High-Tech Cybertechture for Dubai Waterfront
by Cate Trotter, 03/27/08
The 18-story façade of James Law Cybertecture’s new Pixel Tower in Dubai was inspired by the moving bubbles in a champagne glass and built for the young, techie and trendy. Intended for the Dubai Waterfront, Pixel Tower draws on passive solar techniques and strategic facade geometry to minimize heat gain on the structure’s south side and optimize views out over the Persian Gulf to the north.
Due for completion in 2010, the building forms part of the agency’s ‘Cybertecture’ series, a range of high-tech solutions that thinks of structures as intelligent, customizable spaces. No matter where they are in the world, residents are always able to control and view their apartment, as well as the appliances within it, using mobile phones and PDAs. Fiber optic projections and animatronics presentations will also be incorporated.
James Law’s creative thinking is creating a new vision of how we will interact with buildings in the future. The agency designs its pieces from the inside out, enabling users to interact with and control their surroundings in a similar way to how we use portable technology today. Other buildings from the agency are designed to be ‘infinite loop spaces’ and to change shape over time. Very inspiring from a creative viewpoint, however we’d still like to see sustainability incorporated more consistently as part of this vision.
So would I. James Law calls himself “cybertect” and is mainly busy with putting loads of technology (not necessarily green) into buildings for the well being of it’s inhabitants. But I like his work and his innovative tendency.
Am I correct? Does the building light up like a bulb after dark? Hmm, green hey…