New York-based Clouds Architecture Office has a history of developing complex and imaginative buildings. But it might have just surpassed itself with Analemma Tower – a design for a skyscraper that would be anchored not to the Earth, but to a nearby asteroid affixed to our planet's orbit.
Read more: Here are all the new cloud types added to the Cloud Atlas for 2017
The Universal Orbital Support System (UOSS) involves pulling a large asteroid into orbit over Earth, then using high strength cables to lift a super tall tower up from Earth, as a permanent fixture above our atmosphere.
The proposal calls for the project to take up initial residence above Dubai whilst being built, due to it's specialism in tall building construction.
The building uses a geosynchronous orbit to match earth's sidereal rotation period of one day – meaning that it would travel in a rough figure of eight pattern between the northern and southern hemispheres. This means that, while the tower would return to the same positions every day, it would have unparalleled views of different parts of the Earth all within a 24 hour period.
Views out from various heights along the tower are designed to be calibrated to this 24-hour orbital cycle – with the size and shape of windows changing to account for varying pressure and temperature differentials.
Living in space has been a science fiction fantasy ever since people looked up into the stars. But it's long been thought to be just that – a fantasy. However, the idea of manipulating a comet for architectural purposes isn't a far cry from Nasa's plans in 2021. While funding is now up in the air, the space agency's proposed Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission (ARCM) had intended to attach a craft to and redirect a large asteroid. This would use robotic arms with anchoring grippers in order to alter the asteroid's path.
The Analemma Tower is merely taking the idea of asteroid control one step further – a design that allows to bridge that gap between the ground and sky.
This vast I-beam-structure hangs down from the sky and those who take up residence would be suspended above us all – quite an apt metaphor, given the unimaginable cost of living in such an unimaginable building. Speaking of the economics of residency, you may ask the question of how you could still travel to work every morning, given the significant drop outside your front door. The solution treads a fine line between brilliance and complete insanity: residents will be encouraged to parachute to our planet's surface.
Of course, this is only an advisable action if the topography of the land is high enough. For instance, as the skyscraper passes over over Midtown Manhattan – this would be the perfect spot to parachute for your morning commute. But why would you ever leave, when the tower has everything you could need?
All your energy needs would be catered for by solar panels located on segments of the skyscraper above the atmosphere – in perfect positions to absorb constant rays from the sun. A steady supply of water would then be procured from surrounding clouds, through condensation and rainwater. Business is conducted at the lower end of the tower, while sleeping quarters are roughly 2/3 of the way up. In order to adapt to the the near vacuum of space and -40C temperatures, the building needs to be reinforced, with windows that can withstand the incredible pressure above the troposphere.
The Clouds Architecture Office are also behind ideas like the ‘Cloud Skipper’ – a design for a dwelling amongst the clouds, completely self-sufficient and sustainable in design.
The Cloud Skippers are designed with large wings and long cables to affix them to the constant winds of the atmospheric jet stream – the force that lifts them up to take up residence in the sky. They use electricity generated from wind turbines and solar panels, with funnels for rainwater collection and storage. Being so far removed from the ground, the design has a platform atop the Cloud-like structure which can be used to plant and tend gardens grown with organic composted waste – a space to rear animals for livestock or just appreciate some greenery amongst all that blue sky.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Cloud Skipper design is the nature of a community in the sky. Given the varying nature of jet streams and the fact that the cloud skippers have nothing to tether them to the ground, the cloud communities must be nomadic in nature, literally travelling on the back of the wind.
In the vision of Clouds Architecture, this creates a kind of Utopia. Cloud-dwellers are bonded by their lifestyle as dust-upon-the-wind, forming a collective responsibility to ensure the safety of other wayward travellers and relying on good will. Up in the sky, humanity will fly "high and free".
Clouds AO have also collaborated with Nasa to devise a concept for a Mars ‘ice home’, capable of withstanding cosmic radiation. These inflatable structures use an ice layer as a form of radiation shielding as well as a structural component. Indigenously sourced water will be used to fill translucent pockets with ice, as well as a layer of carbon dioxide, which would be extracted from the Martian atmosphere.
It is designed to form a critical component of the Mars human outpost, with three core sections: the inflatable structure, the deployable systems and the access and delivery element. Within the ice homes, there will be facilities such as a science lab, library, kitchen area and greenhouse.
The fact that these buildings are essentially transparent is an interesting way to tackle mental health problems that could arise on Mars. Imagine being stuck in a dark, artificially-lit building for the duration of your stay on a different planet. Now, as an alternative, the ice homes could filter in natural light, as well as allow residents to take in the breathtaking views of the Martian landscape.
With these ambitious architectural designs, you're only left with one choice - will you live in the sky or space?
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
