08-27-2008, 08:39 AM
http://dvice.com/archives/2008/08/the_dubai_ziggu.php
Quote:
Pyramids and ziggurats represent an oddly survivable form of architecture. Built by civilizations such as the Egyptians, Mayans and Babylonians, several of these testaments to ancient ingenuity are still standing after thousands of years. Timelinks, a design firm based in Dubai, has unveiled plans to make a pyramid of its own — one that could house a million people, feature an efficient vertically-and-horizontally-running public transportation system, and generate all of the energy it needs.
It may sound like just another concept that'll never be a reality, but Timelinks already set about patenting the design as well as the technology that would make it possible. The structure, nearly a whole square mile by design, would use a combination of steam, wind, and other alternative energy-gathering methods to keep itself entirely off the grid. There would also be "green spaces" that would provide the pyramidal city with agricultural space, to provide food and green-based commerce.
With so many designs out there for arcologies, it may be just a matter of time before the modern city is replaced by one of these carbon-neutral enclaves.
It may sound like just another concept that'll never be a reality, but Timelinks already set about patenting the design as well as the technology that would make it possible. The structure, nearly a whole square mile by design, would use a combination of steam, wind, and other alternative energy-gathering methods to keep itself entirely off the grid. There would also be "green spaces" that would provide the pyramidal city with agricultural space, to provide food and green-based commerce.
With so many designs out there for arcologies, it may be just a matter of time before the modern city is replaced by one of these carbon-neutral enclaves.
Nifty. 
It's about time someone patented a building that was covered in solar panels. I've had the idea for yonks, but I'm hardly in a position to be credible for designing something like that, he he he