There is a reason we love fiction. Be it science or romance, fiction makes us believe. Through fiction, we can believe that everything we have always dreamed of can be possible. You can find a soulmate, you can live happily ever after. Or there is a world existing in space, one where people have powers that can help save the world.

We love happy endings. Anything that gives us hope and faith that it can better than it is. That this, is not all there is to the story. We love them Ted talks, buy motivational books, watch Black Panther, Superman and the Avengers. We love them for many reasons but mostly because they fuel our imagination.

Conceptual Musings

The Skyscraper Competition allows architects to envision design ideas without the limitations of building safety, materials or the physics that is needed to create an actual building. One is presented with an opportunity to design Skyscrapers thought otherwise impossible in real life.

With the freedom of total creativity, architects can visualize a better future and a solution to today’s problems. Hypothetical world can allow us to predict how new technology can be used to create a society that is inclusive and sustainable.  There are simply no boundaries to how far you can imagine.

It is not just about building ideas from the ground, this is a space that allows architects to challenge the existing structures and even come up with a new a or come up with a new perspective from an existing inspiration.

Skyshelter.zip

Damian Granosik, Jakub Kulisa, Piotr Pańczyk from Poland won 2018’s Skyscraper Competition with their idea of a foldable skyscraper for disaster zones. Materials, engineering and physic were not considered during the judging process.

Their concept was based on the occurring global natural disasters like flood, hurricanes and earthquakes which proves that the existing crisis management protocols, are not enough to deal with these occurrences.

The Skyshelter.zip addresses issues like transportation, that make sending help to disaster-stricken zones difficult. They proposed a structure that can work as a relief hub. Easy to transport, large compact surface and can be deployed in minimal time with less manpower.

If meant for the real world, this structure can get safety engineers closing their eyes in fear. Lasting buildings takes time, Skyshelter.zip’s design does not include a structural foundation and their fabric walls and lightweight floor could be a disaster in itself.

Yet this amazing design idea shows how far our imagination can span given the opportunity to.

Fire Prevention Skyscraper

Claudio C. Araya Arias from Chile took third place in this year’s competition with the Fire Prevention Skyscraper, Waria Lemuy. The structure was inspired by the Chile 2016-2017 fire that took approximately 2500 homes and burned 569,989 hectares.

The fire prevention skyscraper looks at the reconstruction from a new perspective. Aiming to recover the lost homes and infrastructure in a way that restores the flora and biodiversity while mitigating future catastrophe.

                                                                          A Million Possibilities

These, among other remarkable works made part of the 2018 competition that goes a step further to show how important architectural fiction is. Following the lead of Zaha Hadid, drawing speculative structures does not just fuel your imagination, it can work to improve your resume for the next job.

Fiction of any kind offers real possibilities, we get a glance of what can be. It might not be possible now, but it can serve to provoke real change. This is not to be confused for real project proposals.

Registration is ongoing for the 2019’s submissions at eVolo Magazine website. This is a chance for all thinkers; designers, architects, artists, students and professionals! Those that are not afraid to see how far their imagination goes.

 Written by: Kui Anne