The World’s Tallest Skyscraper Could Soon Feature a Crazy Addition

Designed to be self-sufficient and sustainable, the Downtown Circle project is a spectacular futuristic concept envisioned by the architecture firm ZNera. The magnificent 1,804-foot-tall ring is stated to be a mixed-use facility consisting of houses and public and commercial blocks. However, the most striking aspect of the ring is that it surrounds the world’s largest free-standing skyscraper, Burj Khalifa, and will encompass all of Downtown Dubai within a 1.9-mile radius.

The firm recently released pictures and renderings of this state-of-the-art design on its social media. In a recent post, it stated: “As a response to the dilemma of how to build densely while retaining livability, the downtown circle project establishes a sustainable and a self sufficient vertical urbanism. As a singular mega building complex, it aims to create a hyper-efficient urban centre that gives back to the environment.”

An alternative to the traditional gated societies and high-rise residences found in most metropolitan cities, the proposed 1,804-foot-tall mega structure around the Burj Khalifa will be broken down into smaller units to include the multipurpose amenities. A fleet of suspended peripheral pods would be available for passengers to travel from one node to another within the circle. 

The Burj Khalifa project also includes a “Skypark,” where outdoor climates are recreated indoors. Here, visitors will experience a range of natural habitats including canyons, sand dunes, swamps, waterfalls, and tropical vegetation, among other green additions. “The concept is a potential answer to the global search for new, mixed urban typologies, which combine high densities and lavish greenery, dynamic urban functions and a high-quality user experience, as a means of doing justice to the demand for both climate protection and environmental excellence,” the company said in a statement.

The idea for the Downtown Circle arose during the pandemic, when the lifestyle of people in cities and their homes altered. Reconsidering the living conditions of skyscraper residents, this out-of-the-box design by ZNera Space cofounders Najmus Chowdry and Nils Remess focussed on new-age living and exemplifies on experimental architecture. “We looked at aspects such as garbage disposal, food production, traffic problems, pollution. We put all these things together and came up with the concept,” Remess stated.