The Winners of the 2014 eVolo Skyscraper Competition
By Penny on Mar 26, 2014
Propagate Skyscraper: Carbon Dioxide Structure
The winners of the 2014 eVolo Skyscraper Competition have been announced, and a Canadian team won third place!
Marking the competition’s ninth anniversary, eVolo Magazine’s Skyscraper Competition recognizes innovative ideas for vertical living. Participants are encouraged to utilize architectural elements such as: technology, materials, programs, aesthetics and spatial organization in cutting-edge designs. This year alone, the magazine received 525 projects from 43 countries, from which the jury (formed by leaders of the architecture and design fields) selected three winners and 20 honourable mentions.
Coming in third place this year, for their “Propagate Skyscraper: Carbon Dioxide Structure” project (shown above), was Rui Wu (a first year Master of Architecture student) and YuHao Liu.
“We hypothesized a material capable of assimilating carbon dioxide as a means to self-propagate. Employing such a material allows air capture of carbon dioxide and the resultant production of a solid construction material capable of supporting load,” the designers explained.
If you got lost somewhere in that complex explanation, so did we! The point is: this skyscraper grows, almost as if it is feeding off of air pollution. The more greenhouse gas emissions it absorbs, the bigger it gets. "Unlike conventional skyscrapers, which rely on steel frame and concrete casting, the proposed skyscraper suggests a more environmental conscious construction method, an alternative mode of occupation and ownership, and possibly a distinct organization of social relationships." Translation: there is a mechanism that collects the carbon dioxide surrounding the structure and turns it into an efficient building material. Liu and Wu’s vision is to develop the technology to one day grow strong scaffolds; the shape it develops into would rely completely on environmental factors (like weather conditions and carbon dioxide availability).
Car and Shell: or Marinetti’s Monster
The second place winner was Mark Talbot and Daniel Markiewicz from the United States, who proposed a city in the sky located in Detroit, MI. This project, called “Car and Shell: or Marinetti’s Monster,” is a vertical urban neighbourhood complete with recreational and commercial spaces, streets and houses.
Vernacular Versatility
The first place winner, Yong Ju Lee from the United States was awarded $5,000 U.S. and a press kit distribution by sponsor v2com. Lee’s “Vernacular Versatility” is a proposal that combines traditional Korean architecture with modern-style mixed-use high-rise. The traditional Korean home, called a Hanok, is characterized by its exposed wooden structural system and tiled roof; this way, inhabitants can manipulate the curved edge of the roof, adjusting it to control the amount of sunlight coming into the house. Yong Ju Lee’s design was praised for its capacity to represent traditional architecture with efficiency and beauty.
To check out the honourable mentions, click here!
Don’t forget to tell us which one is your favourite!
All images via evolo.us
