As we are familiar, cities always grow horizontally. When a city’s footprint gets bigger and bigger over time, the resource usage intensity gets higher and higher due to the long travelling distance of the people and logistics and the more extensive utility network. That is why many studies show vertical cities hold the key to solving the problem of urban expansion and claim that it will be a much more sustainable urban scheme. However, the idea of a vertical city detaches people from the ground, the biggest challenge of making it a humane living environment. 

 

Therefore, the central exploration of the thesis is about duplicating ground and injecting grounded living even in a vertical city. In short, the vision of a vertical city involves accommodating the entire human habitat in a massive skyscraper. Changing the city development norm from horizontal to vertical avoids forest and swamp land destruction for human needs. A vertical city is believed to be a much more efficient way of how a city should be developed. Skylantis 2121 is a protocol concept of what a vertical city should be like in 100 years. 

 

Skylantis is categorized into three parts as follows:

   1. Super Ground - The part where Skylantis attached to the Mother Earth

Super Ground is the ground entrance of Skylantis, where people enter and exit Skylantis. Underground Express connects people from one vertical city to another vertical city, whereas the Skylantis mover connects people between each plate on the Skylantis. The “Skylantis Mover” is inspired by “The Hyperloop,” a new form of ground transport currently in development by several companies. It could see passengers travelling at over 700 miles an hour in a floating pod that races along the giant low-pressure tubes, either above or below ground.

 

    2. Sub-Sky-Land - The intermediate development on Skylantis

As it is going to be an organic development, no one will know what it will look like at the end of the day. The only thing we can know is that each sub-sky-land is different. However, as 3D printing inventory is one of the main studies here, the architecture input of “Sub-Sky-Land” will mainly focus on that. The 3D Printing Invention allows the vertical city to function as a “nett-free” city, introducing the “material recycling system” to the vertical city, controlling all physical objects to be created by recyclable material, and allowing access to a direct recycling chamber for the users. The 3D printer will then replace the necessity of industry, and even agriculture, where people could print what they want to eat. 

 

   3. Main-Sky-Land - The Top of Skylantis

The Main Skyland is the central business district of the entire Skylatis 2121, where the education center, medical center, religious center etc., are located. Each Skylantis Tower has its authority, government administration and department center. Guidelines for the sub-sky-land development vary based on the policy adopted by each authority.