Is it really sensible to squish one million people into this self-sustaining city/building?
Like many of Dubai’s projects The World, which will exacerbate shoreline erosion and habitat loss, and Burj Dabai, reputedly the world’s tallest building, are flashy and expensive. They are also divorced from the United Arab Emirates’ environmental hazards such as scant freshwater supply and desertification, and though undeniably clever, their eco-footprints are questionable. Timelinks, a consortium of urban planners, scientists, and architectural designers, has designed another less-than-sensible solution to the UAE’s environmental and urban crises. They call it the Ziggurat.
In ancient Babylon, ziggurats were towering structures built with mud brick and with diminishing squares. The towers resembled pyramids in shape but were built with stairs such that it was possible to move between levels. Central to society, each tower included a special addition at the summit, which was probably designed to serve the gods. The best preserved of such ancient ziggurats is in Iran’s Khuzestan province, and was built for the Elamite King Untash-Napirisha.
Should it ever evolve from design to reality, the modern Ziggurat would be no less monumental than ancient ziggurats. The base of the tower city will be 2.3 square km, and one million people could call it home. According to Timelinks’ website, this project “will provide a harmonious, ecological, and safe environment. Ziggurat is a city where people, nature and modern technology unite to harmonize family, work, and entertainment.”
The design’s most phenomenal claim is that it will be “carbon neutral,” and will exist entirely off the grid. Though it has been difficult to obtain specific information, “water evaporation, steam, solar energy, wind turbines, and hydroponics” are among the city/building’s features that will render it self-sustaining. Residents will be able to enjoy artificial lakes and parks and water channels, and could even participate in urban farming. Security will be ensured by biometric facial recognition, and cars will be a thing of the past. To get to work, residents will hop into what looks like a cable car that moves horizontally, vertically, and at 360 degrees, keeping their commute to 15 minutes maximum.
World Architecture News reports that Martyn Kramer – the Managing Director of the International Institute for the Urban Environment – believes that the city/building is “viable from a technical point of view,” though he does question whether living in a machine will be comforting for its residents. Not only that, but is it really healthy to squish one million people into such a relatively small area?
Although it is both admirable and necessary that designers and scientists seek solutions to the problem of open space, we hope that the consideration of psychological health, as well as ecological and economical health, will trump self-aggrandizing design.
More on sustainable building:
Greater Amman Municipality Introduces Recycling in Amman
AGRAme, Honeywell, and Biofuel Projects in Dubai
Rethinking Climate Change Under the Middle East Sun
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
One of the best architecture design I've ever seen. If this can be done, I'm sure that this will be another tourist destination in Dubai. And I'm sure that this will also help to open new jobs for every one.
Much of green architecture today, discussed here, and around the world, is theoretical. We are opening the debate, discussing the ideas. Expressing possibilities that may have been overshadowed when they were first revealed. On that note, we'd be happy to hear from you about some projects on the ground, that you'd like us to cover…
This story is two and a half years old and should be understood in the context of Dubai of that time. Moreover, on these pages, we have already seen dozens of stories like this that take projects completely out of context and often bash them for not being environmentally friendly. Why not concentrate instead on things that are relevant, topical and actually happening on the ground in the Gulf?