'Earthscraper' concept hides a 1,000-foot skyscraper underground

[Serpo]

'Earthscraper' concept hides a 1,000-foot skyscraper underground

The folks over at Mexican architecture group BNKR Arquitectura call this thing an "earthscraper," and the reason why should be obvious: it's a monstrous, beautiful, 65-story inverted skyscraper that hides a mini city underground.

Designed to be built smack-dab in the center of Mexico City, BNKR's Earthscraper wouldn't ruin the skyline there (though, really, who would object to something that looks like this?) and is designed in such a way that it would incorporate Mexico's history in its design. The top ten floors — which, here, would be the "bottom" ten — is a museum and cultural center dedicated to the Aztecs. Below that you've got retail space, then apartments and finally, deep underground, businesses. Because, you know, that's where business do their best work. It all terminates some 300 meters below the surface.

Our favorite detail: the interior of the structure is actually hollowed out, and there are bridges that extend out into the center of it so you can look down. Think the Grand Canyon's Skywalk.

We've got plenty more for you down in the gallery below, but this gorgeous cross-section deserves its own spot, and will let you see how the structure breaks down by the floor:
http://dvice.com/assets_c/2011/09/Earthscraper-by-BNKR-thumb-550xauto-72082.jpg (http://dvice.com/archives/2011/09/earthscraper-co.php) (http://dvice.com/archives/2011/09/earthscraper-co.php)













http://dvice.com/archives/2011/09/earthscraper-co.php

[Canadian-guerilla]

and WHAT IF a small earthquake tremor comes along ?

is this under-building flexible ?

[chad]

umbrella corporation in real life. this is raccoon city.

[Serpo]

The views are earth shattering

also 9/11 proof

[Golden]

BNKR Arquitectura? Zoinks, like the bankers are the architects Scoob!

[palani]

When building underground like this the limitation is BUOYANCY. The entire structure is designed to either exclude water or to pump out the water that leaks in. In any event you have a volume that weighs a certain amount. It will have a center of buoyancy as well as a center of gravity. If the center of gravity is below the center of buoyancy you might have something resembling stability. If the center of gravity is above the center of buoyancy this thing is going to want to flip (pointy end up).

Earthquakes have a common habit of liquidizing the ground. These guys need to bring in a marine architect.

[Dogman]

When building underground like this the limitation is BUOYANCY. The entire structure is designed to either exclude water or to pump out the water that leaks in. In any event you have a volume that weighs a certain amount. It will have a center of buoyancy as well as a center of gravity. If the center of gravity is below the center of buoyancy you might have something resembling stability. If the center of gravity is above the center of buoyancy this thing is going to want to flip (pointy end up).

Earthquakes have a common habit of liquidizing the ground. These guys need to bring in a marine architect.

Have seen empty swimming pools come out of the ground, because they turned into land locked boat's.

[osoab]

Hell yeah, no sunlight. ::)

[Eyebone]

It's upside down.

That is the building is resting on the pointy end?

[Cebu_4_2]

When building underground like this the limitation is BUOYANCY. The entire structure is designed to either exclude water or to pump out the water that leaks in. In any event you have a volume that weighs a certain amount. It will have a center of buoyancy as well as a center of gravity. If the center of gravity is below the center of buoyancy you might have something resembling stability. If the center of gravity is above the center of buoyancy this thing is going to want to flip (pointy end up).

Earthquakes have a common habit of liquidizing the ground. These guys need to bring in a marine architect.

Build it on a hill.

[mrnhtbr2232]

Would it collapse if a plane hit it?

[osoab]

Is Mexico that disgusting that people would rather look at rock and earth when viewing out their windows?

[freespirit]

...looks like a cross section image of a giant ZIT!! or a giant concrete and metal carrot!! lmao

pass...lol

[Gaillo]

Will it expand into its own footprint at freerise speeds when not hit by an airplane? ???

[Santa]

Well, I think it's attractive as Hell. :)

[joboo]

Silverstein is signing up as we speak. It already collapsed into it's own footprint.

I hear the view in your "back yard" is just fantastic, and the persistent noise from the communal jail style balcony area is so soothing, as the sound is perfectly captured into an echo chamber.

Then there's the crap people throw down, and stuff the blows down into the hole, not to mention if it rains really hard, and the pumps fail, and you're on the bottom floors.

On a good note, if you do die, you're already buried so that's convenient.

[Joe King]

Have seen empty swimming pools come out of the ground, because they turned into land locked boat's.One of my friends pool has two drains in it and when I asked him why, he said the the other one wasn't really a drain, but rather it's to be opened when the pool is empty to prevent it from doing what you're talking about.

[Santa]

Isn't Mexico City built right on a lake bed or a swamp or something?

Seems like the whole bottom third would have to be filled with a black fathomless pool of writhing demons.

[Neuro]

Will it expand into its own footprint at freerise speeds when not hit by an airplane? ???

LOL! Wouldn't it be headprint? I would imagine if that happened that it would feel like being stuck between a rock and a hard place!

[undgrd]

2 BIG strikes

1. Water only has to follow gravity to cause a problem.
2. Good luck getting people to climb 900ft of stairs UP during a fire drill.

[Son-of-Liberty]

umbrella corporation in real life. this is raccoon city.

That's the first theing that popped into my head too. Nothing like being underground when the zombies come out to play.

[mick silver]

all you do is open a window and grow your own food