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Unbuilt Buildings : 6 Awesome Future Architectural Designs

Introduction
Bold, bio-inspired, vertical and sustainable: those are the traits that
architecture of the future will share, if you go by the trends in current
cutting-edge concept designs. While some of these architectural concepts
will never become reality, others are already in progress or slated to begin
construction soon. From a sparkling urban farm inspired by a dragonflys
wing to a dystopian concept that embraces genetic engineering, here are
12 amazing designs that give us a peek into what the future may bring.

1. Songjiang Hotel: Paradise in a Water-Filled Quarry
(images via: Green Roofs)
The Songjiang Hotel by Atkins Design makes use of a beautiful water-filled
quarry in the Songjiang district just outside Shanghai in China. This
innovative design features a green roof, geothermal energy and underwater
areas including a restaurant and guest rooms. The quarry provides an ideal
setting for sports and leisure including swimming, water sports, rock
climbing and bungee jumping. The Songjiang Hotel was originally slated to
be completed by May 2009, but as of now its still just a concept.



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2. Dragonfly, a Metabolic Farm for Urban Agriculture
From Vincent Vallebaut,
designer of the Lilypad
concept, comes another
stunning sustainable design
that aims to meet the food,
housing and energy
challenges of the future. The
Dragonfly is an urban farm
concept for New York Citys
Roosevelt Island, modelled
after the wings of a dragonfly
and designed to provide
fresh, local food within an
urban environment.

Fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy
would be produced on the Dragonflys
132 floors and the entire structure would
be powered by a combination of solar
and wind power.


3. The Venus Project: Working Toward Sustainable Global Civilization
In order to survive global
warming, the growing human
population and other
challenges in the upcoming
centuries, some believe that
we must start from scratch
with a new model of human
civilization that directs our
technology and resources
toward the positive, for the
maximum benefit of the
people and the planet.
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The Venus Project is a vision for a
brand new world civilization and
redesign of our entire culture.
Circular cities with built-in farms and
public transit, along with sea cities
that can accommodate millions, are
just part of this complex and
visionary idea to take us beyond
politics, poverty and war.


4. The Origami, Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Apartment Living
By making apartment
buildings entirely vertical, we
could enhance the livability of
urban residences and
provide lush green gardens
for each apartment dweller to
enjoy. The Origami by Kann
Finch, designed for Meydan
City in Dubai, would give
each apartment an open
quality that extends the
internal living areas to
extensive balconies with
uplifting window walls. A
patterned solid/glass screen
gives the building visual
interest from the outside and
provides shade and privacy
for the residents.


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5. Green and Modern Fair & Exhibition Space at the Punta Umbria Pavilion
MRDP Arquitectos, a Spanish
design firm, wanted to create a
space for fairs and exhibitions that
would remain lively even in
between events, maximizing the
usage of the space. Their design
for the Punta Umbria Pavilion is
situated on an urban plaza and is
contained under an expansive
green roof covered in native,
weather-resistant, low-
maintenance plants. A 17m tower
serves as a lighthouse that
provides views of the river and its
surroundings..

6. My Dream, Our Vision by Design Act
Singapore-based design firm Design Act created the My Dream, Our
Vision concept for the World Expo 2010 Singapore Pavilion Competition. It
uses permutated cubes to generate a pixelated-looking sculptural building
that that looks like an illuminated digital cloud hovering over a constantly
changing green pasture. Designed to present Singapore as the ideal
example of a city that can transform the lives of everyone who comes into
contact with it, the My Dream, Our Vision concept encourages visitors to
post their dreams inside.