If you thought Dubai was the only place where you would find uniquely designed buildings, then you were gravely mistaken.
Architectural studies in the United States have proposed extravagant “eye-catching buildings” to redefine city skylines, but they are still in design and have not yet been built.
Here are five mind-blowing proposals that challenge traditional building concepts in the US.
The big curve
Set to be the world's longest building at 4,000 feet long, Oiio Studio's proposed skyscraper would be located right near Central Park along Billionaire's Row in Manhattan, New York.
When the proposal was announced, project designer Ioannis Oikonomou said he was inspired to create Bend's U-shaped roller coaster arc after reading about new elevator technology that could “travel in curves, horizontally and in continuous loops.” “.
Oikonomou has been seeking investors for the project since 2017.
Amazon HQ2
Amazon unveiled the first phase of “HQ2” in Arlington, Virginia, last June. The first completed part of a project has been in the works since 2018.
The building, described as a “tree-covered glass poop emoji,” will be the e-commerce giant's new $2.5 billion headquarters.
However, the tree-surrounded spiral tower called 'The Helix' has yet to be built despite receiving approval from the Arlington County Board more than two years ago.
Sarcóstila Tower
Hayri Atak Architectural Design, a Turkey-based architecture firm, proposed a 688-foot, sci-fi-style New York skyscraper in Manhattan that almost looks as if the entire thing was sculpted out of clay.
With twisted tube-like structures coiled within an imposing structure, the building is named after a fibrous filament common to most animal muscle tissue.
The company described its goal with the proposal as projecting “a transparent, ghostly stance on the city's skyline,” but there are no official plans to build it.
Boardwalk in Bricktown
Last December, Californian design studio Architects Orange (AO) proposed a design for the second tallest building in the United States, in Oklahoma City.
The 1,750-foot skyscraper would rise above a planned $1 billion entertainment district.
The megastructure would have a hotel, two condo towers, a multi-level tree-lined skyline with LED lighting, a pool and other publicly accessible walking areas, if all are approved by city planners.
Tower of Affirmation
A 95-story skyscraper proposed near central New York looks like an acrobatically balanced stack of boxes that gradually increases in size and volume.
Its height of approximately 1,660 feet would house hotels, offices and an observation deck, as envisioned by the design firm, Adjaye Associates.
However, planners might be reconsidering what the center of mass of such a building could do in a crisis, such as this spring's surprise magnitude 4.8 earthquake in New York and New Jersey.