Futuristic tower proposed for Roosevelt Island is 2,400 feet and covered in 10,000+ plants
All renderings via Rescubika Studio
In response to the idea of the “city of tomorrow,” one that will become carbon neutral by 2050, French architecture firm Rescubika created a proposal for a 2,418-foot tower on Roosevelt Island. With wood construction materials, 36 wind turbines, 8,300 shrubs, 1,600 trees, 83,000 square feet of plant walls, and nearly 23,000 square feet of solar panels, it would be the world’s tallest “carbon sink” tower–one that absorbs more CO2 than it releases.
The 160-story tower has been named Mandragore after the mandrake plant who has an anthropomorphic, human-like form. “The symbolism of the body confronts us with our own destiny, the one that reminds us that we must preserve our environment in order to live in symbiosis with nature,” the architects say.
In addition to being powered by the wind turbines and photovoltaic panels, the building would achieve its carbon-negative status through a network of underground pipes that captures warm and cool air and circulates it through the building and the addition of a home office in each apartment to alleviate the need for commuting and thereby reducing energy consumption. The huge number of plants was employed because living and organic matter trap carbon.
This proposal is merely conceptual, however, New York City has enacted the Climate Mobilization Act with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
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All renderings via Rescubika Studio