Lotus-shaped skyscraper to watch over the Amazon

Designed to help protect the Amazon ecosystem from the destructive threat of fire, the Rainforest Guardian by Chinese designers Jie Huang, Jin Wei, Qiaowan Tang, Yiwei Yu, and Zhe Hao has received an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Evolo Skyscraper Competition.

While currently only in the conceptual stage, the Rainforest Guardian is designed to act as a forest fire and weather station, scientific laboratories and exhibition spaces for tourists.

The massive water tower structure has been inspired by the lotus flower, a plant known for its ability to survive for many decades in a watery environment.

Like the lotus flower, the rainforest tower design features a spherical flat platform at its peak, connected to the ground by a series of external “roots”.

In a concept similar to the way the lotus flower spreads its petals to capture water, the tower’s flat platform would harvest rainwater, filtering and storing it in reservoirs.

The water can also be sucked up from the ground and stored in the capillary legs, ready to be used by aerial firefighting drones to extinguish any rainforest fires.

Courtesy Inhabitat