Twisty 'stairscraper' gives everyone their own garden

One of the downsides of urban living is that green space is usually at a premium. This skyscraper adds a twist so that every apartment gets a big back yard.

Nàbito Architects' 'stairscraper' design turns the roof of every apartment unit into a garden for the next apartment up by shifting each unit around in a corkscrew shape, stuffing suburban sprawl into an urban footprint. While you don't get the same kind of density as a traditional apartment building, it's a much more appealing design and it's cheaper to construct since you're basically just stacking identical modules on top of one another and then skewing them into a spiral.

Of course, designs like this are always a compromise: by putting in a garden, you're leaving less space for the rest of your apartment, and it looks like the footprint of each level has to be kept pretty small in order to make sure that the levels beneath get enough sunlight. I'd say it would be worth it for the extra green space and the view, but good luck getting your soccer ball back if you kick it over the fence.

Look for the stairscraper next time you're in Abu Dhabi, since it's actually going to be built there.