The Greenest Tower in the Middle East
The architects responsible for the massive construction projects currently springing up in Dubai have cooked up another good one. This tower, known as Burj Al-Taqa, will produce all of its own energy. Impressive considering it’s in the middle of a scorching hot desert. The roof will be equipped with a massive wind turbine for power, and supplemented by a gargatuan array of solar cells (161,000 sq. ft.), most of which will be floating on an island within sight of the tower:
The architects chose an ancient Persian architectural feature as their model. Hundreds of years ago, wealthy merchants erected wind towers on the roofs of their houses, an idea which was eventually exported to the Arab world. The buildings, which have now become tourist attractions, have a natural air conditioning system. Lateral openings in the towers suck in cool air like a chimney. The heavier cool air sinks down and displaces the lighter hot air, creating a comfortable temperature inside the living space despite the scorching sun.
Gerbers’s design is designed to function in a similar way: The negative pressure created by winds breaking along the tower will suck the spent air from the rooms out of the building via air slits in the façade. The plan is for fresh air to be pumped into the interior of the building by means of a duct system at the same time.
They’re really breaking ground over there in the UAE. In 10 to 12 years, I know exactly where I’ll be vacationing.
Dubai Waterfront
The other day, I saw a whole documentary about the Dubai Waterfront project, currently underway in the United Arab Emirates. The construction itself is absolutely amazing, consisting of 3 massive “Palm Islands” (like the one pictured, Google Earth .kmz placemark) that will be home to 400,000 new residents. Construction is being undertaken by a company called Al Nakheel, in conjunction with hundreds of architects, engineers, designers, and developers from all over the world. As yet, the completion date is undetermined, (understandably so, considering the ludicrous amount of work to involved in even creating the land for all this property). This whole thing reminds me of Venice, Italy times about 1 million.
At the center of the whole final development will be Al Burj, which will be one of the tallest buildings in the world (built on a few feet of sand, mind you). All I can say is, I definitely have a reason to become filthy rich now.
