Site The site is located on the edge of the city, in a new urban quarter projected to define the new edge of the city.
Ethos The aim is to create a series of complete mini cities held above the ground, creating a new dialogue with the notions of urban fabric, a city above a park. Sited in a contextless landscape the opportunity to define architecture without common references, the tower looks to its environment for inspiration. As the desert encroaches on future developments The proposal presents a barrier to sandstorms and harnesses their energy through a range of technologies. The groundscape is released to provide a cooled micro environment under which day and night transpose according to the thematic programme of the building and its users.
User The proposal’s intention is to create a destination and living environment, based around a series of controlled microclimate groundscapes where light and air replace the air conditioned car to mall existence of current hermetically sealed environments.
Facilities The tower comprises, hotels, retail, offices and residential accommodation, with entertainment enclosures slung under the external void. The underside of the void has an interactive surface display, creating the possibility of projected live ambiences in tune with the rhythm of space use and entertainment everything from a night sky during the day to live international news feeds.
Technology The use of water harvesting from the precipitate within and on the skin of the tower is created by harnessing the potential difference from the extremes in temperature difference offered by a desert climate. The internal are under the building can be controlled by the central turbines to deliver a light mist, rain of a balm like atmosphere.
Sustainability The processes at work are simple air rises and is accelerated through the central atrium, at night the temperature difference create precipitate which can either be funneled down to the basement level or allowed to evaporate at ground level. During the day the rooftop pools dissipate the heat from the building The external skin generates energy for low level domestic use, whist the solar panels contribute to general energy production. Reed bed lakes in the groundscape parks are used to filter grey water and provide support for l the development of local vegetation.
Skin The outer skin is an independent framed shield composed of rotating flexible solar panels, based on the Aloe Vera form whose lower panels incorporate zones for opportunities of vertical garden. The new city wall defines and protects, adapting to the environmental changes whilst being porous begetting both a welcome and a cypher for re consideration of the living city as animated organism. The inner skin makes use of growing walls alongside conventional glazed barriers. Energy Harvesting Louvers These external elements are mounted to the floor edges allowing them to be positioned within the building floors. These elements can be re positioned according to changes in spatial typology, or to increase or reduce the sense of enclosure. The servo assisted hydraulic system is fixed to frames constructed of locally sourced polypropylene and bamboo composite frames, allowing for flexibility.
Energy Solar panels track the sun and rotate to maximize energy collection and flex with uni-‐solar cell, surface mounted panels in response to air movement generating an additional power source. The central void acts as a flue operating a series of turbines throughout its length.
Materiality The main steel and concrete diagonally braced structure facilitates vertical physical circulation and services.
Light The Parans type light system transfers natural light deep into the floor plan adapting to the accommodation as it develops over time.
Form generation The inner form transforms in relation to new uses and requirements of its inhabitants with the outer skin acting as an energy collector and the inner skin comprising of permeable and non permeable materials according to need, changing in relation to the internal accommodation programme . Plazas, concourses, gardens, parks, occur at points where the internal organs of the building meet the outer skin.
