DUBAI TOWERS, Dubai, UAE
With RTKL
With the skyline of Dubai increasingly populated with prismatic glass towers, the design team for these mixed-use residential towers asked whether a new precedent could be established that is tailored to the region. Two models informed the design: the heavily sculpted, self-shading trunk of the date palm tree, and the mashrabiya bay window, whose doweled latticework lets in the breeze and dappled light without too much heat. Together, these two references influenced a scalloped form that is both novel and contextual. Modeling estimated that the form alone, without factoring in materials or systems, could cut heat gain by 30-35%. The footprints and placement of the towers maximized views to command higher rental prices, so the design yields both lower resource consumption, higher economic return.