The winners of this year's eVolo Skyscraper Competition deal with some daunting themes, including overcrowding, global warming, and environmental disaster.
The contest, sponsored by eVolo Magazine and now in its 10th year, asks architects to envision the future of vertical living.
Nearly 500 contestants submitted their ideas for the skyscrapers of tomorrow, and three winners and 20 honorable mentions were selected by a jury of leaders in the fields of architecture and design.
These buildings may not be feasible today, but they attempt to answer some big questions about the future of urban spaces.
The first-place winner was "Essence," a proposal to put a non-urban environment in a dense city center. The building would have 11 landscapes with fish tanks, jungle areas, and other environments.
Ewa Odyjas, Agnieszka Morga, Konrad Basan, Jakub Pudo, Poland
In second place, "Shanty-Scraper" would be a mixed use residential and workspace for impoverished fishermen in the slums of Chennai, India. It would be built from recycled materials found within the city.
Suraksha Bhatla, Sharan Sundar, India
Third-place "Cybertopia" combines the digital and physical worlds in a building that can grow using 3D-printed technology and portable "ships."
Egor Orlov, Russia
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