rescubika proposes the world’s tallest carbon sink tower in new york

a 737 meter-tall building that traps carbon emissions from the surrounding atmosphere. this is the latest proposal from paris based architecture studio, rescubika. conceived to inhabit roosevelt island in new york city, the design of the ‘mandragore’ residential tower takes inspiration from the human-like form of the mandrake plant. the sinuous architecture intends to symbolize humankind’s relationship with nature, and serve as a reminder that we must preserve our environment in order to live in symbiosis with the planet.

images by rescubika

the project is a response to the ‘city of tomorrow’, a city that will consider its carbon footprint and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. to reach this ambitious target, rescubika has designed the tower with the idea of creating a carbon sink. broadly speaking, a carbon sink is a reservoir that absorbs more CO2 than it releases, effectively reducing carbon from the atmosphere. for buildings, this idea can also be applied by using sustainable materials that can store carbon.

although we don’t yet know the full structure of the mandragore, rescubika has proposed to use wooden materials and various measures to decarbonize the air. these include using passive energies such as an air-ground heat exchanger, which uses underground pipes to helps to capture heat from the ground and dissipate heat to the ground. this system provides a warm indoor environment during winter and helps cool the building down during hot summer months.

the project also looks at a political concept called ‘energy sobriety.’ this idea promotes changes in lifestyle and societal transformations to achieve carbon neutrality. with this in mind, each apartment will have an office room for people to be able to work from home, reducing commuter traffic.

designed over 160 floors, the mandragore residential tower concept implements 36 wind turbines, 1600 trees, 24,500 m2 of plant walls, and 7,000 m2 of photovoltaic façades. thanks to this huge number of plants and shrubs, rescubika proposes a design that absorbs a large amount of carbon and is therefore less polluting for the ecosystem.

project info:

project name: the mandragore: the world’s tallest carbon sink tower

project status: concept

architecture office: rescubika

lead architect: benoit patterlini

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom