Most Elegant Proposed Skyscrapers

"QUANTUM SHOT" #379
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The Leaning Skyscraper has Graceful, Wavy Curves

It seems, that architecture in Dubai (see our previous update) sprouts every possible shape and form known to man - plus reaches to the lofty heights in new and proposed high-rises - but this one is probably the strangest of them all:

The Wave Tower, Dubai

A-Cero (Joaquin Torres Architects) firm in Madrid, Spain, has designed and proposed a high-rise tower for the Dubai waterfront. The project has been already mentioned in specialized press, but we think the design is particular and sexy enough to captivate anyone who is slightly interested in architecture.

The first skyscraper for the Dubai Waterfront, the latest and biggest of the urban developments on the UAE coast, has been named The Wave Tower.

"It stands like a stylized stem with a light torsion, creating the elegant movement that characterizes the form of the shape of the building. The base has the form of a pointed arch with smooth bends, imitating the waves in the Gulf Sea.

The structure is solved with "V" form unions between the different parts in the plan view, its center space is occupied central core by the installations and elevators. Interior sky gardens are present in all the common zones, distributed on different floors, improving the air quality and working as natural temperature regulators."

Location: Madinat Al Arab District, a zone under development that is expected to become the new downtown and central business district of Dubai.
Height: 92 floors, 370 meters
Materials: Double skin facade made of silk screened glass for solar control.
Uses: Mixed use (commercial, offices and high end residential).

The same architectural firm A-Cero created very imposing street-level GIBO project in Madrid:

(images credit: A-Cero)

Pentominium - to the clouds and beyond

Looks like the previous project will nicely complement already almost finished Pentominium by Trident International Holdings in Dubai. Just look at the view on artificial island archipelagos - from a swimming pool, or open bar:

(images credit: Trident International Holdings)

This is officially the highest condominium tower in the world.

Ecological Tower in Siberia

Foster & Partners revealed designs for the ecological tower in Siberia, Khanty Mansiysk: an elegant crystalline form, which blends well with the epic Siberian landscapes.

"280m tall tower is faceted like a cut diamond, designed to maximize daylight through the winter months, reflecting and refracting natural light to illuminate the interior spaces." (more info)

Crystal Island, Moscow Russia

Same company Foster & Partners is proposing a mixed-use unique structure 450m high only 7.5 km from the Kremlin: "The building’s form spirals upwards in converse directions to form a diagonal grid, and the spiraling geometry extends throughout the project into the park."

Two Disc Skyscrapers for Baku

South Korean Heerim Architects firm has proposed two towers for Baku, capital of Azerbaijan and the largest port on the Caspian Sea. "Full Moon Hotel" will symbolize the full moon of its name, and will be located across the bay from "The Crescent Hotel" (height: 158m, 32 floors) -
(more info & images here)

Over in Germany: Fantastic Ball Shape

European Central Bank in Frankfurt will have a somewhat recognizable shape of a coin, designed by United Architects. This proposal might turn out to be too radical for the tastes of highly conservative bank, but it's still spectacular competition entry: (more info)

Even Stranger Shape: Euroscraper

Euroscraper (by Munoz Villers) has a strangely looping form, which apparently reduces resistance to wind, and provides better light for green spaces inside. Again, this is only award-winning entry in the competition, but we are rooting for it mightily, wishing such fantastic (and audacious) structure might some day be built. (More info)

The following buildings and structures can not be called skyscrapers, but we get excited to see them in concept stage, a testament to current abundance of creativity in modern architecture:

The Scala Library, Copenhagen

Another proposed European project: a "Turning" Tower in Copenhagen, designed by BIG. The tower's shape will integrate well with other prominent spires and cathedrals of the Old City. (More info)

Highly Individual "Portrait" Architecture

Airport Hotel & Conference Center for Stockholm, Sweden, designed by the same company BIG, looks like a portrait, or face engraving, floating over the forest.