O2 design atelier imagines a 'post-pandemic city of tomorrow' elevated above nature

following the unprecedented events of 2020, many architects and designers have responded with their visions of what future urban life could look like. this concept comes from malaysian architecture firm, O2 design atelier, and it’s composed of a series of self-sustaining towers. called ‘the post-pandemic city of tomorrow’, the project proposes to ‘set nature free’ by elevating the towers high above the ground, allowing the forests and rivers below to thrive.

‘up until today, our society develops townships and cities horizontally by means of destroying the land. miles of forest are lost each year equivalent to 48 football fields every minute. if things persist, all of mother nature will be replaced with a manmade environment. the global coronavirus pandemic could be an indirect sign that the earth has fallen sick,’  says O2 design atelier.

all images courtesy of O2 design atelier

the architect proposes a future city that integrates work, life, and mobility infrastructure in one, meaning zero wastage of floor space, zero roads, zero deforestation, and zero suburbs. the design comprises a series of elevated, self-sustaining towers with individual flying capsules that serve as hybrid spaces for living and working. 

the city elevated above nature

within each tower, there are places for work, play, shop, sports and culture. every tower has work meeting platforms where individual capsules meet within a controlled and sanitized environment. there is a retail street to cater for daily needs and dedicated sport complexes with various facilities and activity programs.

the bridges and the towers

once a capsule is ‘plugged-in’ to the tower, people can remain indoors and interact through the glass panel or disembark and interact physically with people at the central interaction platform. this central platform is a controlled street where people can meet, travel between floors and visit neighboring capsules. there is a medical hub at the lower core of one tower, which provides quarantine space in response to a pandemic situation. it also functions as the checkpoint before entering or exiting the city. the towers are linked by a network of elevated bridges for both capsules and people. each city is then linked to nearby cities by another bridge.

sectional diagram

the fleets of flying ‘live-work-travel’ capsules use clean energy to run. stationed capsules use energy charging receptors to hold on to the tower core while the rest cruise freely through the airspace from one tower neighborhood to the next. 

the capsules

the new city is thus lifted, leaving uninterrupted growth of trees and wildlife on the ground. former highways and parking lots are slowly colonized by vegetation and new ecosystems. people living in the city towers can participate in regulated recreational or scientific visits to the nature below. in this way, O2 design atelier imagines mother nature returning to its original condition, without any damage from human development.

project info:

project name: the post-pandemic city of tomorrow

design: O2 design atelier

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