Honorable Mention
2013 Skyscraper Competition
Yeonkyu Park, Kwon Han, Haeyeon Kwon, Hojeong Lim
United States
Located in the Republic of Chile, Atacama Desert is one of the oldest and driest places on Earth. This desert is fenced by the Andes Mountains on one side and the Chilean Coast Range on the other. The moisture which comes from the Pacific Ocean cannot get through either side and creates a “rain shadow effect.” Due to this geographic situation, Atacama Desert is constantly dry even though it is located near the Pacific Ocean. People living in Atacama are at risk and degradation is spreading rapidly. However, a dense fog known as “Camanchaca” could potentially end desertification in the Atacama Desert. Sourced from the Pacific Ocean, this fog has the potential to nourish plants and other living organisms.
“Mist-Tree,” is a skyscraper which can bring new life to Atacama, Chile. It proposes a simple solution to end the drought coming from the high ranges of the mountains. The skyscraper penetrates through the Andes mountain range and captures fog from the sky of the Pacific Ocean. The building façade is a “net structure” which attracts condensation to form on the building itself. It promotes this condensation by gaining heat on the interior, harvesting sunlight though its large glass structure. As the moisture from the fog is captured, the gathered water is brought down to the Atacama area to nourish life. Inside of “Mist-Tree” is no different; the water collected also gives life to a variety of plants throughout interior green spaces. This building becomes a node in the mountains, a starting point for anti-desertification reaching out to make further green lands. “Mist-Tree” skyscraper would provide numerous benefits for promoting a high quality of life in and around Atacama.
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