PREPARE TO BE BLOWN AWAY

Rising to a height of 91 metres, the structure features a twisted, tapered form that lends the appearance of a moving tornado. While the rooftop restaurant would spin counter-clockwise (the direction of tornados), external lighting would be used to give the whole building the appearance of motion.

Glass and perforated metal panels will clad the external facade, while a green roof is to be covered in a native garden of Oklahoma grasses and plants. Vegetation would also flow within the building, designed to look like tree debris being carried away by the twister.

Designed by KKT Architects, studio co-founder Andrew Kinslow explains: "The concept started as a way to get a revolving restaurant high enough to have great sight lines of downtown, the Arkansas River, and the Osage hills. As we worked on ways to make it more interesting than just a stick with a round restaurant on top, the concept of a swirling tornado was born."

The building would also include a training centre for storm chasers (researchers who follow tornados) as well as a broadcast station and cameras for local TV channels and weather reporters.