or
or
or pick a random keyword:

Wasl Tower

UNStudio

Wasl Tower in Dubai: the world’s tallest ceramic façade.


The animation by Methanoia introduces the Wasl Tower, designed by UNStudio and Werner Sobek in Dubai. The two firms were invited by the Wasl Development Group to design a new kind of high-rise, that would add a new benchmark to the city skyline.

The tower stands in a central position in the city, not so faraway from the Burij Khalifa. The innovative parametric design by UNStudio sucessfully incorporates the engineering and sustainability aspects developed by Sobek. The two firms worked in very close collaboration in order to perfectly integrate the technological elements with the architecture.

The design aesthetic and "contrapposto" structure give the tower its appearance of a figure in motion. The façade is made up of ceramic elements, with a fine mesh of inclined fins covering the basic skin, which literally veils the geometry. UNStudio conceived the interiors to create a Vertical Boulevard inside: this seam is created by the stacking of outdoor balconies and forms a green vein which also affords a glimpse of the building’s interior.

Methanoia’s animation effectively represents the project, slowly approaching it from an aerial perspective at first and then from the road, showing the building in daylight and at night.

(Story by Paola Ricco, The Architecture Player)

Credits

Author: Methanoia
Architect: UNStudio
Engineering and sustainability: Werner Sobek
Mentioned project: Wasl Tower (2014)
Project location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Germany 2017
Duration: 2'19''