Editor’s Choice

2016 Skyscraper Competition
Alessa Engalan

Philippines

The Philippines is a catch-basin of natural disasters, specifically typhoons. At least 20 tropical storms enter the country?s area of responsibility with more than half of them making landfall. Typhoons are only one of the few natural and manmade disasters that threaten the country?s people and natural resources every year.
The ?Rebirth Tower? set in Corregidor Island provides the people with the safety and self-sustaining lifestyle that they will need. Derived from the structural analogue of the human DNA, this building is designed to become the country?s last line of defense as well as house the possibly last remaining strand of the human race. Equipped with dodecahedrons as modules and the building skin as the railing guide for the different modules as they move around different areas of the building, the rebirth tower is designed to function in three (3) different phases: Phase 1

The tower functions as an emergency response unit to certain areas affected by the disaster. The farm grows natural food inside the modules equipped with modular hydroponic systems, which is transported to the factory and processed into MREs, after that it is taken into the logistics area and eventually to certain high priority areas to reduce the country?s reliance on the relief efforts of other nations.
Phase 2

During the second phase, civilization collapse has occurred and humanity needs to retreat and defend t...