once that community is deemed adequately self-sufficient, the building would be disassembled, transported to a new location in pieces and then re-built.

"The structure is made with simple modular elements, it makes it easy to construct, deconstruct and transport," says the project brief. "Modules placed one on the other create the high-rise, which is a form that takes the smallest as possible amount of space from local farmers."

Second place winner

Vertical Factories in Megacities aims to bring factories back into the center of modern inner-city life
Vertical Factories in Megacities aims to bring factories back into the center of modern inner-city life

Vertical Factories in Megacities, by Tianshu Liu and Lingshen Xie came second place. The futuristic concept is envisioned for megacities (think Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai, etc) and imagines making factories a much more prominent part of modern inner-city life.

The basic idea is, a massive mixed-use skyscraper would be constructed that includes both factory and residential space. The renders depict a 3D-printing factory, water treatment facility, and crude oil and plastic production factories stacked atop each other and making use of each other's waste materials.

"Due to the large population in Manila, a great amount of organic waste is produced daily," explains the concept brief. "This waste will be the resource of the new vertical factory. All the waste will be dumped at the bottom level of the factory, and then they will be transformed into valuable products including water, fertilizer, heat, and electricity."

Third place winner

Third place goes to Espiral3500, by Javier López-Menchero Ortiz de Salazar
Third place goes to Espiral3500, by Javier López-Menchero Ortiz de Salazar

Third place went to Espiral3500, by Javier López-Menchero Ortiz de Salazar. The design reminds us a little of The Cube by Orange Architects, but is rather more ambitious.

The skyscraper is envisioned for Spain's east coast, which has benefited greatly from tourism, but not without cost in the form of urban sprawl and the erosion of public spaces. This tower would build new public spaces, such as parks and artificial beaches within a skyscraper, taking up relatively little space on the ground.

"The main investigation of this project is to understand the relationship between and the role played by private and public spaces within the skyscraper," says the project brief. "Here, I use a spiral system in which the public spaces (namely the different types of streets) form rings that rest on a structural element. Spaces for private use hang from this structural element. This "inverted street" system allows for an immediate linking of public and private, while allowing for sufficient dissociation to grant desired privacy."

Source: eVolo

View gallery - 28 images
1 comment
1 comment
David F
The Pod Vending Machine Skyscraper has its concept backwards. Instead, build a skyscraper that is essentially a framework with all services ready to use, but the living spaces are filled by rented/purchased fully-furnished modules that are lifted by the structure itself and slotted into place, requiring only connection of services. Thus, the building can start earning its keep almost as soon as the functioning skeleton is in place. After that, capacity - and revenue - is increased with each new paid-for module installed.