Today, the Middle East is booming in leaps and bounds, whether it is because of its international standards of lifestyle or being a paradise for shopoholics or even its contribution to the worlds extravagent megastructures. The Middle East is known for various structures that have been unimaginable to mindkind for a very long time now. They seek assistance of the most sophisticated technological equipments, architects of high stature and skilled craftsmen to design the innovative and unique megastructures upto precision.
The lastest proposed tower to emerge from the ever-changing skyline is the Burj Al- Taqa Zero-Energy Tower. Yet another megastructure unleashed from the armour of the Middle East is designed by Eckhard Gerber which will stand a whopping 322 meter high. Confirmations are that this commercial high rise will produce zero emmisions and use the natural source of sun, wind and water to create its own energy.
Eckhard Gerber is not in his first so to speak. The master designer has gifted pockets of Middle East like Riyadh, Dubai and Bahrain some of the biggest eye captivating and efficient structures. Along side Gerber Stuggart based engineering firm DS-Plan has been involved in calculating the technical capabilities of this mammoth structure.
As for Burj Al-Taqa, the 68 storeyed structure will use natural air conditioning which is based on Iranian wind towers. The utility of these wind towers is to bring in wind into the cool interiors of the structure. Gerber’s intricate cylindrical design sees the invovlment of this principle to ventilate the tower. The overall structure also includes a central atrium which will help provide the tower with fresh air flow. This inflow of air will be precooled with the seawater, dispersed throughout the exterior of the building and ventilated through a double-skin glass facade. The design also includes a brilliant feature of having tubes throughout the ceiling that will carry along cool water for additional thermal comfort.
Primarily being a enery tower the Burj Al-Taqa will see the control of solar energy through a new type of vacuum glazing which is still under development but proves to be 60% more efficient when compared to other solar towers. Considering the Middle East to be one of the most hottest areas geographically, the tower design is inclusive of a rotating solar shield which will cover almost one-sixth of the building circumference that will provide not only sufficient shade to the tower but also capture sufficient amount of solar energy.
The structure includes yet another detail in its design with a wind turbine on top which will help Burj Al-Taqa with its need for energy. In case of abundance of electricity it would be used to generate more from other sources for instance extracting hydrogen from sea water for fuel cells.
Such megastructures of grandeaur and extravagence is subjected to materializing depending upon the percision personified from the designer. Gerber’s ambitious projection of the tower proves to be yet another mammoth architechtural design from the genius. If the Burj Al- Taqa does manage to make its way into the books of megastructures aroung the globe it will require almost 60% less energy for itself as compared to other buildings and can boast complete independence from no renewable energy.
With the Middle East being the land of the Palm, the World Islands etc nothing less than an exceptional structure is expected out of Gerber and his team. Only time can tell if the proposed Burj Al- Taqa can hit the record books of the 22nd tallest building in the world or crash down in a minute without salvaging its proposed achievments.
Source: Inhabitat
