[ad_1]
People say you shouldn’t throw stones at glass houses, but architects in Dubai are learning a new lesson – you shouldn’t build glass houses or skyscrapers in the first place.
As the New York Times details, around the same time air conditioning became popular in the 1970s, the oil boom revolutionized the city. With construction rising from the rooftops – literally leading up to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building – developers commissioned futuristic structures made of steel, concrete and glass.
However, the world has changed since then, with rising global temperatures being one of the most significant changes. Glass buildings trap heat, and the city has seen a surge in air conditioning use, with temperatures often reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the hottest months.
Statista reports that by 2022, the UAE will rank sixth in the world in per capita electricity consumption. The region is also among the most affected by the planet’s rising temperatures, and the more air conditioners rely on highly polluting fuels to keep buildings cool, the greater the demand for energy. This, in turn, will intensify global warming, creating a vicious cycle.
While some countries, such as Spain and the UK, are changing working hours to keep workers away from buildings during the hottest times of the day, architects in Dubai are changing the buildings themselves.
According to the Times, Dubai is the first city in the Middle East to receive Platinum certification from the Leadership in Urban Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, and currently has nearly 400 LEED certification programs.
Architects are working to combine the latest technology with ancient techniques from before the advent of air conditioning to make buildings more sustainable.
Scientists at universities such as Washington State University are working to perfect passive cooling systems with designs that include moving buildings away from the sun, incorporating natural ventilation based on wind patterns, and incorporating traditional Islamic architecture, such as perforated panels that mimic traditional Egyptian screens, to create Shades, of course, also minimize the use of glass.
However, as architect Todd Reisz points out, as temperatures continue to rise in Dubai, old practices are of limited effectiveness.
“It’s a different time and a different place,” he told The Times. “The temperatures are higher. The wind patterns are changing, the currents are changing. So we can’t really talk about the total return, but maybe we can talk about the relationship of humans to their surroundings.”
Rob Cooke, director of sustainability at Buro Happold, an engineering consultancy serving clients in the Middle East, further noted that for every sustainable building built in Dubai, more and more continue to Ignoring climate change, he considers it “a fundamental problem.” ”
Rice believes that more important than building sustainable skyscrapers is investing in walkable cities, which have been shown to benefit human health and the environment.
“How much can we do with technology,” he said, “and to what extent do we need to think about changing the way we live?”
Making small changes to the way we live, such as walking or taking public transport, and reducing our reliance on dirty energy and single-use plastics will help make Dubai and the world a cooler place.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improve our lives and save our planet.
[ad_2]
Source link