Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and as a result, green space is often given the squeeze. As Inhabitat informs, London studio Weston Williamson recently unveiled the Arcology Tower, a proposal for a self-sustaining vertical neighborhood that provides a mix of residential, retail, and agricultural spaces.
Envisioned for Victoria Harbor, the three-pronged high-rise is designed to sit atop the proposed high-speed railway line that would connect the city to Guangzhou. The architects nicknamed the project the “Kissing Towers” for the way the towers angle inwards between the twenty-first and twenty-fifth floors to create “the main public spaces within the building and [allow] access to each of the three towers above.” A large landscaped square sits at the base of buildings and offers much needed green space on the waterfront.
The 250,000-square-meter high-rise comprises three main zones: offices and commercial space on the lower levels; an agricultural zone on the intermediate level; and residential apartments on the upper levels. A glazed facade and shallow floor plates maximize levels of natural daylight, a crucial element for the success of the building’s many agricultural terraces. The high-rise is also designed to draw power for geothermal wells. Rainwater and greywater would be collected and recycled.
