Designed for one of the biggest developers in the United Arab Emirates, Rem Koolhaas’s master plan for the proposed 1.5-billion-square-foot Waterfront City in Dubai would simulate the density of Manhattan on an artificial island just off the Persian Gulf. A mix of nondescript towers and occasional bold architectural statements, it would establish Dubai as a center of urban experimentation as well as one of the world’s fastest growing metropolises. NYT | related
A rendering envisioning the interior of the project’s 44-story sphere.
A model of Rem Koolhaas’s Waterfront City in Dubai.
7 Comments
dubai's current population is 1,450 000 which is 85% expatriates. at this rate, it is very questionable that city wil be fully occupied even all the rich of the world would move there.
i wonder how they project a metropolis of these scales.
i like rem's proposal. but i don't believe dubai will ever host that many people to fill all that and buildings currently under construction.
that cow might run out of milk when there is a geopolitical change. few mega corporations and oil business relocating there for the time being doesn't necessarily translate to a sustainable growth.
Orhan...
Word. I figure they (the city dveelopers and masterplanners) must be planning on a huge population boom. Or will these buildings simply be investment properties?
Dubai is a boon-doggle much like Detroit and Brazilla. The economy on which it is based is speculative and will one day be obsolete. Furthermore, they are building the image of a city without any of those fussy little details like neighborhoods which comprise of more then just buildings. I am surprised Koolhaas took this job, it will fail like his Lille project.
sigh, lille....
This project is a compilation of all his other failed projects in the Emirates. Rem is full of it.
Rem has become since his previous distresses a money making machine - spinning previous ideas and plans. And without shame.
What I find remarkable about Dubai, is that it aims to make this city by the migration of the wealthy - based in many respects. However most of the larger cities in the world were formed out of poverty - London, NYC, Delhi, Guangzhou, etc
and what's wrong with an architect making money? I thought architects were primarily focused on re-interpreting old ideas to bring them successfully into a new context. Your comment makes rem sound like a crooked politician.
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