Dubai's 014 is unique in every way

The 014 Building

Whilst the Burj Khalifa may dominate the skyline in Dubai, the 014 - a 22-storey building in the emirate's Business Bay - is guaranteed to turn heads.

Looking like a black and white block of Swiss cheese, the 014 building features a "perforated concrete façade that serves as a solar screen, letting in exceptional levels of light, air, and views through to the interior occupants."

It's unique design makes the 014 tower one of the most technically advanced and ecologically efficient buildings. Designed by Reiser and Umemoto (RUR) Architecture in New York, who also designed the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in China, the one-metre space between the façade and the building's glass surface acts as a chimney effect causing hot air to rise.

This has a cooling effect and reduces the building's energy consumption by approximately 30 percent. The solar shading also supports the 22 floors of the building - the floor slabs span from the core to the facade without columns.

"Monstrously complex"

"We wanted the character of the building to be different from the usual slick, curtain-walled buildings of Dubai," says Jesse Reiser, principal of New York architect Reiser + Umemoto. "We also wanted it to be column-free and have the solar shading as part of the building shell."

But why the shell in the first place?

Speaking to Building.co.uk, Reiser said, "The main motivation was for the external shell to act as a giant brise-soleil. The giant holes aren't glazed; rather there is secondary glazing that spans between floors one metre behind the main facade. Originally there was no gap between the exoskeleton and internal spaces, but detailing windows in the holes became monstrously complex."

With innovative building designs now seemingly grinding to a halt in Dubai, the 014 building look destined to now stand out among a sea of generic office buildings.

The tower has views of Dubai Creek, Burj Khalifa and Godolphin stables and will offer 165,000 square feet of office space and 6,500 square feet of retail space. Today, it was officially handed over to the owners, who will no doubt be able to benefit from the building's eco-credentials and uniqueness.

Relevant articles:

The cancelled Dubai mega-projects | 'Heart of Doha' begins construction | Work to recommence on The World?

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: