New York Firm Proposes Tower Hanging Above Dubai From an Asteroid

New York-based architecture studio Clouds Architecture Office has revealed a conceptual design for Analemma Tower—a vertical structure unlike any other. Rather than rising from the ground, the tower would hang from a captured asteroid placed in geosynchronous orbit above Dubai, anchored to the planet by high-tensile cables. This reverse orientation allows the building to float through the atmosphere, tracing a daily figure-eight pattern over the planet’s surface.

The design proposes a mixed-use structure that tapers along its vertical spine, with different functions distributed according to altitude. Lower levels, which dip into the atmosphere, would house office spaces and retail zones. Mid-levels would be residential, while the highest zones—where light and atmospheric pressure are significantly reduced—would be reserved for spiritual and contemplative activities. Power would be generated through space-based solar panels, and water harvested from atmospheric condensation.

The building's external surface features modular glass façades engineered to withstand extreme temperature and pressure variations during orbital transit. Access to the tower would be achieved by air—through personal or commercial aircraft, as it never touches the ground.

Though entirely theoretical, the Analemma Tower reflects growing interest in space-based infrastructure and the merging of aerospace engineering with terrestrial architecture.