Cybertecture: The Egg, Mumbai (India)

Going on with the same topic as the last post, but this time moving farther away, I came across some very interesting information about this project. The Cybertecture Egg is the latest design of James Law, the egg-shaped high-tech building will be the iconic architecture, environmental design, intelligent systems, and an awe-inspiring landmark in Mumbai.

This city is said to be the most populated in the world, according to several estimations, taking into account that a lot of Mumbai´s citizens are under the poverty threshold and are not even in the official census. Although the image that western countries´ inhabitants may have of India has nothing to do with richness and technology, Indian tech-students are probably the best qualified in the world, and according to Forbes´s last list of billionaires, 4th and 5th places of the ranking are hold by Indians. Mumbai is also home of the Indian biggest stock exchange, which is also one of the biggest and most important in Asia.

Projects like this one are what the city needs to change its image to the rest of the world. The 32,000 squared metres egg-shaped build will accommodate 13 floors of offices. The concept was inspired, according to the designers, by considering the world as an ecosystem allowing life to evolve. Elements of the design and intelligent systems will work together to give the building’s inhabitants the ‘best space to work in’. This includes monitoring their health. Within the building, there will be a series of innovative systems such as ‘cybertecture health’ in the washroom which is designed to keep track of the inhabitant’s health including blood pressure and weight. The data collected may be retrieved and sent to a doctor if deemed necessary.

The building incorporates passive solar design to decrease heat gain and lower energy loads. An elevated garden also moderates temperature by using natural vegetation to assist with cooling the building envelope. The Cybertecture Egg will use solar photovoltaic panels and rooftop wind turbines to generate onsite electricity. Water conservation will be managed with a grey water recycling system that will harvest water for irrigation and landscaping.

It is also said that we can see this futuristic “Cybertecture Egg” building by the end of 2010. We are going to have to wait and let´s see if this is finally constructed, but for now, here are some of the pictures of the project:

The Deathstar

Yet again in Dubai, another wacky proposal, this time is called the Deathstar (yes, like in Star Wars, though now, in modern times, it´s an Eco Deathstar). This has been a project for some years now, and the fact is that there is a technopark being built in Dubai, where is also supposed that this building will be constructed. But it´s still a project.

Anyway, here´s what we may see in the future if this becomes real:



This project is also known as the Technosphere, and is said that it´s not, apparently, based on Star Wars’ infamous Deathstar, but instead on a Japanese Panasonic radio from the early 1970s.

It replicates the Earth as a structural concept. Inside the eco-sphere is an entire world which serves as a vehicle to explore the issues of self-sustaining life on a smaller level. The Technosphere is meant to reflect the state of our planet in current and future times. Proposed as an iconic building for the Technopark of Dubai, the eco-sphere would be a carbon neutral tourist attraction as well as a place in which to live and work.

The Technosphere is a mixed-use building providing office and residential space as well as a hotel and public courtyards. This living, breathing building operates in a similar fashion to the Earth itself, providing energy, recycling water, and providing sustenance to its occupants. The exterior forms a shell around the interior spaces and will house solar panels for electricity generation. Inside, sky gardens act to shield the interior spaces from the sun and filter the air to contribute fresh oxygen to the indoor environment. Water will be recycled and efficiently used.

The project was designed by the architect James Law, known for his work in `cybertecture´, which is a combination of advanced technologies, architecture, and multimedia experiences for users. This new design, the Technosphere, was presented at the UltraFuture Conference in 2008, during which the Future of the Built Environment was explored.

Who knows if this will ever be built, but seeeing all this craziness with mega building projects, sooner or later a building similar to this will become true.

Here´s another picture of the project:

Pivoting skyscrapers

What´s the deal with pivoting skyscrapers? Are they going to be new icons in every major city? For now, they are expected to be a reality in Dubai and Moscow by 2010, but delays are expected. The works began back in 2008, and just a few people knew about the project then. Now, they are becoming more popular and more investors get interested in these skyscrapers.

I think that the Dubai and Moscow towers will be only the beginning, if the idea works well, we will probably see pivoting skyscrapers in most big cities around the world. They are expensive to build, but if they are sold well, the return of investment is certainly worth it, and so is the tourism and millionaires coming to the city where the skyscraper is placed.

For a further explanation of these new kind of buildings, here´s a document taken from scribd, which most likely will clarify some common doubts. A staggering fact that I found out with this document was that each inhabitant will park his/her park by his/her appartment.

Pivoting Skyscrapers