Just as we were coming to terms with the new superlative heights and grandness achieved by skyscrapers these days, along comes South Korea’s proposed building for 2014, the Tower Infinity.
Its main feature: invisibility. Welcome to the era of invisible buildings.
Now you see it, now you don’t. South Korea’s Tower Infinity.
Yes, at a time when countries try to best each other with various architectural feats—most notably China and Dubai—South Korea is going the other route. As such, Tower Infinity, with its invisibility capability, will try to be subtle, sleek, and self-effacing. That’s a definite slap in the face to all the other buildings out there simply trying to be, well… mammoth. If it gets completed, Tower Infinity already has a name awaiting it, the Anti-skyscraper.
From invisible goldfishes to cats to invisible buildings
We’ve had news of cloaking device breakthroughs in recent years, here and there, mostly based around microwaves and superconductors. Just for fun, researchers have even made a cat disappear. For an even more entertaining (and suspenseful) attempt at invisibility, try the corridor scene in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which used a delightful combo of eye-tracking camera, a hallway-sized screen, and an iPad.
But nothing in the realm of entire invisible buildings, until now.
For the proposed Tower Infinity project, American firm GDS Architects will be handling all the technological camouflage. Unlike small-scale invisibility which uses microwaves, the Tower Infinity will depend on cameras, taking real-time images of the view around the building. These images will then be seamlessly projected on the LED screens that serve as the tower’s skin. It’s as if the observer is looking right though the building, when in fact cameras have simply provided the view blocked by the structure.
Hopefully, when on invisibility mode, Tower Infinity is as good as gone. No doubt, Tower Infinity will be lovely to look at (or not look at). There’s a certain elegance to the concept. Instead of obstructing the panorama, the building blends with it, never mind if the view offered is simply a simulated one. Whether we like it or not, this opens up postmodern discussions on the simulacra, virtual reality, ways of seeing, etc, etc. It’s a heady discussion, but we had better just enjoy the view.
Necessary Invisibility or Whimsical Disappearances?
The big question now is why go through all the trouble? Why do invisible buildings have to be invisible at all?
Tourism plays a big part in it, and Tower Infinity should draw lots of tourists to South Korea, at a time when the country is poised for global recognition (think Samsung and K-Pop.) And let’s face it, mere tall buildings are so 2010; a building that can turn invisible at various times of the day, now that’s cooler.
Additionally, Tower Infinity will house exhibits and museums to showcase other countries’ cultures. Which is what this humble self-effacement has all been about apparently—by becoming invisible, the building, in turn, hopes to make others visible and important.
In the words of GDS Architects, “Instead of symbolizing prominence as another of the world’s tallest and best towers, [Tower Infinity] sets itself apart by celebrating the global community rather than focusing on itself.”
Invisible to Vibration
It’s worth noting that the concept of invisibility isn’t strictly tied to just light waves, the stuff that allows us to see objects. Researches on cloaking devices have variously tried to render objects invisible to sound waves, magnetism, and elastic waves as well.
Take elastic waves for example, those intense vibrations which an earthquake produces. Making buildings or key structures of buildings invisible to them obviously has a huge benefit. Elastic waves will simply bypass the building, thus saving the structure from damage. Research on cloaking against elastic waves is fairly new though, and still hasn’t been applied to a large scale.
When that day comes, it’ll be a joy to have invisible buildings that are invisible where it matters.
