The futuristic project, as envisioned by experimental
architecture firm ZNera Space, would dramatically alter Dubai's skyline by
adding an elevated, extremely efficient urban center.
The Downtown Circle project is a stunning example of a
futuristic idea that is intended to be self-sufficient and sustainable.
According to reports, the magnificent 1,804-foot-tall ring is a mixed-use
structure made up of residences and public and commercial buildings. The Burj
Khalifa, the tallest free-standing structure in the world, is surrounded by the
ring, which will encompass all of Downtown Dubai within a 1.9-mile radius. This
is the ring's most striking feature.
This magnificent concept marries community, luxury, and
futuristic urban planning in a wildly ambitious design that has been brought to
life by a series of mesmerizing illustrations created in collaboration with
Pictown, an architectural renderings company.
Najmus Chowdry and Nils Remess, the principal architects of
ZNera Space, envision Downtown Circle as a horizontal stroke against Dubai's
vertiginous, futuristic skyline of seemingly endless skyscrapers. The Downtown
Circle Project investigates how architects and urban planners can shift away
from previous urban models of isolated skyscrapers and toward a more humane
typology that seeks to emulate nature and create diverse public spaces at this
critical juncture in the country's development.
The fabric of urban centers is changing as the global
population grows and cities become more crowded. Nowhere is this phenomenon
more visible than in Dubai, where rapid urbanization has resulted in rapid
urban growth characterized by skyscrapers and sprawl.
The Downtown Circle project establishes a sustainable and
self-sufficient vertical urbanism in response to the dilemma of how to build
densely while retaining liveability. It aims to create a hyper-efficient urban
center that gives back to the environment as a single mega-building complex.
The proposed 550-meter-tall megastructure provides an alternative to most
metropolitan areas' isolated and unconnected high-rises.
According to Remess, the proposed Downtown Circle would weave residential space among commercial, corporate, and cultural areas to form a comprehensive "self-sustaining city within a city." "If you live there, you can walk to your office, your park, or your house in 15 to 20 minutes." It's difficult to do that in Dubai."
Sustainability as a Priority
Temperatures in the UAE frequently exceed 40 degrees Celsius
(104 degrees Fahrenheit), and the architects hope that their design will set a
new standard for sustainability in the region.
"The entire ceiling will be a stretch of solar
panels," Chowdry explained. "We also want to implement solar hydrogen
cells, which we have already used in a previous project."
This technology converts water into hydrogen using solar
energy, which can then power the air conditioning and provide energy to the
building.
The Downtown Circle concept arose during the pandemic, when
people's lifestyles in cities and their homes changed. Rethinking skyscraper
residents' living conditions, this out-of-the-box concept focuses on new-age
living and exemplifies experimental architecture. "We looked at things
like garbage disposal, food production, traffic issues, and pollution."
"We combined all of these elements and came up with the concept,"
Remess explained.
Chowdry and Remess admit that, as appealing and radical as the Downtown Circle design is, it is (for the time being) practically and financially implausible.
"It was meant to be a conversation starter," Chowdry explained. "Something that could prompt people to reconsider urban development, reconsider city congestion... "We promise a sustainable city."
