Editors’ Choice
2023 Skyscraper Competition
Zhaoxu Huang
China
Desertification is a phenomenon that the dry land ecosystems is constantly degraded due to the influence of climate and human activities. With the continuous progress of global industrialization, surface vegetation has been continuously destroyed, and persistent desertification threatens the poorest population in the world and the prospect of poverty reduction. Therefore, combating desertification has become a century-long problem that puzzles mankind. With the increasing concern of the international community about desertification, more and more countries and regions are carrying out afforestation activities. However, due to the single species and sparse number of vegetation, it is impossible to form a stable ecosystem and the effect is insufficient.
Although the undeveloped desert area are full of dangers, it is difficult to serve as a basis for human beings to transform nature. However, the desert contains a lot of valuable energy, and rational use of the desert can greatly reduce global warming caused by carbon emissions. The desert is both a crisis and an opportunity! We obtained all kinds of environmental and meteorological data about desert areas around the world through literature retrieval. By comparing and analyzing the environmental indicators of different areas, and according to the climatic conditions needed for plant growth, the design site of the skyscraper in Gurbantunggut Desert was finally selected. The desert is located in the middle of Junggar basin in northern Xinjiang, with an annual precipitation of about 70 ~ 150 mm and a wide variety of vegetation, which is suitable as a test site for initial desert transformation.
We hope to introduce skyscrapers with the functions of energy self-sufficiency and rainwater collection in desert areas. First of all, by installing a large area of solar storage battery on the top of the building, a large amount of valuable solar energy existing in the desert can be used efficiently to provide continuous power for the whole building. At the same time, the whole building is trumpet-shaped, and the trumpet-shaped opening on it can collect valuable rainwater resources in the desert, and then introduce them into the ecological environment inside and around the building, and stick a water filter film on its surface to preserve the water vapor existing inside, thus providing necessary conditions for ecological restoration in the desert area.
