The Earthskraper

Teacher: Ioana Moldovan

Student: Bura Bogdan
 How and why I chose this subject….

After I received the list of subjects, I began searching for

information for every subject. Picking one of about 20 subjects
and lot of information is never an easy job.
The ideea of a bulding inside the earth it looks very interresting
to me because it is not far from being achievable and once done it
wolud be a great achievement for achitecture and engineering.
I do these project for finding more information about this
ambitious project.
 What is an “earthskraper”?

As the term suggests, an “earthskraper” unlike a skyskraper, is a

bulding of huge dimensions which has its placement in the
ground. At the time, it is only an architectural concept, the
application of which would require a lot of structural and logistic
barrieris to be overcome.
Once such a project completed it would become a mini-city,
housing thousands of people.
A short history
The ideea of
constructing exclusively in
the ground is not new.
The most notable version
is the one featured in a
1931 issue of Popular
Mechanics.
Described then as a
“depthscraper”, the
cylindrical tower made
from a steel frame and
"armored concrete", was
proposed to extend 35-
storeys into the ground.
 The Mexican Earthskraper

A very recent version of such building is a project proposed by a

mexican architectural team from BNKR Arquitectura.
The Historic Center of Mexico City is composed of different
layers of cities superimposed on top of each other. When the
Aztecs first came to the Valley of Mexico they built their
pyramids (first layer) above the lake of Texcoco.
When the Spanish discovered America and ultimately
conquered the Aztecs, they erected their Christian temples on top
of the pyramids. Eventually their whole colonial city was built
above the Aztec. In the 20th century, many colonial buildings
were demolished and modern structures raised over the existing
historic foundations.
 Today, the Historic Center is in desperate need of a
programmatic make-over. New infrastructure, office, retail,
and living spaces are required. Federal and local laws
prohibit demolishing historic buildings and height
regulations limit new structures to eight stories.
The main plaza of Mexico City, known as the “Zocalo” is
57,600 square meters (240m x240m), making it one of the
largest in the world. It is bordered by the Cathedral, the
National Palace and the Federal District Buildings. This is
the location of the proposed Eathscraper, an inverted
skyscraper that digs down through the different layers of
Mexico City.
 The Earthscraper preserves the iconic presence of the
Zocalo and the existing hierarchy of the buildings that
surround it. It is an inverted pyramid with a central void that
allows all habitable spaces to enjoy natural light and
ventilation.
The first ten stories are dedicated to a pre-Columbian
museum. The next ten stories are retail areas and housing
while the deeper 35 stories are offices.