The
tower
is split into three bars to increase the amount of surface area, provide
southern light to the south face of each bar, and focus and increase wind
speed. The added surface area allows for maximizing the amount of titanium
dioxide that can be placed on the building—enhancing the amount of air being
cleaned.
The
focused and increased wind speeds maximize the amount of air pushed across the
titanium dioxide panels, provide cross
ventilation
for
every unit in the towers, and power a series of vertical wind turbines.
Positive pressure is created on the southern face of the towers and the
resulting negative pressure on the northern façades creates optimal conditions
for cross-ventilation. Careful attention has also been placed to prevent the
backflow air from one unit into another. The nano coating has the added benefit
of neutralizing bacteriological contamination.
The
skin design is inspired by the pocketed and cellular texture of the TiO2
molecule. A series of organic cells cover the building and are tapered to
naturally collect the water, a byproduct of the skin’s chemical reaction, and
to collect and slowly release rainwater.
The
skin
pulls off of the building on the south façades to provide natural shading and
pushes into the inner skin of the north façade to maximize daylight.
Public gathering places
A series of gardens are located at
regular intervals all the way up the tower. They become public gathering spaces
as well as marsh lands to collect the water from the chemical reactions of the
skin and to filter and process gray water from the towers. The plants also turn
the carbon dioxide, created in the chemical reaction of the skin, back into
oxygen.
It is
paramount to have the plants help maintain the base-level carbon neutrality. A
large pool around the base of the tower is the final collection point of the
filtered water, which goes to support a large amount of animal and plant life.
Water is also pumped back up the towers from the pool to service toilets.
Furthermore, the pool at the base acts as a heat sink for the release of the
heat generated from a back-up air-conditioning system. Here, the heat is
released slowly, thus helps reduce the heat island effect
