A conceptual design for what would be the world’s tallest observation tower has been revealed by Carlo Ratti Associati. Commissioned by a mystery client, Italian architect Carlo Ratti has conceived “The Mile,” a cloud-bursting column of public open space — inspired by New York City’s very own Central Park.
“Imagine you take New York’s Central Park, turn it vertical, roll it and twirl it,” said Ratti, founder of CRA and director of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Set to be presented at MIPIM in Cannes on March 16th this year, the architect’s proposal calls for a mile-high tower, which makes it the tallest manmade structure on earth — almost twice the height of the current record holder, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The tower would be made from a towering column of environmental habitats with vertical landscapes for exploration and leisure including bird-watching, hiking and rock climbing. The scheme is designed to be inhabited by hundreds of animals, creating a hybrid typology that integrates elements of wildlife parks and botanical gardens.
Helical ribbons of infrastructure wrap this soaring stack of natural spaces, incorporating glass observation pods and meeting-room capsules akin to those on the London Eye. At the building’s summit far above the clouds, a host of amenities include conference rooms, restaurants, concert halls and even swimming pools at the very edge of the tower’s ring-shaped top.
Each observation pod is encircled by digital glass panels, allowing visitors to access dynamic information about the panorama stretching out far below them. “The capsules will be equipped with open-air virtual-reality screens, permitting an interaction with the 360-degree view over the landscape,” explains the design team. “Aloft in the sky, visitors can see the city as is — or could be, unencumbered by headsets that typically accompany VR.”
While the scale of the proposal makes it appear outlandish at first glance, Ratti’s plans are based on rigorous studies of the structural systems and ecological considerations required to deliver this lofty vision. Engineers have developed an innovative lightweight structure with a shaft only 66 feet (20 meters) wide, stabilized by a web of prestressed cables. The system echoes that of another sky-high proposal revealed earlier this month: Santiago Calatrava’s iconic observation tower designed for Dubai.
For more projects by Carlo Ratti and his avant-garde studio, check out the Italian’s firm profile on Architizer.