Looks like old artists conceptions of Moon and Mars colony ships.

If it works as advertised I'm all about 'em.

Ah, yes- but HOW does it produce oxygen? Plants? Bacteria? Mechanical somehow?

the ones with the folding circumference look good, the others look like old rusty water towers.

i wonder what they'll do when the trees inside get too tall, swap them out and plant them maybe?

@MasterYong: there are plants caged in surounding the whole thing on levels, so technically i gues 'it' doesn't, but the trees do.

Dear mother nature, we're going to help out and make our own oxygen.

Nope, nothing could go wrong here. Reminds me of introduced species of animals and plants - "good intentions". (killer bees)

Jesus, what an eye sore. Sorry guys, but it also has to look good. you have to save the planet in style :)

something this beautiful and functional would never fly in the U.S. :(

@EMoShunz: More than likely they'd have a crew do regular pruning to prevent overgrowth. It's no different from trees in residential areas.

@James: If it's comprised entirely of indigenous flora, there shouldn't be any problems at all.

Kind of looks like all the oxygen is reabsorbed as rust.

"a completely unique idea" -- It's a solar-powered, oxygen-producing tree. Being man-made makes the tree itself unique, but the idea has been around for a while, including the idea of a tree as a social center.

@sumocat: fantastic observation, i wonder if that was intentional on their part...copy nature from forever.

How do you sell excess energy?

I really like this comcepts from the point of view of sculture, but my dad (the old spanish guard artwise) would despite having this thing in his block building.

Dali, Miro, Gris and Gaudi, -even Picasso- would be very proud. cervantes, velazquez and the classicists of 1898 movement not that much.

here is a link of other spanish art creators [www.artcyclopedia.com]

@coldpizza: Excess electricity is fed back directly into the power lines. The meter runs backwards and the electric company reads the meter just as they do anywhere else, but they pay you since you were providing the power.

A social hang-out? If you want to get raped.

Or, coldpizza and Stang70Fastback, for another way, check the history of Enron.

As to this awesome, out of the box, yet real idea generally: Eat your heart out you Yanko M******F******!!!

This is really really stupid, its basically a steel solar panel tower stuff with potted plants... some green grass, trees and a few solar panels would accomplish the same in a much nicer package. Or better yet put the panels on nearby buildings and just make this a true green space.

@McLucky: Yeah, maybe I'm being old fashioned, but my first thought was "whats wrong with a park full of trees and solar panels?"

Why not have a organic garden instead of trees, then you can produce food and oxygen?

@Abnormal: whatever hippie :P

It's easy to sit in a cubicle and complain.

Bring it on.
We welcome our Environmental Architectural Energy Self-Sufficient Overlords.
(always want to say theat "overlord" thing)

It looks like a prison for saplings, designed to expose their incarceration to thier very public shame.

Produces oxygen? Social center?

So, it'll be like some place where people go to get high on oxygen?

meh. It shouldn't be necessary to create an entire new building to accomplish this. Take these ideas and apply them to existing structures, bam, done.

It also, apparently, creates its own fugly.

I propose we hose down skyscrapers with a gelatinous paste laced with seeds, and then spray the buildings with water, and turn the entire skyline into a big pointy Chia Pet!

Thanks Gizmodo for pointing this out. I live in Madrid, and wasn´t aware of this. I read about it on the web site of the architecture company that came up with this. It seems quite a conceptual design. It consists of a very large boulevard (almost 1/2 mile long), and it seems they are building three of these structures surrounded by vegetation. The structures appear to be designed to be temporary, and go away as soon as the surrounding environment is green enough, and self-sustaining by itself. In the meanwhile, during the warm summer months the temperature inside and below the structures will be 8-10 degrees centigrades lower than the surrounding area, so they expect to be pleasant areas to be used for community activities. The final purpose, I think, is to do an experiment to make people more aware and make them think about environmental sustainability. At least, that is what it sounds after reading their manifesto.

The MCP thanks you for your support.

As an American, I thank you Spain for giving back to the Earth. I'm afraid all we have to offer is Microsoft Windows.

Please forgive my ignorance, but how do the trees get any light once you wrap the whole thing in foil and cover it with a white fabric canopy?

I have to assume they convert the natural light to electricity and then back into artifical light inside. The power loss would be horrendous!

This while trying to quadruple natural plant density by stacking the plants.

And they do this while maintaining the naturalist sensibility to surround the whole thing in a great island of concrete.

I have been to Spain, it is a naturally gorgeous place. I would thank them for exporting some of their natural beauty. The should keep this little gift to themselves. It is an affront to both nature and engineering at the same time.