ITALY — The Italian firm, Luca Curci Architects have proposed 'Vertical City', a project involving a self-sustaining, zero energy building that intends to house 25,000 people. The futuristic city proposes to be settled into the sea bed close to the mainland, accessible by land, sea, and air.

The cylindrical residential building would be clad in photovoltaic glazing, a technology that produces electricity from sunlight. Natural light and ventilation will be promoted through hexagonal openings in the building.

The 'Vertical City' targets low poverty, no noise, no pollution, desalinization of seawater and producing 1,144,500 KWh of daily solar energy.

According to the Italian firm, this new interpretation of urban development would allow its residents to be apart of a "healthier lifestyle" through the connection with the surrounding natural elements; it would also allow residents to re-think the traditional concept of community and society.

According to Luca Curci Architects, the 750-meter-tall residential skyscraper would consist of 10 modular layers, each layer consisting of 18 floors, including a mixture of homes, offices, stores and other facilities. The building would also offer more than 200,000 square meters of green space, which includes the public garden at the top of the building.

In addition to the 25,000 people housed within the central residential tower, the Vertical City as a whole, including the three adjacent towers that house offices, government departments, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions, would service over 100,000 people who would travel to the city for work, school and medical care."

Luca Curci described the plans as a "new way of living." He said the proposal would be more sustainable, more interconnected and most importantly reduce poverty.