Concept
CONCEPT OF THE ARCHITECT
In Abu Dhabi, it is a neverending battle against the suns heat, mostly with airconditioning. The temperatures in July and August can reach till 48 degrees Celcius. Because of that reason, the Al Bahr towers got a unique second skin facade. The north side of the second skin is open because it never sees the sun.
The design is a new twist on an old Islamic tradition. It is inspired by Islamic patterns, called a `mashrabiya’, which protects the most exposed parts of the building. In history, the mashrabiya was also used to produce shade. This modern mashrabiya has been conceived as a dynamic façade which will open and close in response to the sun’s path, it will significantly reduce the solar heat gain and providing a more comfortable internal environment. By using the data of the sun’s path, it was possible to let the ‘umbrella’s’ respond to the path of the sun.
The frame of the mashrabiya components is a combination of aluminium and duplex stainless steel. It gives a high resistance against corosion, that is because the building is near the sea. The mash is made out of fyberglass, coated with a teflon based material. Most elements are 6 x 4 meters and weights more than 600 kilogram.
The mash wraps the whole building, only tq, north side is open because it will never see the sun. The south facing roofs of each tower incorpo-rate photo-voltaic cells, generating approxi-mately five percent of the total required energy from renewable energy sources.
EVOLUTIONARY ABOUT THE CONCEPT
The Masharabiya shading system — based on a traditional Arabic