Paolo Venturella Architecture just unveiled plans for a fantastical Global Cooling Skyscraper that’s designed to fight global warming by cooling the entire planet. The massive skyscraper would extend into space, providing a barrier between the Earth and the Sun in the form of a greenhouse. Accumulating heat in the colossal greenhouse would propel air to flow, generating wind to cool the planet and provide “clean energy for all.”

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The architects cited the challenges of climate change as an inspiration; they said the strategies we have to combat global warming are not enough, and only a “global strategy” could halt the nature disasters resulting from climate change. So they designed an imaginative skyscraper that would utilize wind power to cool the planet.

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The skyscraper would function similarly to a solar tower. It would be powered by wind turbines – the architects emphasized renewable energy in their design – which would be installed in the structure.

The futuristic design of the skyscraper would make its appearance change depending on where an observer stood on the planet. At either pole it would appear to be vertical, but at the equator it would look horizontal.

There aren’t many technological specifications for how the skyscraper would accomplish its audacious goals, but the design certainly sparks the imagination for future architecture that melds environmental consciousness with function. The architects garnered an honorable mention in eVolo Magazine’s whimsical 2016 Skyscraper Competition. Three winners were selected and 21 honorable mentions were bestowed out of 489 entries.

+ Paolo Venturella Architecture