Yuhan Zhang and Dreama Simeng Lin · CLIENT: Yuhan Zhang & Dreama Simeng Lin
This project addresses Chicago's food deserts by creating a mile high vertical community at the lakefront, incorporating vertical farms that provide fresh produce within the urban fabric. Inspired by water droplet patterns, the four interconnected towers feature a tubular structure supported by a diagrid exoskeleton, maximizing structural depth and allowing for natural light and air circulation. Renewable energy sources, including wind turbines and cloud harvesting, create a self sustaining environment that can be reproduced in the future.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Imagine a future where Chicago's skyline symbolizes sustainable living, with food grown just floors below, making "food deserts" a thing of the past. This project transforms urban life into vertical ecosystems, where skyscrapers become green spaces that nourish body and soul. Inspired by water droplet patterns, the mile-high community extends Chicago’s green belt into the sky. Vertical farms in the towers reduce food inequality and carbon footprints, powered by advanced green technologies.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The four conjoined towers are laterally supported by two layers of bracing structure to increase the structural depth. On the outer tube, based on a diagrid pattern spanning 25 stories in one unit, exoskeleton structures weave the building in a network of fluid lines that integrate mega-bracing with lateral support. Supported by the diagrid structure, the inner void allows more light and air into the tower.
- Tags
- Sustainable development, Super tall tower, vertical farming, vertical community, Renewable energy, Cultural integration, Circular economy
- Production Technology
- The tower incorporates a range of sustainable and green technologies that ensure self-sufficiency and environmental harmony, embedded seamlessly within its architectural design. Vertical farming, housed within the core tubular structure, addresses food deserts by producing fresh, local produce for the community. Cloud harvesting and rainwater collection systems, integrated into the tower’s outer shell, ensure efficient water recycling, while wind turbines are strategically placed along the exoskeleton to generate renewable energy. The breathable atrium and natural ventilation systems, enhanced by the diagrid structure, maximize airflow and natural light, reducing energy consumption while improving indoor environmental quality. These forward-thinking design elements push the boundaries of sustainability, setting a future example for urban architecture that not only coexists with nature but actively restores and enriches it.
- Design Challenge
- The project embraced exciting research challenges, turning them into opportunities for innovation. Integrating vertical farming into skyscrapers required advanced exploration of efficient agricultural systems, energy solutions, and water recycling, driving breakthroughs in sustainability. Balancing the structural demands of a mile-high building with green technologies like cloud harvesting and natural ventilation fostered creative engineering. Understanding food deserts also inspired in-depth community engagement to promote equitable food access.
- Project Duration
- The project is proposed as a future icon for the next half century of Chicago's skyline.
- Operation Flow
- The tower hosts a diverse array of programs, creating a dynamic vertical community that supports living, working, learning, and leisure. Residential units are integrated with commercial spaces, offering a complete urban lifestyle within the same structure, while hotels provide short-term accommodations with panoramic views of the city. Schools are embedded throughout the tower, ensuring education is accessible and integrated into daily life for families living within the complex. Multiple sky terraces, positioned at various levels, function as communal hubs where residents and visitors can enjoy green spaces, relax, or engage in recreational activities. These terraces sustain all functions and activities within the tower, providing essential outdoor areas that enhance the quality of life and foster community interaction, all while maintaining a strong connection to nature in an otherwise dense urban environment.
- Research
- Food deserts in Chicago primarily affect low-income, urban neighborhoods, where residents often struggle to find affordable, nutritious food within a reasonable distance from their homes. The lack of accessible grocery stores and fresh produce has created significant health disparities, as many are forced to rely on convenience stores or fast food, which contribute to poor diet and related health issues. These food deserts exacerbate existing socio-economic inequalities and highlight the need for innovative solutions to provide sustainable, fresh food to underserved communities.
- Inspiration
- The project is inspired by two key aspects: programmatically, it addresses the food desert crisis in Chicago by integrating vertical farms into skyscrapers, creating a self-sustaining urban ecosystem where fresh food is grown locally. Formally, it draws inspiration from the city’s water landscape, with the tower’s organic shape inspired from a water droplet. This combination of program and form creates a sustainable community that tackles food inequality in Chicago.
- Image Credits
- YUHAN ZHANG
DREAMA SIMENG LIN
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