With a one mile wide base and a staggering two mile high rooftop, the Ultima Tower by Eugene Tsui is inspired by nature: the elegant termite mound. It is aerodynamically efficient, resistant to earthquake shock waves, and is cooled by flowing water.
OK, so let's put aside the fact that if the Earth ever reaches the point where we need to house over a million people in one building, we will have bigger problems than putting a roof over our heads. Let's just roll with this one because the design is really cool.
Know what's just as cool as this buildings size? It's price, at $150 billion!
Termite-Inspired Mega Buildings
Ultima Tower
Trend Themes
1. Biomimicry-inspired Architecture - Architecture inspired by nature is a trend that promotes efficient designs and sustainable building technologies.
2. Mega Structures - The trend of designing mega structures creates opportunities for disruptive innovations in construction, transportation, and energy management.
3. Resilient Buildings - The trend of designing buildings that can withstand natural disasters creates opportunities for disruptive innovations in safety, security, and emergency response systems.
Industry Implications
1. Construction - The construction industry has the opportunity to develop innovative building technologies, such as advanced materials and 3D printing, to support the trend of mega structures and resilient buildings.
2. Transportation - The transportation industry has the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to support the construction, operation, and maintenance of mega structures, such as advanced logistics systems and aerial vehicles.
3. Energy Management - The energy management industry has the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to support the trend of mega structures and resilient buildings, such as energy-efficient HVAC systems and renewable energy sources.