Agora Tower: Twisting Skyscraper Wrapped With Vertical Gardens Breaks Ground in Taipei

Taipei just broke ground on a twisting skyscraper that is wrapped with a jungle of vertical gardens! Designed by <a href="http://vincent.callebaut.org/javaslider.php?img=taipei&amp;titre=Vincent">Vincent Callebaut Architecture</a>, the 42,355-square-meter (455,000-square-foot) Agora Tower will have an orchard, a vegetable garden, space for aromatic and medicinal plants, and a compost and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/cista-rainwater-cachement-by-moss-sund-and-figforty/">rainwater capture system</a> - and that's just the beginning.

Construction on the twisting Agora Tower in Taipei has broken ground

Mimicking two encircling hands or DNA, the towers are wrapped around a central core

This design facilitates a host of cascading balconies

Visitors to the tower will cross a moat to reach the entrance

The interior boasts a host of living walls as well

A circular light funnel pushes daylight all the way to the basement of the building

Each luxury apartment will boast 540 square meters of space

Low E glass ensures optimal daylight without excess solar gain

Each balcony will have an orchard, vegetable garden, and even space for composting

The luxury tower is located in the Xinyin District of Taipei

The unusual design maximizes space and warps perspective

Once complete, this may well be the greenest tower of its kind.