An architecture firm in New York wants to suspend a building, which they have named the Analemma Tower, from an asteroid orbiting thousands of miles above the earth.
The proposed Analemma Tower would follow a figure-eight route throughout the northern and southern hemispheres in 24-hour orbital cycle; touring places like New York (above). (Photo via Clouds Architecture Office)
The industrialization of the world has led to some impressive architectural achievements in terms artistry and immensity, and the concept for the Analemma Tower has no shortage of either one. An architectural firm in New York called Clouds Architecture Office has proposed a new project that would become the ‘World’s Tallest Building,' which seeks to hang a building from an asteroid that orbits over 30,000 miles above the Earth’s surface. This firm has proposed various innovative and intriguing architectural designs such as the Mars Ice Home and the Cloud City, which could be used to help cities that need to rebuild after natural disasters. The Analemma Tower breaches much further into the territory of science-fiction, though, and raises questions about plausibility and safety, as well as necessity.
The Analemma Tower would be supported by a system called the Universal Orbital Support System, which uses “high strength cable” (the most reassuring kind of cable) to secure the tower to the asteroid, according to DailyMail. Given that the structure is not limited to a single geographic location, the tower can be built anywhere in the world (i.e. where it’s cheapest to build), and the cable attached to the asteroid can then be connected to the tower. According to Clouds Architecture Office, the proposal calls for the tower to be constructed in Dubai, which is known for tall buildings at one-fifth the cost of New York City construction.
The building would be divided into a few sections: the sleeping quarters would be “two-thirds of the way up,” residents would have access to a gardening area, a place to worship, and businesses, entertainment, dining, and shopping areas would be located near the bottom, according to DailyMail. Of course, the architects plan to use solar energy to supply the electricity needed for the building, and residents would be able to drink water condensed from the clouds and rainwater which would be collected and purified.
Without digressing too far on a philosophical rant, as exciting as this project may be, it seems a bit arrogant to fly a building attached to an asteroid around the planet and over some people of the world who don’t have access to food or water; but that’s just how I see it. Technological progress is important, without a doubt, but I don’t believe that it should be prioritized above the well-being of millions of people, nor do I believe that grandiose projects should be pursued, so that rich people have something on which to spend their incalculable sums of money. Aside from those moral implications, there are also plenty of safety considerations to take into account: the issue of having to parachute out to leave the tower, the possibility of hitting other objects flying through the air (e.g. birds, planes, satellites, etc.), flying through heavy storms, or simply the fact that it’s a building attached to an asteroid might give some people pause about this project. With all that said, this would definitely be an incredible architectural and technological achievement, and it would undoubtedly be a very cool way to see the world.
Below are some links regarding Clouds’ Analemma Tower project, including their project’s page (which has a video presentation), as well as links to their Cloud City and Mars Ice Home pages.
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