Grandiose architectural projects of the past that have never been realized

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Sometimes it is difficult to draw a clear line between dream and reality. These twenty buildings can serve as an excellent confirmation of this. Some of them were not built due to a lack of funds, some were just pipe-dreaming utopian dreams ahead of their time, while others can still be realized in one form or another. One thing is for sure - these iconic projects literally make you use your imagination and dream.

Cenotaph of Newton, 1748

The architect Etienne-Louis Boulay proposed to build a cenotaph for the English scientist Isaac Newton. According to his project, the building was supposed to have the shape of a sphere 150 meters high, at the top of which cypresses grow. Although this structure was never built, the project was captured and circulated widely in professional circles.

Tower "Globe", 1906

On May 6, 1906, an advertisement was published in the New York Herald proposing an investment in the construction of the Coney Island Globe Tower. As a result, the tower with a height of more than two hundred meters turned out to be a scheme of a financial pyramid and was never built. But what gigantic building is not a pyramid scheme of sorts?

Palace of Soviets, 1937-1958

The Palace of Soviets was a project of an administrative center and a congress hall in Moscow, not far from the Kremlin, on the territory of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Savior. If built, it would become the tallest building in the world. Construction began in 1937 but was interrupted by the German invasion in 1941.

In 1941-42, its steel structure was dismantled for the construction of fortifications and bridges. Construction has not resumed. In 1958, the foundations of the Palace will be used to create the world's largest outdoor pool, and in 1995-2000 the Cathedral of Christ the Savior will be restored.

Tatlin Tower, 1917

After the 1917 revolution, the architect Vladimir Tatlin proposed to build a 400-meter tower in St. Petersburg - a monument to the Third International. Constructed of iron, glass and steel, it was supposed to become a symbol of modernity and overtake the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was also planned to install a giant screen and a searchlight on it, with the help of which messages would be transferred to the screen. Such messages should have been visible even through the clouds on any cloudy day.

Walking city, 1964

The architects of the Arcigram group invented the so-called "Walking City", imagining that in the future all boundaries will be erased, and people all over the world will begin to live a nomadic life. Inspired by NASA's mobile launch pads, hovercraft and sci-fi comics, they created buildings that move on land and water.

Illinois, 1956

Illinois, a mile high, Illinois Heavenly City or simply Illinois - a skyscraper, 1600 meters high, described in the book of Frank Lloyd Wright "Testament". Wright argued that such a building could accommodate parking for fifteen thousand cars and one hundred and fifty helicopters. They say that it was this design that inspired the construction of the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa.

Mega City - Shimizu Pyramid

This huge pyramid was proposed to be built on the shores of Tokyo Bay in Japan. The structure was supposed to be 14 times taller than the Pyramid of Giza with a height of 139 meters and provide housing for a million people. The height of the pyramid would be two thousand meters above sea level. The proposed structure is so large that it cannot be built from existing materials due to their weight. The project is designed for super-strong and lightweight materials of the future, based on carbon nanotubes, which are currently under investigation.

Ultima Tower

The tower, designed by the architect Eugene Tsuya, was supposed to have a diameter of 1,828, 8 meters at the base and an internal area of 140 million square meters. The tower was supposed to house one million people and would have cost $ 150 billion to build. The tower would use the atmospheric pressure difference between the base and the top to generate electricity across its entire height. The building was designed to tackle the problem of overcrowding and create an internal “mini ecosystem” for its inhabitants.

X-Seed 4000

It is the only tallest building in the world for which the project has been fully completed. The idea was developed by Peter Neville. The height of this skyscraper is 4 kilometers, and the width of the base is 6 kilometers, thanks to which the building can be located directly above the sea. 800 floors will accommodate from five hundred thousand to one million inhabitants. For the construction, more than three tons of reinforcing steel may be needed.

Nikitin tower

Nikitin Tower is one of the tallest skyscrapers ever designed. The estimated height of the tower is four thousand meters, the project was developed in Japan in 1966-1969. The skyscraper was supposed to be a residential building and accommodate up to five hundred thousand inhabitants.

Dubai City Tower

The design of the Dubai City Tower or Vertical City was proposed on August 25, 2008. The building must be 2,400 meters high. It was designed to showcase possible future technologies and is the third tallest giants ever designed after the X-Seed 4000 and Ultima Tower. If the skyscraper is built, it will be taller than all existing buildings. The Dubai City Tower will be three times taller than the Burj Khalifa and seven times taller than the Empire State Building.

Dynamic Tower in Dubai

The project was designed by architect David Fincher but was rejected due to implementation and funding difficulties. The project offers the ability to independently rotate each floor using voice recognition technology and allowing you to change your view from the window. Voice commands "left" and "right" in English, Arabic and Italian will be recognized, further any language can be programmed.

Huntington Sports Club Hartford, 1947

This building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Hollywood, California.

United Nations building complex, 1945

In 1945, Vincent Rainey designed a complex of buildings for the United Nations, it was supposed to be located in San Francisco in the Twin Peaks area. At the time, San Francisco was a candidate city to host the UN headquarters, but lost to New York.

Crystal Island, Moscow

The 450-meter Crystal Island was designed by Norman Foster in 2007 in Moscow. He had to have a so-called "second skin" to minimize heat loss in winter.

Miapolis

Miami's 975-meter Miapolis was designed by the architecture firm KobiKarp in 2010. The $ 22 billion project was to house an amusement park, museum, observatory, mall, revolving observation deck, trendy shops, restaurants, a hotel and a marina.

Tower Azerbaijan

In 2012, the tower Azerbaijan was designed with a height of 1050 meters, it should be located on the Kazakh islands near Baku. The building would become the center of the Kazakhstan Islands - a city on the Caspian Sea from forty-one artificial islands, with a total area of three thousand hectares.

Tower Russia, Moscow

The development of the tower project began in 2007, but the architects said that today the economic situation does not allow the implementation of a project of this magnitude. In June 2009, the project was officially canceled.

Forum Buenos Aires

Forum Buenos Aires is a multifunctional complex with a skyscraper one thousand meters high in the center. The project was designed by the architect Julio Torcello.

Chicago spire

As soon as the development of the project was completed, the construction of a skyscraper, more than two thousand meters high, was stopped due to the recession in the economy. If the building is ever built, it will change the skyline of Chicago beyond recognition.