Architecture

Flood defenses, Hyperloop and mile-high skyscraper proposed for Tokyo Bay

Flood defenses, Hyperloop and mile-high skyscraper proposed for Tokyo Bay
Sky Mile Tower would rise an incredible 1,700 m (5,577 ft)
Sky Mile Tower would rise an incredible 1,700 m (5,577 ft)
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We can expect rising sea levels to have a serious impact on architecture over the coming decades
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We can expect rising sea levels to have a serious impact on architecture over the coming decades
The blue-sky project includes significant flood defenses, a Hyperloop transportation system and a mile-high skyscraper
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The blue-sky project includes significant flood defenses, a Hyperloop transportation system and a mile-high skyscraper
Next Tokyo calls for an archipelago of artificial islands to be constructed in Tokyo Bay
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Next Tokyo calls for an archipelago of artificial islands to be constructed in Tokyo Bay
Sky Mile Tower would rise an incredible 1,700 m (5,577 ft)
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Sky Mile Tower would rise an incredible 1,700 m (5,577 ft)
Naturally, the proposal is very ambitious and leaves many practical questions unaddressed, so don't expect this one to be built any time soon
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Naturally, the proposal is very ambitious and leaves many practical questions unaddressed, so don't expect this one to be built any time soon
The Sky Mile Tower would include libraries, retail areas, restaurants, hotels, gyms, and open-air spaces
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The Sky Mile Tower would include libraries, retail areas, restaurants, hotels, gyms, and open-air spaces
Several residential towers would be constructed and provide living quarters for an estimated half a million resident
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Several residential towers would be constructed and provide living quarters for an estimated half a million resident
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Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Leslie E. Robertson Associates have drawn up a remarkably ambitious proposal for Tokyo Bay that includes significant flood defences, a Hyperloop transportation system and a mile-high skyscraper. Dubbed Next Tokyo, the blue-sky concept is imagined for completion in 2045.

Next Tokyo calls for an archipelago of artificial islands to be constructed in Tokyo Bay. They would be protected by a complex series of flood defences, which would also guard low-lying areas of Tokyo itself from flooding and typhoons in the wake of rising sea levels.

Several residential towers would also be constructed on the islands, and provide living quarters for an estimated half a million residents. The tallest building, dubbed Sky Mile Tower, would rise an incredible 1,700 m (5,577 ft) and feature a stepped and tapering form that mitigates high winds. Seismic activity would be combated with Japanese engineering expertise.

The Sky Mile Tower would include libraries, retail areas, restaurants, hotels, gyms, and open-air spaces
The Sky Mile Tower would include libraries, retail areas, restaurants, hotels, gyms, and open-air spaces

The interior of the Sky Mile Tower would feature libraries, retail areas, restaurants, hotels, gyms, and open-air spaces. ThyssenKrupp's multi-directional elevators would also be installed. Transportation would be upgraded and the development would boast a new monorail, water bus, and even a Hyperloop system.

The development would be powered with kinetic energy captured from trains running across the bay, in addition to solar power, wind power and algae grown for the purpose in saline water. Since pumping drinking water so far up the Sky Mile Tower would be difficult, it would feature rainwater harvesting and "cloud harvesting."

It sounds like heady stuff indeed but don't expect this one to be built any time soon.

Sources: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, CTBUH via Arch Daily

View gallery - 7 images
6 comments
6 comments
Mel Tisdale
"Seismic activity would be combated with Japanese engineering expertise"
Of course it will! Silly me for even thinking otherwise for any building planned for one of the most seismically active parts of the globe. As for Hyperloop, well, what could possibly go wrong with a train doing well over 700 mph while its track is subjected to an earthquake reading force 9 on the Richter scale?
Architects, eh! Don't you just love them?
Techtwit
"To sleep, perchance to dream......". Seems to me somebody has being doing a lot of sleeping!! Good points Mel. "powered with kinetic energy captured from trains running across the bay" - you can't get out what you haven't put in, so not free energy. Why not use the kinetic energy on the tram itself? Why so tall? the taller the building the more resources used simply to hold the building up, and consider the energy used hauling people up and down, not the mention the time wasted travelling vertically. Think they could have spent their time more usefully on an innovative practical project relevant to the real world.
Charlie_Horse
This is definitely not an architectural plan, it is a the outline of a set for an anime movie set in Tokyo.
Timelord
There's no point in any project of this magnitude when Japan's population is declining in number. Where would they find half a million residents to move into this?
Charlie_Horse
Actually, although the mile high tower is a bit of a lark, the hyperloop idea is well worth thinking about. Might be a better investment in terms of return than the linear motor train being built between Tokyo and Osaka.
Gary Richardson
Wouldn't the Hyperloop tubes be immune to earthquakes underwater?