For The Rathaus' fourth installment of six architectural projects dedicated to vertical farming, renewable energies, and the construction of a better, greener 21st century, s.a.johnson discusses William McDonough's Tower of Tomorrow.

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“Tower of Tomorrow” by William McDonough

December 14, 2008 Art, culture, The Rathaus

What better to fill the empty lots in our urban jungles than the metaphorical tree designed by William McDonough which he calls the Tower of Tomorrow. Its vegetation-covered roof hopes to transform the city’s upper canopy in order to systematically recycle rainwater while also reducing the urban heat island effect created by the tar covered rooftops most buildings employ.

In a project commissioned by Fortune Magazine, green-guru McDonough has created another conceptual building with feasible roots. Biomimetic functions prevail throughout the exterior and interior of the building, including: self-cleaning interior spaces from plants filtering the air, the aerodynamic shape reduces wind load on the facades, and a water reclamation system redistributes greywater for toilets and other non-potable systems.

posted by: s.a. johnson

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