The tower is set to become the city’s largest addition to its famous skyline and help the city to meet its climate targets.
The building, named after the mythical mandrake plant known for its magical healing properties, will trap carbon emissions. This will be done using an air-ground heat exchanger, which uses underground pipes to help capture heat from the ground and dissipate it upwards. Carbon will also be trapped in the 1600 trees, 24,500 m2 of plant walls, and 7,000 m2 of photovoltaic façades. The concept is called a ‘carbon sink’ as the building will absorb and get rid of more carbon than it produces.
It will also be energy efficient; energy in the building will be provided by 36 wind turbines and many solar panels. It will inhabit Roosevelt island, and stand out with its ‘human-like form’, not to mention the whopping 737 metres tall tower of shrubbery.
New York has an ambitious target to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, meaning that the amount of carbon produced by New York should be balanced out by using carbon sinks, like the new skyscraper. This proposal could be a big step in achieving its target.
