Could the Skyscrapers of the Future Look Like Giant Umbrellas?

EVolo Magazine has selected the three winners of its annual competition to "recognize outstanding ideas for vertical living." 625 entries were received from 83 different countries.

1 minute read

March 18, 2013, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Ariel Schwartz shares the outlandish images of what the skyscrapers of the future might look like. According to eVolo Magazine, the competition organizers, the winning ideas were selected for their "novel use of technology, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations, [to] challenge the way we understand vertical architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments."

"Like the entries in years past, the 2013 winners and honorable mentions have little chance of being built any time soon--the technologies aren’t yet real," says Schwartz. "But in 50 years? The winning entry, a skyscraper that rebuilds arctic ice caps, might not seem so strange. On the other hand, it might look like futuristic predictions from the 1950s: a quaint idea of what the future may hold."

Monday, March 18, 2013 in Fast Company Co.Exist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today