French architects propose 450m “vertical city” in the Sahara

French designers OXO Architectes and Nicolas Laisné Associés have published plans for a 450m-high "vertical city" located in the Sahara desert. 

The Tower of Sand is being proposed for somewhere in Morocco. The idea is to create a structure that seems to be hewn from rock containing a sustainable town, complete with a hotel, housing, shops, meteorological observatory, heliport, offices, a museum of the desert and the compulsory panoramic restaurant.

The project would use solar and geothermal power and would collect and recycle its own water.  

The designers estimate that 45,000 cubic meters of water could be collected each year. This would be funnelled 4km underground, where it would be heated to 100°C and could be used to provide energy for the building.

Inside the walls, a central tower would be covered with plants and vegetation to form a vertical garden. Around this would be 192 acres of floorspace. 

OXO Architectes speculates that any actual building project might start around 2025.

Read more about the project here. 

Images courtesy of OXO Architectes