Is an off-the-grid skyscraper feasible? We are developing a speculative design for a wind and solar powered high-rise building to answer this question. The building is a prototype for a structure that could be located anywhere on the planet with enough fuel, i.e. sun and wind, to meet the demands of that particular climate zone’s energy consumption.

Commercial buildings are the largest consumers of electric grid power, yet over 50% of the energy generated to supply a building is lost during transmission from the power plant. What if buildings generated their own power on-site with no loss over transmission lines, or better yet even more than they actually need?

Integrating power-producing concepts like photovoltaics and wind turbines into the skyscraper design from the outset, we hope to achieve a “sustainable aesthetic” that is both beautiful and productively practical. The helical form is the consequence of rotating a simple floor plan five degrees at each successive floor level. The twisting façade will shed wind forces that a uniform facade must resist, decreasing the wind load on the structure.

The rates of energy demand in buildings are decreasing due to passive design strategies and more efficient energy consuming components. The efficiencies of solar and wind generation technologies are increasing as their implementation costs are falling. When these two curves cross, a building is energy neutral. Beyond this point it’s a power plant. That's the real goal.