Bionic Tower – Vertical City III

The principles of flexibility and strength of biological structures:
Research carried out, allowed to develop a new bionic theory based on the structural principles of flexibility and strength of biological species. The structural model is inspired on the scientific analysis of the structural transformations that come about in vegetable species as these surpass the frontiers of height.

NATURE DOESN’T BUILD WITH COLUMNS AND BEAMS, BUT WITH LAWS OF GROWTH. ITS CONSTRUCTIVE LOGIC IS THE SAVING OF ENERGY, THE ADAPTABILITY AND THE FLEXIBILITY.

Fractal Bio‐Structure:
Under the name of “FRACTAL BIO‐STRUCTURE” revolutionary structural and technological plans are developed, based upon a common idea: Fractal micro‐fragmentation of complex dynamic stresses systems.

CONVENTIONAL CONSTRUCTION IS BASED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIMPLE SYSTEMS: THE COLUMN, THE BEAM, THE PIPE… NATURE IS BASED MAINLY ON THE BALANCED DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS: THE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS AND THE LAWS OF GROWTH.

Bionic Tower
Bionic Tower

“Encapsulated containers system”:
Inspired on isolating and resistant qualities “container of containers” systems, present in most of vegetable species, the primary structural and vertical communication system between two different neighbourhoods is organized on three rings of 92 technological street‐columns which would transport its inhabitants, water and different fluids as the necessary energy. The structure of these street‐columns is hollow, made by thin folded membranes encapsulated of High Strength Concrete. Folding grant a huge capacity of flexion and resistant to the complex and also a huge capacity to fit the different chaotic demands of wind pressure.

THE SYSTEM OF “CAPSULES” SUPPOSES AN IMPORTANT SAVING ON OCCUPIED VOLUME AND ENERGY FOR VEGETABLE SPECIES.

Interior Micro‐climate:
The tower exterior facade, inspired on resistant and transpiring qualities of “Nest Structures” in nature, allows a controlled passing of natural air and light to the interior of the complex, creating an interior micro‐climate and contributing efficiently to the overall flexo‐stability of the complex. The exterior fractal structure, also reduces the wind pressure.

CYPRESSES CAN BE SO SLENDER AND RESISTANT BECAUSE THE AIR CAN PASS THROUGH THEM.

“Floating Foundation System” and ” Anti‐seismic System”:
These complex systems are inspired on flexo‐plastic and isolating characteristics of root systems in huge tree‐structures. Simplifying the concept, we could say that trees “float” in the middle of a chaotic structure made by million of roots, what makes possible the tree to transmit fragmentarily the wind stresses down to the soil, and the plastic isolation from the seismic movements.

THE VERTICAL FOUNDATION SYSTEM IS NOT THE MOST APPROPRIATE TO SOLVE THE WIND AND EARTHQUAKES STRESSES IN HUGE VERTICAL STRUCTURES OVER 500 METERS HIGH.

Bionic Tower
Bionic Tower

Twelve Vertical Neighbourhoods:
Adult tress have a concentric ring system of fluids pipes which have a huge flexion strength and behave as “air mattresses” which provide these spices an extra defence on fires, avoiding that fire destroys the whole tree. Inspired on the logic of this plan, Vertical City is distributed into twelve vertical neighbourhoods separated by watertight areas fifteen meters high, which behave as “air mattresses” and would allow a controlled evacuation in cases of emergency.

IN CASE OF FIRE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, EACH INHABITANT WILL HAVE A SAFETY WATERTIGHT AREA LESS THAN 40 METERS VERTICAL  DISTANCE.

Occupying while building:
The vertical neighbourhood model construction allows raising successive levels while the lower level is finished and occupied.

NATURE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS; AS TIME PASSES HUMAN BEINGS SHALL LEARN TO KNOW EVERY QUESTION.

Data:
Maximum height: 1.228 meters equivalent to 300 floors
Maximum Capacity: 100.000 inhabitants
Total area: 2.000.000 square meters
Dimension of Bionic Tower: Elliptic floor of variable dimension (166 x 133 meters maximum dimension)
Communications: 368 elevators with vertical and horizontal circulation.
Maximum speed: 15 m/second.
Maximum Sway: 2,45 meters of total lateral displacement.

Bionic Tower – Vertical City II

This is the first existing model of an urban bio‐ecological structure. It is based on principles of flexibility and fitness of biological structures, it is able to adjust its height, capacity and use to the different economic, environmental and social conditions of the cities where it is built. Numbers shown, indicate maximum limits and its growing possibilities.

ANY CITY IN THE WORLD, NOT MINDING ITS SOCIAL AND ECONOMICAL DEVELOPMENT, COULD START THE CONSTRUCTION OF BIONIC TOWER, ADAPTING ITS GROWTH, IN HEIGHT AND EXPANSION TO ITS FURTHER URBAN EVOLUTION.

Bionic Tower
Bionic Tower

Returning land to nature:
Under the conventional models of “horizontal urbanism” and “low density”, 100.000 inhabitants would occupy an extension of 4 km. diameter wide with an important occupation of the environment.
Bionic Tower Vertical City with capacity for 100.000 inhabitants, uses an area of 1 km. diameter wide, what allows to return nature the land non occupied.

CAN WE ALLOW THE PLANET TO BE ASPHALTED?

High, light and flexible:
Vertical City is inspired by models of nature: lightness and strength of birds bones; flexibility of vegetal structures and capacity of organisms to adapt.

THERE ARE NO TWO EQUAL TREES OF THE SAME SPECIES.

Two unified bionic complexes:
Bionic Vertical City Tower is composed of two bio‐ecological urban complexes one into the other.
One of them is vertically developed being the other one horizontally developed. The first one, Bionic Tower, is composed of twelve vertical neighbourhoods 80 meters high each one of them, separated by safety areas in order to make easier the techno‐economical rationality of its construction in different phases and the eviction in case of emergency. Each neighbourhood, or level, has two groups of buildings, one interior, and another one exterior. Both are situated around huge vertical gardens and pools. The second complex, the “Base Island” forms a complex 1.000 meters diameter in which are distributed medium high buildings, expanded gardens, interior pools and communication infrastructures. The foreseen use of both complexes is extensive: Hotels, Offices, Residential, Commerce, Cultural Buildings, Sports and Leisure.

URBAN PLOTS SHOULD HARMONIZE THE DIFFERENT NEEDS OF “RESIDENT” AND “FLOATING”
POPULATIONS.

Bionic Tower – Vertical City I

Superpopulation:
In 1900 world population was 1.250.000.000 inhabitants. By 2000, world population reached 6.000.000.000. The least optimistic forecast is that we shall reach 12.000.000.000 by 2050. Over the past 100 years, cities have transformed their urban physiology, featuring important concentrations of skyscrapers and large residential low‐density areas. Ecologically speaking, the consequences of this evolution have been the progressive destruction of vegetation, the irrationality on energy consumption and the deterioration of the environment.

10 MILLION PEOPLE CANNOT LIVE UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS AND RULES AS SEVERAL TENS OF THOUSANDS PEOPLE.

Dying urban models:
20th Century urban planning models seem ineffective to solve problems of urban growth in huge overpopulated areas. Even those mid size populations show similar symptoms of traditional models dying. Current urban philosophy appears established on a worrying reality divorce.

WE SHOULD REPLACE THE OVER‐USED TERM “MINIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT” WITH “ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT”.

Urban Bio‐Ecology:
Solutions to future urban problems should face up to the new mega‐cities reality. The inevitable technological progress must find its balance with the “bio‐ecological” recovery of the natural environment.
Bionic Science appears as an alternative to the philosophical thinking and scientific development of humanized urban models.

BIONICS AND BIO‐ECOLOGY, ARE TWO INNOVATED CONCEPTS OF URBAN PHILOSOPHY.

The 800 meters high limit:
Accepting, under the logic of the rational use of energy, that the alternative to the conquest of vertical space opposite to the “non‐limit expanse”, the present model of high rise building appears inappropriate for its des‐humanization and its technological limit, in order to carry out this conquest. Since the Empire State Building (1931), with its 380m. high, up to the Taipei 101 (508 m. – year 2004) it was possible to increase just 70 meters high, despite such a large quantity and quality of different technostructural models developed for high rise construction, confirming the technological limit.

BIONIC THEORY OF GIANTS HOLDS THAT IN ORDER TO SURPASS THE PRESENT FRONTIERS OF HEIGHT ARE NECESSARY MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES CONCEPTUAL CHANGES.

The challenge assumed in conquest of vertical space is not that one based on beating height records, but that one based on re‐defining with dignity the life of large communities. The real social compromise consists on developing an innovative model of vertical construction that unifies in a new philosophy of life the revolutionary technological concepts which are able to surpass the frontier of 800 meters high, with the new urbanism and architectural bio‐ecological models.

IN MASSIVE NUCLEI AND SCARCE OF LAND, ‘VERTICAL CITIES’ ALLOW THE ECOLOGICAL EXPANSION OF THE CITY.

Bionic Tower
Bionic Tower