Two very large and very different edifices in distant parts of the world are nearing construction.
In China, the futuristic spiraling pink Phoenix Towers will not only be the tallest buildings in the world, but also especially environmentally innovative featuring wind turbines, an ambitious air cleaning system, and a vertical garden.
The Phoenix Towers are part of a larger environmental strategy for the Chinese city of Wuhan, a transportation hub sometimes compared to Chicago.
Reaching up to one kilometer, the Phoenix Towers will rise out of a 116-acre site on an island within a lake along the Yangtze River as it runs through the city of Wuhan, the capital of central China. Designed by London-based architects Chetwoods, the lake will support the towers and the towers will support the lake.
The Phoenix Towers, which will also doubtlessly be a tourist attraction with their sunset-themed coloration and suspended network of shops and restaurants, will aim to clean the surrounding water and air. A thermal chimney in the center of the taller tower will draw air from the surrounding lakes to cool the buildings. The air will then be filtered and released back into the environment in a better condition than it arrived. Water use and treatment will undergo a similar complete-cycle cleansing process. The taller tower will also feature photovoltaic panels. Together the towers will generate more than enough power to support themselves.
The open space at the bottom of the towers is meant to invite public gathering and conjure the idea of mangrove trees as part of the overall effort to combine 21st century Western technological know-how and experience with Chinese tradition and culture according to Chetwoods Architects.
“The scheme will provide an environmental catalyst to re-invigorate the city of Wuhan, actively avoiding the disastrous consequences of developments elsewhere in China,” said the firm.
If all goes as planned the towers will be completely in 2017 or 2018. The design still awaits final approval from the government.
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