#books #architecture | Superlative emirates : the new dimension of urban design

Superlative emirates : the new dimension of urban design / edited by Caroline Klein

Daab, Cologne : 2011.

240 p. : fot. col.

Texto en inglés y alemán

ISBN 9783942597081

Materias:

Urbanismo -- Emiratos Arabes Unidos

Ordenación del territorio -- Emiratos Arabes Unidos

Biblioteca Sbc Aprendizaje A-711.4(536.2) SUP

OPAC Millennium

It took only a few years for Dubai and Abu Dhabi to become glittering metropolises with state-of-the-art technological standards, the highest highrises, the largest airports, and the world’s largest artificial islands. However, there still is no end in sight, and the other member states of The United Arab Emirates are following suit. DAAB publishers are responding to this highspeed development with a sequel to its first stocktaking in Dubai Architecture & Design. About 30 major projects of internationally leading architectural firms, either still in the planning phase or already under construction – among them the sustainable and CO2-neutral Masdar City by Foster + Partners – are comprehensively introduced with texts and photographs and with the already time-tested solicitude.

Architecture without frontiers 

Redefining the topography of desert cities

40 years of the United Arab Emirates have spelt 40 years of economic growth, innovation and wealth. And that process has entailed redefining the topography of the desert cities. The moment the Arab federation was born, cities began to grow out of the desert sands in the 1970s, at breathtaking speed. Buildings bristling with superlatives came into being – glittering metropolises with unmistakable skylines. Architectural bureaus that made the running internationally were commissioned to make visions come true. Radically innovative projects were undertaken on the basis not only of massive oil revenues but also of a decisive will to make something new on the part of the political leadership.

DAAB’s new publication "Superlative emirates" marks the fortieth anniversary of the UAE by celebrating architectural achievements of recent years. This high-specification volume showcases 56 mega-projects in breathtaking pictures. Though the global economic crisis has currently slowed the tempo a little, the buildings and projects in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the other Emirates seem still to be forever outdoing each other: skyscrapers like architect Adrian Smith’s Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest building, do their names proud. Designs such as Zaha Hadid’s intertwined Signature Towers surprise and convince with their new architectural idiom. The extraordinary residential, hotel, museum and municipal projects are notable for their gigantic dimensions, futuristic designs and technical innovations. The first CO2-neutral city, Masdar City, designed in its key points by celebrated architectural bureau Foster + Partners, is a striking example of this trend.

The 240 pages of "Superlative emirates" reveal an impressive architectural realm on the Arab continent, one that points the way forward to the future. Along with information on individual projects, the introduction by Behr Champana Gagneron and the essays by Michael Schindhelm, George Katodrytis and Amer A. Moustafa provide illuminating background material on the rapid evolution of the United Arab Emirates. The title of the book is meant programmatically: the immense dimensions, highly innovative design and supreme comfort are all record-breaking. The rigorously ecological conception of numerous projects possesses exemplary status. This is a new Arab world, built not on oil alone but on technology, culture and renewable energies.

Links

Daab |  Superlative emitares : the new dimension of urban desing