DUBAI””O-14, a twenty-two story tall commercial tower perched on a two-storey podium, is slated to break ground during the first week of December 2006 in the heart of Business Bay in Dubai. The building comprises 300,000 square feet and is a collaboration between RUR Architecture of New York and developer Shahab Lutfi. O-14 will be located along the extension of Dubai Creek, occupying a prominent location on the waterfront esplanade. The design for O-14 is for a tower sheathed in a forty centimeter-thick concrete shell perforated by over 1,000 openings that create a lace-like effect on the building's façade...
The Project is a Collaboration Between Reiser + Umemoto RUR Architecture P.C. and Developer Shahab Lutfi
The shell is not only the structure of the building, it acts as a sunscreen open to light, air, and views. The openings on the shell modulate depending on structural requirements, views, sun exposure, and luminosity. A space nearly one meter deep between the shell and the main enclosure creates a so-called “chimney effect,†a phenomenon whereby hot air has room to rise and effectively cools the surface of the glass windows behind the perforated shell. This passive solar technique essentially contributes to a natural component to the cooling system for O-14, thus reducing energy consumption and costs, just one of many innovative aspects of the building’s design.
Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto, the principals of RUR Architecture, credit the developer Shahab Lutfi for encouraging their experimental design approach to O-14, and refer to their relationship with him as a “unique collaboration.†“Shahab Lutfi is one of those rare figures, a developer who has a real appreciation and enthusiasm for innovative architecture,†the architects explain. “Our working relationship with him is close, as he has maintained a daily dialogue with us over every detail of the work for what promises to be a truly unprecedented project for Dubai.â€
The concrete shell of O-14 also provides an efficient structure that frees the core from the burden of lateral forces and creates highly efficient, column-free open spaces in the building’s interior. Each floor of O-14 has been already been sold to future tenants who can arrange the flexible floor space according to their individual needs.
About Reiser + Umemoto RUR Architecture P.C.
Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto have practiced as Reiser + Umemoto RUR Architecture P.C. since 1986, receiving awards such as the Chrysler Award for Excellence in Design in 1999 and in 2000 the Academy Award in Architecture by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The firm's 1990 study of the New York State water supply and Croton Aqueduct corridor, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, established the firm as specialists in large-scale, infrastructural urban developments. In 1998 and 1999, the firm developed a proposal for the East River front of Manhattan, as well as being selected as one of the five participants in a competition focusing on the West side of Manhattan sponsored by the International Foundation for the Canadian Center for Architecture. The firm has been involved in many international invited competitions; as part of “United Architects,†they were one of the six teams to be selected to design for the World Trade Center competition. RUR recently won first prize in the competition for the design of the Alishan Tourist Infrastructure in Taiwan which is currently in the construction document design stage.
6 Comments
wow, I hope this pans out for RUR! I was just speculating with friends about something like this happening. now if denari could also get his hands on a seminal project the architecture gods will be at peace.
its kind of boring a project for them though, isnt it? so simple..just a plan extrusion with some bubble patterned facade/exterior...a bit dissapointing i think.
well, without seeing the floor plans and sections I can't make that assumption. I'm just delighted that RUR could have some built work moving forward, which will give them more oppuritunities for the "wow" your looking for in the future.
the desert needs more light pollution!
Never mind all that (fulfillment b.s.) Get tha Cheddah. RUR will be able to float their firm for decades. Even design/build they're own projects. Don't get me wrong- as a design-addicted/green-pushing/theoretical/innovation-striving/broke ass Archimateck, I think, yes- the project may end up being 'boring': same plan from 1st to top floor...but how much more cooler will the design be for 25%....?
See you all at the Moutamarat Design Forum in February...! http://www.ameinfo.com/91892.html
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.