Tower Cities

[Magnet Man]

The termination of urban sprawl, facilitated by the graduated transition of the world population out of environmentally contaminated, antiquated sites, into
ATEC (atmospheric thermal energy conversion) tower cities, or like the one below, envisioned over a century ago.

[soulatom]

I'm really interested in this idea, having lived in Los Angeles where urban sprawl is just unbelievable. How would these cities work? What about earth quakes? Are there any models in existence? Sims? What are the advantages of going up rather than going out? Wouldn't it be harder to fight gravity moving upward? This subject needs a lot more info.

[Magnet Man]

soulatom said:

. How would these cities work? What about earth quakes? Are there any models in existence? Sims? What are the advantages of going up rather than going out? Wouldn't it be harder to fight gravity moving upward? This subject needs a lot more info.

A circular ATEC city 5000 feet high, employing chimney dynamics to create energy via a permanent upward draft, housing, employing and entertaining one million people, could occupy ground space of 400 acres.

Counter-balanced elevators, situated on the inside curve. would use gravity to off-set the energy needed for vertical travel. No traffic grid-lock and Nature only a few minutes away from each front door.

Not cramped interior space, but high vaulted ceilings, boulevards with parks, streams and waterfalls inside.

Each penthouse home with its own greenhouse garden.

Mankind ending urban sprawl and using less and less space to house more and more families.

[piper]

Sounds like utopia.....now how do you actually get a movement going to get these cities constructed? 5000 feet up is one heck of a long way to get construction materials and everything up to......and one million people, I guess there is always a feeling of insecurity that that could all come crashing down or in this day in age like the twin towers could be vulnerable to massive destruction. but tell us more.....

[Tourniquet]

When you think about it, it seems up is the only way to go. To think of the earths population right now... and still, as you said MM, we are using the same out-dated city plans, just adding on to already over crowded cities, with no real foresight for the actual space needed for future generations... It actually seems insane. Mr. Gillette had it right proposing a new system over a hundred years ago... we should have gotten started then.

[Lasher]

tourniquet said:

To think of the earths population right now... and still, as you said MM, we are using the same out-dated city plans, just adding on to already over crowded cities, with no real foresight for the actual space needed for future generations... It actually seems insane.

I'm with you there... To think that it took our specie 2.5 million years to reach a population of 6 billion… but in the next generation that number will double. It boggles the mind. The exponential effect is upon us. If ever a time was ripe for revolution it is now. If ever a time was far too volatile for a revolution it is now. New thinking and new ideas, like tower cities, is what is needed to diffuse the tension and create something positive to work towards, as a species. I say hail to a New Age.

[Tourniquet]

lasher said:

It took our specie 2.5 million years to reach a population of 6 billion… but in the next generation that number will double. It boggles the mind. The exponential effect is upon us.

That staggers the mind. I was thinking the other day of the significance of a mass change in consciousness, and what it meant, and if it would ever happen, and if it was necessary... But those kinds of mind overwhelming realities and figures, answers those kinds of questions.

[soulatom]

tourniquet said:

lasher said:

It took our specie 2.5 million years to reach a population of 6 billion… but in the next generation that number will double. It boggles the mind. The exponential effect is upon us.

That staggers the mind. I was thinking the other day of the significance of a mass change in consciousness, and what it meant, and if it would ever happen, and if it was necessary... But those kinds of mind overwhelming realities and figures, answers those kinds of questions.

Kind of like a tidal wave, bodies and carnage everywhere, but wash the slate clean. But if you think of what ten people can do when they focus and decide to apply themselves to one idea imagine what we could do if we could unite even 10% of the population. (The number they say is required to effect a global change). We could blow the lid of this planet , in a good way

[piper]

Hey SA nice to see you again. Has anybody seen this website?




www.tdrinc.com/ultima.html

The "Ultima" Tower, Two-mile High Sky CityAny densely populated urban environment


Project Owner: None
Location: Any densely populated urban environment
Date: 1991
Cost: $150,000,000,000.00
Population: 1,000,000 people
Exterior surface area of building: 150,000,000 square feet
Enclosed volume: 53,000,000,000 cubic feet
Square footage: 1,500,000,000
Total enclosed acreage: 39,000 acres
Elevator speed: 20 feet per second (13 miles per hour) 9 minutes and 40 seconds to reach the top floor from the ground floor.
Dimensions: Height--10,560 feet; Diameter at the base--6000 feet; Number of stories--500;
Total Square Feet: Approximately 5,000,000 square feet




Why build a two-mile high, one mile wide building? To prevent the uncontrolled blight of the natural landscape by rapacious developers and industry. At current rates the surface of the planet will be nearly totally covered with residential, commercial and apartment dwellings within the coming century. Large structures such as these bring nature upward to preserve the natural surroundings and to add natural surroundings in a controlled environment. This two-mile high, trumpet bell-shaped, tension structure is the most stable and aerodynamic shape ever conceived for a tall structure. Its upper level wall thicknesses are the same as the lower level wall thicknesses unlike other structural systems that are extremely tall. It is like a suspension cable bridge stood on end. There are 120 levels to the structure with great heights at each level. The scale of this stucture is such that the entire central district of Beijing could fit into its base. One must not think in terms of floors but, instead, imagine entire landscaped neighborhood districts with "skies" that are 30 to 50 meters high. Lakes, streams, rivers, hills and ravines comprise the soil landscape on which residential, office, commercial, retail and entertainment buildings can be built.

This increasing dilation of people and property is devastating to the well-being of our environment and we are supplanting the health of our natural environment for the superficial mediocrity of our built environment. The continuation of this process will inevitably lead to a kind of psychological and spiritual suffocation by destroying the living environment at an alarming rate.

Seeing that urban sprawl shall surely destroy every semblance of our living environment a viable alternative is to go up. That is, to build in such a way as to minimize the "footprint" of our human-made environments and maximize the sense of openness and close proximity to our natural surroundings. Given the technology and know-how we now have in the construction of large,tall structures a building two miles high is not beyond our means.

The trumpet bell shape, modeled after the highest structure created by a creature other than human, the termite's nest structures of Africa, is a most efficient form for its compressive characteristics allow the thickness of the upper supporting walls to be uniform in thickness down through the bottom of the building. No other shape can dispel loads from top to bottom, is effectively aerodynamic and retains such stability in a tall building. The size of its base would completely enclose the entire financial district of San Francisco, approximately 7000 feet across, and contains four of the world's largest waterfalls surrounded by garden terraces. Gardens are situated at all exterior and interior openings. The whole tower could be thought of as an upward extension of the earth with layers of vegetation growing, level by level. All residences have a minimum of 100 feet by 100 feet of property where 50% of the property is covered by natural vegetation.
(continues)

[MagnetMan]

Great minds think alike.
But do think my one-mile high chimney city has greater potential.
It generates most of its own energy and water supplies.

[TarotDragon]

Might be a silly question here, but how could you have parks in a building? Like, how would you construct something that's able to take the weight of people, plant life, and the amount of dirt it requires to grow?

The idea is great, just wondering how you'd accomplish it.

[soulatom]

strictlyplatonic said:

Might be a silly question here, but how could you have parks in a building? Like, how would you construct something that's able to take the weight of people, plant life, and the amount of dirt it requires to grow?

The idea is great, just wondering how you'd accomplish it.

This is one for Magnet I think but I did have a few thoughts. After watching some of those "Mega Structures"shows on TV, I believe that anything is possible. Hydroponics could lighten the weight of soil for gardening and with the new advancements in crop development would imagine you could have an outstanding yield with a controlled environment indoors.

[MagnetMan]

strictlyplatonic said:

Might be a silly question here, but how could you have parks in a building? Like, how would you construct something that's able to take the weight of people, plant life, and the amount of dirt it requires to grow?

The idea is great, just wondering how you'd accomplish it.

Good question. Structural engineering is all about weights and stresses. These change as new stronger and lighter materials and new building techniques become available.

You build according to the envisaged load. Right now, two mile high buildings are feasible. If stress equations show that your design cannot carry the load, you have to adjust of course.

Right now single buldings that house entire citries are on the drawing board - parks, sports arenas, civic centers etc.

[lavender1]

^
singapore's finest..
architect: daniel libeskind
"reflections at keppel bay"

[lavender1]

;D
"highrise in fog"

photographer: alex fradkin