The Architecture of Future Utopias: Examining Disaster - Focused Design Strategies Through eVolo Skyscraper Competition Projects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29227/IM-2026-01-01-032Keywords:
eVolo Projects, disaster, climate change, flood, migration, architectural design, utopiaAbstract
This study examines 47 architectural projects that won awards in the “eVolo Skyscraper Competition” between 2009 and 2025 regarding disaster themes. These projects, which stand out for their conceptual depth and utopian nature rather than their feasibility, reflect architecture's utopian potential and the conceptual solutions it has developed in response to disasters. The research, conducted using qualitative content analysis, evaluated solution approaches to disaster types such as the climate crisis, social disasters, air pollution, floods and flash floods, earthquakes, and forest fires. The projects were analyzed through thematic coding according to criteria such as disaster type, structural performance, visual harmony, material diversity, project type, and award level. The data was visualized through tables and graphs, and their distribution by country, year, and award category was interpreted comparatively. According to the findings, 85% of projects focused on the climate crisis, 70% on social disasters, 57% on air pollution, and 36% on floods and water overflow, while earthquakes and fires were represented by only 6%. The United States, China, and Poland produced the most projects. The analyses also evaluated material diversity (e.g., wood, biomaterials, recycled composites) and architectural strategies (passive ventilation, floating structures, modular systems). The study fills a gap in the literature by revealing the contribution of architecture's utopian dimension to disaster scenarios and speculative architecture.
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