Building upward as opposed to outward has long been proposed as a viable solution to the issue of population density in Canada’s most dynamic cities (namely, Toronto and Vancouver), and an annual competition by eVolo Magazine recognized this trend by selecting three winners in the latest edition of its contest.
The eVolo Skyscraper Competition, which has been running for 11 years now, pits hundreds of cutting-edge concepts for high-rise projects, designed by architects from all over the world. Participants “are challenged to re-examine the skyscraper’s definition, purpose, and potential for vertical living in the 21st century.”
As reported by the Toronto Star, the latest winners were judged based on several population-related criteria, including “the preservation of nature in our growing urban landscapes, the incorporation of drones into everyday life, and the carbon footprint generated by storing digital data.”
The third place price went to the Data Skyscraper concept by Italian designers Valeria Mercuri and Marco Merletti. The proposed structure would be built in Iceland, a nation that boasts of clean power and low costs. The Data Skyscraper’s exterior would serve as a massive 3D motherboard complete with the necessary hardware, with the empty interior acting as an air duct cooler for the entire assembly.
The second placer was The Hive drone skyscraper designed by Hadeel Ayed Mohammad, Yifeng Zhao, and Chengda Zhu. The building, which is envisioned to be built at 432 Park Avenue, would serve as a central hub for drones, which are projected to see much more widespread use in the near future.
The top award was granted to the New York Horizon concept by Yitan Sun and Jianshi Wu. The megastructure features a “horizontal skyscraper” designed around all four sides of Central Park, which would then serve as an “inhabitable space multiplier” by crafting new space in the park’s perimeter. The 1,000-foot-tall building is estimated to give an additional 7 miles of housing in the Manhattan area.
