UAE | Education
Architecture book explores marine life
The collaboration of a university and green architects looks at possibilities to encourage animal life in UAE waters
- By Amelia Naidoo, Campus Notes Editor
- Published: 00:00 January 23, 2011
- Image Credit: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
- Dr Abeer Shahaheen
Over the past year architecture students have pushed their imaginations to the limit when they dreamt up ways to transform the lagoon of Nakheel's The World landmark into an urban artificial coral reef.
Their collective efforts have resulted in a book called The World Dubai Marine Life Incubators that outlines their forward thinking ideas. The book was recently launched in Dubai.
The students from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in London were guided by their tutors Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto as well as Dr Abeer Al Janahi from the Architecture and Urban Planning department at the British University in Dubai (BUiD).
Their projects put forward futuristic ideas on how architectural mechanisms can co-exist and co-evolve in the local marine habitat.
"The essence of it is quite simple — we're looking at a really big land reclamation project and iconic landmark and how a different approach could be taken that Dubai could embrace," said Pasquero and Poletto.
They said their investigation looked into the marine environment and how the tourist development could also develop urban ecology and marine diversity for the future.
The book looks at the technology that could be used such as bio rocks and bio cement to create structures underwater to encourage the growth of coral reefs and generate marine life.
Poletto explained that the sophisticated structures would create a marine garden hosting these forms of life and the bio rocks, that comes from dissolved minerals that crystallise on structures, would form limestone and marble which could be harvested for commercial use.
Dr Al Janahi commented the projects will lead to the generation of innovative design ideas that local authorities and development companies like Nakheel could be interested in taking on.
BUiD and the AA are already collaborating on their next project in Al Ain and the western region of Abu Dhabi and includes the town of Liwa.
Revitalising oasis
"This project is a continuation of the earlier one and now we are focusing on things like ecological connectivity, revitalising oasis and bringing it back to the city or village and looking at how water can be the centre for new cities.
The architects will again put forward ambitious proposals on how new developments can connect more directly with the ecology of the areas they are in.
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