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Builders are always looking to push the envelope and make the previously impossible possible. The Empire State Building, Willis Tower and Taipei 101 were all once the tallest buildings on the planet. The current record belongs to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which soars 828 metres into the sky. While this is already set to be overtaken by the kilometre-high Jeddah Tower and the proposed Bride Vertical City is shooting for 1152 metres, another new contender for world's tallest aims to dwarf all of these buildings.
The planned megatall skyscraper would rise 1,700 metres above Tokyo Bay. The aptly named Sky Mile Tower, ambitiously designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates in partnership with Leslie E. Robertson Associates, would be situated on an archipelago of reclaimed land. A number of hexagonally shaped islands surrounding the tower are planned as part of the Next Tokyo vision, a new eco-district designed to adapt to the effects of climate change by protecting the city from rising sea levels. Some of the islands function as urban farms, while others double as freshwater reservoirs. If built as described, half a million residents could end up calling the gargantuan floating city home.
The tower itself, which could house about 55,000 people, is also hexagonal and tapered to resist strong winds. Open-air sky decks every 320 metres offer public amenities including shops, restaurants, libraries, hotels, exercise areas, and health centres. As pumping water one mile into the sky would prove difficult, the tower's impressive height and engineered facade could allow it to take advantage of cloud harvesting. Water would then be stored and distributed throughout the five residential zones of the building.
Though the Sky Mile Tower is representative of the forward-thinking design philosophies that contemporary architects have become engaged in — battling for the top of the world while combating one of humanity's greatest threats in climate change — the project won't be a reality anytime soon. Targeting a completion date of 2045, no funding announcements have yet been made. The renderings sure are fun to gawk at though.
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