The striking O-14 tower in Dubai is designed by Jesse Resiser and Nanoko Umemoto of RUR Architecture (the same architects who designed New York’s New Museum). The building features an eye-catching façade that limits solar heat gain in addition to a sophisticated passive cooling system that reduces energy use.
Resembling a sculpture more than a building, the commercial tower has a central core for office space. The decorative façade has over 1,000 circular cut outs and functions as an “exoskeleton.” This outside structure supports the core, and thus allows for remarkably open interior spaces. Picture a virtually column-free office space, able to be split and subdivided in any way tenants wish.
The one meter of space between the exoskeleton and the core also acts a hot air chute. Although metropolitan, Dubai is essentially a desert city. The exoskeleton not only shields the core from the sun, but its shape forces hot air up and out, which saves money and energy on cooling the core. The circular holes carefully positioned to provide views while limiting sun exposure.
The 21 open floors will house offices while the ground level will have an exclusive luxury shopping center, in true Dubai fashion and an entrance to the waterfront esplanade.
While the outside looks really unattractive to me, the inside looks quite futuristic!
I agree