BOMP Architects wins eVolo competition with futuristic skyscraper concept containing 11 spectacular natural landscapes
An urban skyscraper divided into 11 natural landscapes has been recognised as the most outstanding new concept for high-rise living in an annual competition.
Polish architecture firm BOMP – whose partners are Konrad Basan, Ewa Odyjas, Agnieszka Morga and Jakub Pudo – took first place in the 2015 Skyscraper Competition, organised by eVolo Magazine.
Recreation and leisure ranked high on the agenda in many of the winning entrants’ designs.
BOMP’s Essence Skyscraper combines architecture and nature, with overlapping landscapes – mountains, glaciers, swamps and a jungle – to stimulate a “diverse and complex range of visual, acoustic, thermal, olfactory, and kinesthetic experiences”.
The practice envisages the spaces being open to the public, and including water floors and fish tanks lifted up to 30 metres above ground, among other elements.
Second place in the competition was awarded to Shanty-Scraper by Suraksha Bhatla and Sharan Sundar for a project that would provide housing, work and recreational spaces to the inhabitants of slums in Chennai, India. The building would make use of the city’s post-construction debris, including pipes, corrugated metal sheets and timber.
Third place was taken by a project which combines the digital and physical worlds in a future city that would change according to its inhabitants’ needs. Cybertopia, designed by Russia’s Egor Orlov, would feature digital areas that have a “large number of physical and mechanical laws alien to real space”, as though “landscapes of computer games have woven into the city space becoming its integral part”.
Spanning all seven continents, 480 entries were received in total. As well as the three winners, 15 projects were given an honourable mention.
Members of the jury selecting the winners included Massimiliano Fuksas, principal at Studio Fuksas; Benedetta Tagliabue, principal at EMBT Miralles Tagliabue; Alvin Huang, principal at Synthesis Design + Architecture; Wenchian Shi, project manager at MVRDV; and Richard Hassell and Wong Mun Summ, principals at WOHA.
Hoshino Resorts opens Kai Kusatsu as it expands the Kai onsen ryokan brand
Qiddiya and Populous share details of Saudi Arabia’s National Tennis Centre
Disney confirms US$30 billion investment programme as it highlights its economic impact
Until combines multiple disciplines at new Canary Wharf club
Sea Lanes opens following a partnership between The Eden Project and Canary Wharf Group
Bas Smets brings water and wilderness to Vitra
Expo 2030 Riyadh will create a permanent global destination
Luxury resort coming to Hunter Valley will have longevity spa
'Data chocolate', dreams made real and artworks shaped by visitors’ emotions: Refik Anadol’s AI art museum launches in Los Angeles
London Museum reveals 2026 opening date for new Smithfield home
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Palazzo di Varignana launches family wellbeing and longevity retreat in Emilia Romagna
Ansana Wellness and Spa debuts at Patmos Aktis as it joins Marriott
Design-led Koru Health Club combines high-performance training with recovery
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres

























