The new design for the Taiwan Tower (which will be built in, where else, Taiwan) is based on the banyan tree, but it looks more like a super-complex cat's cradle. The openwork building, designed by Japanese firm Sou Fujimoto Architects, will house a "semi-outdoor" space, pierced by sunlight and shaded by a green roof.
The LEED Gold-certified building will have solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, and rainwater collectors, though I'm not sure for what — it doesn't need climate control or artificial lighting during the day, and the lights that illuminate it at night will be energy-saving LEDs. There should probably be a snack bar, though, so maybe the panels and turbines will power the snack bar. (There's also supposed to be some museum and exhibition space, probably not for easily weather-damaged artwork.)
Okay, so you wouldn't want to live in this thing, because it has no frickin' walls. But neither does the Eiffel Tower, and that's still inspired people to architectural heights. Maybe the Taiwan Tower will be a model of green building for the future. Or maybe it will just look CRAZY AWESOME. I'm cool either way.
