Physical model

Details

Roofs - balconies - corridors - squares - staircases

The entire model better reflects the texture of the details and the actual proportions of the figures, restoring the texture of each place. The relationship between the different spaces is shown.

Overall

Space - Proportion - Relationship - Atmosphere - Scale

The elevation from one side shows the texture of the space well, with an uplifted roof, coherent curves, breathing gaps and a combination of straight and curved lines.

Countdown to Earth's Destruction

-Team Work-Director: Yufei Zheng-Location: New York-Time: 11.2022-01.2023-Members- Danni Yan-Yi Fu-Xuechen Guo

With the development of human society, more and more crises are beginning to emerge. Solar storms, intelligent crises, nuclear war, environmental pollution, humanity is constantly confronted with impending risks. The closest of these is the continued soaring of the Earth's temperature, the melting of the ice and the rise of sea levels. The sight of cities being submerged is likely to become a reality as soon as this century. Yet in the face of all this, people do not realise the magnitude of the problem.

Our design aims to use striking tall buildings combined with icebergs to give a more visual representation of the phenomenon of rising temperatures in order to provoke thought and attention. As the temperature rises, the iceberg at the top of the building will gradually melt to reveal warning signs, while meltwater will be stored around the building. People will still be able to access the interior from the internal observation lifts, but the flooded parts will be unusable. As the water accumulates, more and more of the building's functions will no longer be usable, from the most basic commercial consumption to education and healthcare, and even administrative institutions and laboratories. The highest floor is the cathedral, which holds the last civilisation and hope of mankind and is where people's last hope lies. This process can also be clearly seen from the outside through the glass curtain, and people may no longer be indifferent as furniture gradually floats, buildings are submerged and normal life is disrupted.

The project is currently located in the densely populated and economically developed area of Manhattan, New York, USA, to draw more attention to the project, with more related buildings being considered for further locations.

Extraterrestrial civilizations

As the universe is explored, the dangers gradually increase

Force majeure

Threats to human civilisation from unpredictable and unstoppable external factors

Planetary impact

The threat of space junk and small meteorites

Industrial development

The enormous negative impact of industrial development on human society cannot be ignored

Current Situation

With the development of the human world, the influence of exploitation to the natural environment is becoming greater. Under this circumstance, plenty of problems occured, while the global warming is the most serious and urgent one among them. Due to the unusual climate change, the sea level rises and icebergs all over the world start to melt. Therefore, not only some islands are flooding, but also the habitats of specific animals are destroyed.

Sea Level Rise

The annual rise in sea level is visually evident in the data and there is an increasing trend in the rate.

Nuclear War

The danger of nuclear war due to technological progress and instability

Iceberg melting

Waste pollution

Large amounts of waste of all kinds accumulate and are difficult to deal with

Excessive emissions

Excessive emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide cause a series of chain reactions to occur

Natural disasters

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, etc. occur frequently

Excessive deforestation

Rapid decline in forest cover, severe soil erosion and increased desertification

Sea level rise

Global warming is causing icebergs to melt and global sea levels to rise

Anomaly Relative

Values fluctuate in many regions and are affected by global warming, as is clear from the yearly data

Diseases

The threat of global pandemics remains

The overall figures show a crisis due to the effects of climate warming. Humanity is confronted with all the crises brought about by melting icebergs.

Indiscriminate emissions

Serious impact on the sea and some waters

Waste of resources

Food, energy and other resources are wasted and in short supply

Ocean pollution

Artificial products are extremely polluting to the sea, especially marine life

People's awareness

Most people are not yet aware of the seriousness of the problem, are not vigilant and the situation is still deteriorating.

Extreme weather

The increase in extreme weather and abnormal weather has a huge impact on food production etc.

Consequences

Some of the problems are already beginning to show irreversible consequences.

Total Melt-day Area

All regions have been affected accordingly and the Earth as a whole has evolved. The climate crisis affects every place.

Partial special spaces

There are unique spatial nodes in the building that become interesting with the activities of people

Emergency Shelter

Located on high ground and used for shelter in case of emergency.

Visualising the iceberg

A holographic projection showing an iceberg, gradually melting. The larger roof space forms a public space for people to move around.

Glass Curtain

The glass façade to ensure visibility and enable better observation of the water accumulation. The overall volume is lighter and more translucent.

Foundation

Located on the upper floors, space for charities

Breathing Space

Each section of the large functional variation is interspersed with equipment levels and breathing spaces, open areas that allow even very tall buildings to be unobstructed and light.

Office meeting area

Space for staff to manage the whole building and related matters

Multi-purpose classroom

Music room, art studio, counselling room, etc.

Medical Space

Basic ward, treatment space for health needs

Traffic flow

12 lifts through the centre and the necessary fire stairs. In addition, stairs and short lifts are scattered more frequently in the larger upper areas to ease circulation pressure.

Public space functions

As a supertall building, many public spaces have been considered in the design, including the ground floor mall and plaza, and the breathing space is also a major venue for public activities.

Commercial value

The ground floor is predominantly commercial in function, allowing the ground floor space to be used by consumers to give it more commercial value.

Function order

Commercial space

Various hospitality and entertainment spaces

An abstraction of Maslow's theory of needs, from material needs to a cascade of spiritual needs. A gradual progression from consumption, to commerce, to beliefs, to pursuits.

Vision

As one looks at this Building, the fruit of countless human ingenuity and human civilisation shines on the tallest skyscraper in Manhattan, yet it is a reminder of a cruel truth - the countdown to the destruction of the planet is on. We want to use this almost brutal method to raise awareness before everything comes to an end. Only if more people do something can the countdown clock stop ticking