#vertical city

[a-dream-seeking-light]

Dredd - city panning shot by Kieran Belshaw

[darkenergyslivers]

3dcg concept art of Peach Trees Towers, Megacity One from Dredd by Kieran Belshaw

[noumenalroom-deactivated20221021]

“We want to try to bring as much of the best as we can and leave as much of the worst behind.”

Robert Zubrin (founder of the Mars Society)

3D PRINTING HABITATS FOR LIFE ON MARS

IN TEMPE MENSA

[2seeitall]

A street in Delphi, Greece

Greece |  Narrow streets

[taubengrau-tttm2]

[brandondonnelly]

The vertical city

We often talk about agglomeration economies in terms of their horizontal clustering within cities. But a new paper in the Journal of Urban Economics -- summarized here by Richard Florida -- has looked at the other dimension: the vertical clustering of economic activity within tall buildings. 

Here is an excerpt from Florida’s piece in CityLab:

Economic activity is also sorted vertically, with higher-profile and more profitable firms occupying higher building floors. Law offices are disproportionately represented on the highest floors, taking up more than a third of floor space above the 40th floor, compared to 12 percent of floor space between the second and 40th floors. Finance, insurance, and real estate take up roughly 20 percent of floor space above the 40th floor, compared to 23 percent between the second and 40th floors. Business services, engineering, and miscellaneous other industries are also more likely to take up more space below the 40th floor.

The other takeaway is that there appears to be a greater rent premium attached to higher floors (vertical movement) than for being located closer to the central business district (horizontal movement). This surprised me. But I also don’t have access to the full paper. Is the dataset just US cities?

Nevertheless, the idea of a vertical city interests me a lot. And I agree with the authors of the report that, for perhaps obvious reasons, it is far less studied compared to horizontal development patterns.

[landscapeseverything]

Photo by : Ryan Millier

[agritecture]

Solar Vertical City is a self-contained, green-infused tower planted into the ocean floor

CONTENT SOURCED FROM INHABITAT

Resigned to the fact that rising sea levels are inevitable at this point, architects are starting to create feasible, water-based living solutions. Italian architect Luca Curci has just unveiled a design that envisions a soaring zero-energy tower infused with greenery on each level that will be planted into the sea floor, resulting in what could be the future of self-contained architecture.

Curci’s proposed Vertical City tower would consists of 10 overlapping modular layers, reaching a height of 2,460 feet with 180 floors. The facade would be clad with a membrane of photovoltaic glass, which would generate sufficient energy for the entire building and then some.

The tower would have 190,000 square feet of floor surface that would be used for residences, offices, services, retail space, and various facilities. The tower design would be focused on providing a healthy, vibrant environment that connects the residents and workers with nature. For example, the tower would have ample air circulation and natural light on each level thanks to numerous perforated slots throughout the tower’s exterior. Additionally, the design calls for over 66,000 feet of outdoor green space spread throughout the building, including a public open-air garden plaza on the rooftop.

The massive tower’s base would be planted firmly into the sea floor. The submerged floors would house the parking and technical areas, as well as various amenities such as spas, mediation centers, a workout center, etc. A handful of luxury hotels rooms would also be completely submerged underwater, offering a unique experience as well as amazing views of marine life.

Access to the Vertical City would be possible by water, land or air. The circular base would have external and internal docks as well as multiple naval entries for large and small boats. The tower would be connected to the mainland via a semi-submerged bridge for pedestrians, cars, and an electric-based public transportation system. For air arrivals, the building will be topped with a heliport.

Images via Luca Curci Architects

CONTENT SOURCED FROM INHABITAT