New Spaces 09 EN

42 Sights and Scenes The future lies in the desert Masdar City from the air: The ecologically friendly city is surrounded by sand that reminds one of the moon’s surface. cause its creator landed in an Israeli jail after being convicted of an economic off ence. Similarly revolutionary is the concept behind the Oasis Tower, a vertical, energy-neutral farm that is to unite plant beds, aquariums, ponds for fi sh breeding and stalls — including, of course, a biogas plant for generating methane. This project, whose purpose is to make the desert fruitful by these unusual means, was conceived by the Indian designer Rahul Surin. His objective is to help agriculture, one of the world’s biggest environmental polluters, to become a clean method of production — without PHOTOGRAPHY: ABACA PRESS/ACTION PRESS the use of soil. The water used for this purpose is to be permanently recycled and reused as much as possible. This is meant to reduce the high volume of food imports into the Emirates — a process that additionally increases the carbon footprint — to zero. One project that was not just created on the drawing board but actually realised was the O-14 offi ce complex in Dubai completed in 2009, a futuristic 22 storey building with a façade that looks like Swiss cheese. More than 1,000 holes that look like the portholes of a ship let light into the building, even though the thick concrete façade simultaneously shields the interior from the heat and creates a passive cooling system between the façade and the inner skin of the building. The design for this beautiful workspace came from Jesse Reiser and Nanoko Umemoto and their New Yorkbased RUR Architecture Studio. The Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas has designed a new environmentally friendly desert city for Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost Emirate, which is also a central trade hub. The Gateway Eco City is to be built primarily from locally available materials, free of emissions and waste, and powered by state-of-the-art solar technology. Many narrow alleys and green squares will make the city an aesthetically perfect “techno-oasis”. The construction is to be fi nished in 2012. The Dutch are renowned not only as architects but also as landscape designers. They too are threatened by rising sea levels due to climate change. Waterstudio, a Dutch company specialising in the experimental fi eld of fl oating architecture, has designed a mosque that fl oats on water for Dubai. In blogs, an astonished public is discussing the pros and cons of this construction, which looks like one of Walt Disney’s fairytale worlds. The issues under discussion involve aesthetics, sustainability and climate neutrality, but also some very practical matters. One blogger writes, “How am I supposed to leave my sandals outside the door?” It’s a good question. Further information www.masdarcity.ae

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