Swooping Hoover Dam Re-Design Creates Spectacular Views for Visitors

The Hoover Dam is one of the world's most impressive <a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-berg-is-building-the-worlds-largest-man-made-mountain-a-colossal-mistake/">man-made structures</a>. A staggeringly large concrete barrier measuring 222 meters high and 379 meters across, its jet-flow gates release up to 400,000 cubic feet of water a second, generating 4.2 billion KWh of electricity each year. However, the Hoover Dam is considered more of a colossal structure than a beautiful one. In a entry by UK-based Malaysian architect Yheu-Shen Chua for the <a href="http://www.evolo.us/architecture/winners-2011-skyscraper-competition/">eVolo 2011 Skyscraper Competition</a>, his <em>Re-Imagining the Hoover Dam </em>is a stunning concept that re-envisions the Hoover Dam's layout into a beautiful design he calls a "single vertical super structure."

One of the primary purposes of the re-design is to allow visitors in engage with the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/water">water</a> flowing from the upstream river via a series of mega-containers.

A hanging tower above the 700-foot drop into the Black Canyon would be used as a gallery and a vertical <a href="http://inhabitat.com/local-river-plant-aquarium-by-mathieu-lehanneur/">aquarium</a>.

The idea is to offer more reasons to visit the dam, and is hoped to even increase awareness of the plight faced by the reservoir behind it.

Section drawing reveals the inner-workings of the design.

While we may never get to see what this incredible re-design of the Hoover Dam looks like in reality, we can still revel in Yheu-Shen Chua's amazingly imaginative and exceptionally <a href="http://inhabitat.com/architecture/">gorgeous design</a>.

Aerial view of the Dam and the surrounding site's topography.

A project overview with the complete concepts for the tower, bridge and dam.

Layout of the containers.