Al Hakawati (the storyteller) is an emblem of the Arabic world
Located in Zaabeel Park, Dubai, the Al Hakawati (the storyteller in Arabic) by Visiondivision is an iconic tall emblem structure designed for a competition named “Thyssenkrupp Elevator Award” that will recite historic anecdotes of the Arabic city and its people with animated body language. Featuring a number of spaces for performance and reading within, the statue also houses a children’s library at the base that includes a vast collection of books, telling the folklore of the Arabic world to the kids. Moreover, the Zaabeel Park will include small speakers in every corner of the park, which will let the visitors listen and enjoy the stories (or folktales) recited by the statue.
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Rotating Wind Power Tower to begin construction in Dubai
Dubai has garnered much attention in recent years with a never-ending supply of architectural wonders being built, or proposed, at a head spinning pace. Mostly these towering structures are grand and tall, but some are also green. We’ve covered many an ambitious Dubai skyscraper scheme here at Inhabitat, including David Fisher’s Rotating Tower, but there is new news from Fisher’s Dynamic Architecture firm. This self-sufficient, sun and wind powered design is making headlines once again as the Italian-Israeli architect has just unveiled the latest design for his twirling tower, and construction is set to begin this month!
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Guggenheim Hermitage Museum by Zaha Hadid
Competing against Daniel Libeskind and Massimiliano Fuksas, Zaha Hadid Architects have won the competition held by Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania. Zaha Hadid’s futuristic designs match the cultural aims of the new Hermitage Guggenheim Vilnius Project. As always, the characteristic of Zaha Hadid architectural design always takes the conceptual terms of fluidity, velocity and lightness. The building appears like a mystical object floating above the extensive artificial landscape strip, seemingly defying gravity by exposing dramatic undercuts towards the surrounding entrance plazas. Large activated green fields flow around the museums sculptural mass, underlining its enigmatic presence with curvilinear lines echoing the elongated contours of the building. Contrasting with the vertical business district skyline it is a manifestation of Vilnius’ new cultural significance.
“I am delighted to be working in Vilnius on the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum” states Hadid. “The city will be the European Capital of Culture in 2009 and has a long history of art patronage. With such an interest in the arts, Vilnius will continue to develop as a cultural center where the connection between culture and public life is critical. This museum will be a place where you can experiment with the idea of galleries, spatial complexity and movement.”
This is exactly what we mean by saying “when architecture meets new technologies”.
Futuristic Achitecture & Futuristic Design
from Social News Network about Future
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Dubai Museum by UNStudio
Now that the city of Dubai seems to be building pretty much anything and everything you can think of, from the world’s tallest building, the highest tennis court, an indoor ski resort and even a fashion island for that bizarre castaway fantasy your gold digging spouse secretly has. I guess someone finally thought it was time for some culture. Someone’s Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has “decreed” (that means demanded and payed for) the start of “his strategic vision of making the UAE a hub for multicultural understanding. The museum will be a celebration of the region’s artists and art. It will also celebrate Khor Dubai’s importance as a cultural hub within a Dubai as a global city.” I find it interesting that they believe a building filled with only local artists will somehow put Dubai’s new museum on scale with more inclusive international museums like Hermitage, Getty, New York’s MET, Prado, British Museum and Louvre. UN Studio, based in The Netherlands, has been selected to design the Museum and will certainly be the most international aspect of this rather intriguing looking museum.
Tour Signal by Jean Nouvel
Here is a set of images from architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel of their competition-winning design for Tour Signal at La Défense, Paris.
Futuristic Achitecture & Futuristic Design
from Social News Network about Future
7 Modern Wonders of Green Technology: Conceptual and Actual Ecological Designs of the Future
Green architecture comes in many forms though lately it seems like these forms are stranger than ever. Urban skyscraper farms? Floating eco-cities? Glowing solar towers? Turbine-driven skyscrapers? Magnetically levitated wind collectors? Where does it end?! With all of these emerging green technologies it seemed an appropriate time to take a look at seven of the most amazing real and conceptual designs currently at the forefront of ecological innovation. These examples push the limits of ecological architecture and contemporary urban design discourse.
King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture by Snøhetta
Construction has begun in Saudi Arabia on the King Abdulaziz Centre for Knowledge and Culture by Norwegian architects Snøhetta. Future Trends.
