Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Znera Space, an architectural firm based in Dubai and known for its experimental designs, has created a new concept for the Downtown Dubai skyline.
The gigantic ring-like structure, known as Downtown Circle, will appear to hover as it encircles the Burj Khalifa.
The project aims to establish sustainable vertical urbanism, a real need with the increasing population of the city.
The megastructure, 550 meters high and with a circumference of 3000 meters, could offer an alternative to the single skyscraper disconnected from the rest of the horizontal urban fabric.
The structure is designed to hover over downtown Dubai and surround the Burj Khalifa.
From a height of 1804 feet, Downtown Circle would become home to residents as well as public, commercial, and cultural facilities.
Overall, it is geared towards sustainability with “aims to create a hyper-efficient urban center that gives back to the environment” with a focus on sustainability according to the architects.
The five-story building is composed of two main rings, which are held together by a green belt, dubbed “Skypark,” which is illuminated with natural light and has offices and research centers embedded.
Five sustainable and self-sufficient units are housed in the structure.
The Skypark, which forms the central spine of the development, connects the floors vertically, providing fresh and clean air as well as different microclimates and natural scenery, including canyons, sand dunes, marshes, waterfalls, tropical vegetation, and plants belonging to different types of flora.
The huge scale of the mix-use project is broken down into smaller units to create a variety of spaces to serve public, commercial, and cultural programs, with office spaces and many housing typologies—from large surfaces to living/working units, from lofts to townhouses, from terraced houses to patio living.
Besides the sand dunes and greenery, Skypark also enables visitors to enjoy swamps, waterfalls, tropical vegetation, as well as digital caves that contribute to the rich ecosystem of greenery within the park.
Project: Downtown Circle
Architects: ZNera Space
Client: Private
