Latest news with #CloudsAO
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Analemma Tower: Skyscraper that hangs in space with an asteroid?
Imagine a building that doesn't rise from the ground, but descends from the sky. That's the concept behind the Analemma Tower, a futuristic architectural vision by New York-based firm Clouds Architecture Office (Clouds AO). Instead of being built from the Earth up, the structure would hang from an asteroid placed in geosynchronous orbit around 50,000 kilometres above the Earth's surface. Following a daily figure-eight path over the globe, the tower would pass above cities like New York, Dubai, and Panama City. While it remains a speculative idea, the Analemma Tower challenges long-held ideas of construction, mobility, and the future of urban living. The skyscraper that hangs from space Traditional skyscrapers begin at the ground and reach upward, constrained by gravity and structural limits. The Analemma Tower turns this idea on its head. It envisions a building suspended from space using a system called the Universal Orbital Support System (UOSS). Instead of digging deeper foundations, the structure would hang from a cable tethered to an asteroid in orbit — essentially replacing the foundation with space itself. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Took 1 Teaspoon Before Bed – Her Belly Was Gone in a Week Hollywood News | USA Click Here Undo A building that orbits: how the tower moves across the Earth The tower would not be stationary. Its asteroid anchor would orbit the Earth in a way that traces a figure-eight pattern, also known as an "analemma." As a result, the tower would move over different parts of the planet throughout the day but return to the same position every 24 hours. This would allow residents or visitors to experience a constantly changing view, with potential access points as the lower part of the tower passes over select cities. Living in the sky: design, power, and life at 50,000km up Inside the Analemma Tower, lower floors — closer to the ground — would contain residential spaces, offices, and shopping areas, while upper levels could be used for research, tourism, or spiritual retreats. Electromagnetic elevators would replace traditional cable systems to allow movement between sections of the tower. Energy would be supplied by space-based solar panels, while closed-loop systems would recycle water and air, similar to those used on the International Space Station (ISS). The tower is imagined as a hybrid between a city and a spacecraft. Between vision and reality: the science that holds it back Despite the detail in design, the Analemma Tower remains a theoretical concept. Capturing and relocating an asteroid into stable orbit is well beyond current space capabilities. Even if such a feat were possible, materials strong enough to suspend such a massive structure from space do not yet exist. In addition, human life at high altitudes would require intense protection from radiation, low pressure, and extreme temperatures. These factors make the project unrealistic with today's technology. Why dream it? reimagining the future of cities and space living While the idea may not be physically achievable now, it serves a powerful purpose: expanding the limits of architectural thinking. The Analemma Tower encourages scientists, engineers, and designers to consider what urban life might look like in the distant future — perhaps even beyond Earth. As cities face increasing pressure from population growth and land scarcity, such concepts spark valuable dialogue about sustainability, mobility, and off-world living. Analemma Tower: A floating symbol of tomorrow's possibilities Though unlikely to be built in near future, the Analemma Tower stands as a symbol of ambition and imagination. It invites us to think beyond gravity and land, to explore new ways of inhabiting space and redefining the built environment. As history has shown with skyscrapers, airplanes, and satellites, today's impossibilities often become tomorrow's realities — and Analemma is one such dream suspended in potential.
CairoScene
15-05-2025
- Science
- CairoScene
New York Firm Proposes Tower Hanging Above Dubai From an Asteroid
Designed by Clouds AO, the conceptual Analemma Tower would orbit Earth while suspended from space. May 15, 2025 New York-based architecture studio Clouds Architecture Office has revealed a conceptual design for Analemma Tower—a vertical structure unlike any other. Rather than rising from the ground, the tower would hang from a captured asteroid placed in geosynchronous orbit above Dubai, anchored to the planet by high-tensile cables. This reverse orientation allows the building to float through the atmosphere, tracing a daily figure-eight pattern over the planet's surface. The design proposes a mixed-use structure that tapers along its vertical spine, with different functions distributed according to altitude. Lower levels, which dip into the atmosphere, would house office spaces and retail zones. Mid-levels would be residential, while the highest zones—where light and atmospheric pressure are significantly reduced—would be reserved for spiritual and contemplative activities. Power would be generated through space-based solar panels, and water harvested from atmospheric condensation. The building's external surface features modular glass façades engineered to withstand extreme temperature and pressure variations during orbital transit. Access to the tower would be achieved by air—through personal or commercial aircraft, as it never touches the ground. Though entirely theoretical, the Analemma Tower reflects growing interest in space-based infrastructure and the merging of aerospace engineering with terrestrial architecture.
