Mind-Bending Pics Of New Asteroid Skyscraper Are Literally Out Of This World
If you're sitting around people right now, you should probably move -- because your head is about to explode.
A New York architecture firm has unveiled designs for "the world's tallest building ever."
The skyscraper, called Analemma Tower, will be suspended from an orbiting asteroid located 31,068 miles above the earth.
I'll give you a moment to pick up whatever remains of your mind-blown brain.
Each day, the orbital path will swing Analemma Tower in a figure-eight pattern between the northern and southern hemispheres - including New York City, Havana, Atlanta and Panama City.
The mastermind behind the literally out-of-this-world skyscraper is Clouds Architecture Office, who has also developed proposals for a Mars house and a cloud city.
According to DailyMail.com, the firm said of the venture,
Through the course of history humanity has been able to affect the environment on increasing scales. Today our activity is being registered on a global scale. So why not apply design thinking on a planetary scale? Analemma Tower is an example of a mixed use building that incorporates planetary design strategies, yielding the world's tallest building ever.
So, how the hell would this work exactly?
The design will utilize what is called the Universal Orbital Support System, which attaches a high-strength cable to an asteroid lowered to Earth and then attached to the tower.
Because the tower is technically suspended in the air, it can be constructed anywhere in the world and transported to its final location.
Clouds Architecture Office continued,
The proposal calls for Analemma to be constructed over Dubai, which has proven to be a specialist in tall building construction at one fifth the cost of New York City construction.
If you're thinking this all sounds totally impossible, remember that only two years ago, the European Space Agency completed the Rosetta/Philae mission, which successfully landed a probe on the surface of a comet.
The architecture firm said NASA has already scheduled an asteroid retrieval mission for 2021, "which aims to prove the feasibility of capturing and relocating an asteroid."
Since the tower will travel on a looping path, the views will change throughout the day, depending on the height of the tower.
The architecture firm also plans to design shape-shifting windows, which will change size and height in order to deal with pressure and temperature differentials.
The skyscraper will be separated into different sections with specific functions. Business will be conducted at the lower end of the towers, while sleeping quarters will be located two-thirds of the way up the building.
Residents will have access to a gardening area, a place for worship and a place to dine, shop and enjoy entertainment.
Solar panels at the upper most levels of the building will generate power from the sun, and residents will be able to get fresh water from condensation of clouds and rainwater (don't worry - it'll be purified first!).
As cool as all of this is, there are a few complications to grapple with.
Clouds Architecture Office said,
For example, while there may be a benefit to having 45 extra minutes of daylight at an elevation of 32,000 meters, the near vacuum and -40C temperature would prevent people from going outside without a protective suit. Then again, astronauts have continually occupied the space station for decades, so perhaps it's not so bad?
Also, the only way to leave the building is to jump out with a freaking parachute.
That'll make for some seriously dramatic exits.
Citations: That really IS a high rise: Sci-fi plan to hang a wandering skyscraper from asteroid orbiting Earth is unveiled (DailyMail.com), ANALEMMA TOWER (Clouds Architecture Office), Rosetta / Philae: First to Orbit and Land on a Comet (NASA)
