The recent advances in materials technology means more and more imaginative buildings are possible. Some have already been built – St Mary’s Axe in London, the Beijing National Aquatics Centre, and The Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Architects have never lacked imagination. Unfortunately, what some have lacked is building approvals. Or the right timing. Or buy-in from city officials. Or simply the technology didn’t exist at the time. Consider these magnificent visions from the past that never eventuated.
The Illinois
1956 - Chicago
Illinois
Frank
Lloyd Wright proposed a mile-high skyscraper for midtown Chicago. 1,600 metres
tall, almost 1700 square metres. The idea killer? Too much room was needed to
service the elevators. And no one was going to walk up 528 stories.
Fourth Grace
2002 - Liverpool
England
In
a competition to build an iconic building near the Three Graces at Pier Head in
Liverpool, this entry – officially “The Cloud” – won. Some people claim the
project was abandoned due to spiralling costs. Others believe it was simply
that the building was ugly. Liverpool will never get to see it. But Toronto
will. “The Cloud” is being constructed there.
Walking City
1964 - Anywhere
Ron
Herron was the founding mind behind the radical architecture group Archigram.
In 1964, the company proposed and designed a Walking City. This nomadic city
would see “the end of borders”. Why? Because sometimes, when you leave home,
you like to take home with you. And why not? Lack of technology. Too much cost.
And lack of enthusiasm – which city would pay for architecture that would
simply walk away once the project was done?
The X Seed 4000
1995 - Tokyo,
Japan
Created
and developed by Peter Neville, the X-Seed 4000 would have been the tallest
building ever built. 4 kilometres high. 6 kilometres wide at the base. 800
floors. Able to house up to 1,000,000 people. And it would have cost almost $1trillion
in today’s money.
Maybe architects could turn to more traditional materials. Like the experts at the Centre for Architectural Sustainability with Wood at the University of Tasmania, who are proving there are more options available for creating beauty without resorting to size or unusual materials. If you have a scientific mind and an artist’s imagination, architecture might be the perfect career for you.
Study Architecture and Design at the University of Tasmania and find out how you can turn your fantastic ideas into reality.