The Cloud is a speculative design for a resort city elevated 300 metres in the air above Dubai and supported on slanting legs resembling rain.
Designed by Nadim Karam of Lebanese architect Atelier Hapsitus, the concept was presented at the International Design Forum in Dubai last month.
We’ll update this post with more information about the project soon. Update 18/06/07: below is some text about the project from Atelier Hapsitus, plus details of the new book about The Cloud:
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The Cloud, the Desert and the Arabian breeze
At the forefront of the few cities today experiencing exponential growth, Dubai is the ultimate city of mutation. Within its constantly-changing scenery and infinite growth-scale, Dubai needs a dream expressing its current transient phase. If cities can dream, does Dubai have a dream?
The Cloud of Dubai is one of a series of Gulf region projects created by Nadim Karam and Atelier Hapsitus. It is inspired by the nomads, whose lives were defined by the rigours of their relation to sun, water and sand, and whose travels followed the borderless movement of clouds. The Cloud is a trip, a playful adventure in the city. It is a horizontal presence on an elevated platform, an antithesis to the sum of skyscrapers spreading over the entire region. The Cloud is a dream, suspended between artificiality and reality.
Above: plan
Above: plan sketch
Above: section
An essentially sustainable project standing at a height of approximately 300 metres, the Cloud is a 20000m2 landscape-in-the-sky comprising a lake, gardens, rotating bridges, spiraling walkways and terraces, an auditorium and sky-sports platform. The Cloud is approached on ground level from an esplanade with a pool reflecting a forest of inclined columns reaching up to the huge, translucent floating island. Access to the Cloud is gained through a few non-inclined tubular shafts, which double as structural support. In collaboration with ARUP AGU (Advanced Geometry Unit), significantly creative technological solutions are being developed for its realization.
Published in May 2007 by Booth-Clibborn Editions, London, 2007, ‘The Cloud, the Desert and the Arabian Breeze’ by Nadim Karam & Atelier Hapsitus presents the Cloud through a narrative whose protagonist explores Dubai, seeking a dream for the city.
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Posted by Marcus Fairs
wow… this would be amazing!
June 14th, 2007 at 3:43 am.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:25 pm.
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IMPRE$$IONANTE!!!
O QUE MAIS ESTE PESSOAL VAI INVENTAR?
ESPERO QUE SEJA CONSTRUÃ?DO O QUANTO ANTES.
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June 14th, 2007 at 12:35 pm.
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IMPRE$$IVE!!!
WHAT MORE THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO INVENT?
I HOPE IT WOULD BE BUILT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
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such a great idea, i hope this get built. UAE has the real visions
June 14th, 2007 at 10:03 pmIts wonderfull. but you youd check the winner of the 2006 Architecture competition of ChanChan organized by Arquitectum, it handles a similar concept.
June 17th, 2007 at 12:41 amDon’t be ridiculous. How is this helping the energy/climate crisis? It is rubbish!
June 18th, 2007 at 6:34 amTypical postmodernist BS.
— Faye Kane, homeless smartmouth — see more of my smartmouth opinions at blog.myspace.com/fayekane
June 18th, 2007 at 8:53 amugly … ugly
June 18th, 2007 at 1:01 pmIt’s going to look pretty lame after the structural engineer gets a hold of it and adds the lateral bracing to those columns.
June 18th, 2007 at 1:13 pmWhen people cant distinguish between cartoon/metaphor & architectural vision/work of art,it’s a sign of rancid decadence. It’s not even funny! How disappointing & sad.
June 18th, 2007 at 2:54 pmon 2nd thought,it may just work…if the author/client grew a super-bean & hire a giant for a tenant.best of luck.
June 18th, 2007 at 3:49 pmI can’t figure out why the architect did not design the emergency stairwells in a zig-zag “lightning” pattern. Perhaps he thought that would be “too much”.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:06 pm……………pie in the sky………
June 19th, 2007 at 2:20 amSo silly that it’s almost cool!
June 19th, 2007 at 11:02 amIt doubles as a cricket ground too?
June 19th, 2007 at 12:11 pmThis is a wonderful concept, but in reality, it is extremely flawed. According to the plans, there would have to be massive weight shifts so that the thing will not come crumbling down killing everyone. For another, there would have to be at least one major brace going the opposite way of the others, That does not completely eliminate it, but maybe they could make it look cool, like have a lightening bolt shoot out of the far edge and make it a support, you know? Lastly, there was no way mentioned about how to get up there. An elevator would be logical, but that would be a tad awkward, and may even screw up the magical look of it. For another thing, if people are going to live up there, they would have to be either a) self sufficient, which is hard to do on unnatural earth, and high in the air, or b) have a almost constant supply of materials coming up to them. Remember the Berlin airlift? One city. They had to have planes landing every 3 minutes completely stocked with supplies to keep the people somewhat decently nourished.
Dreams like this are all good, but with our current materials and such, it is highly unlikely any of this can happen.
June 19th, 2007 at 6:14 pmAn impractical pipedream…consider the massive wiring, pumps to move water up, plumbing waste pipes, and enormous air conditioning equipment (remember, this is Dubai) and assurance that the structure will be cyclone proof. I see it evolving to a fancy bar or nightclub with much lower capacity but very high cover charge!
June 20th, 2007 at 10:29 amSince money is no object, they will be using Anti-gravity units for each column.
June 20th, 2007 at 12:49 pmthis is egomaniac folly
June 20th, 2007 at 12:51 pmThis is cool, but it is flawed as said before.
June 20th, 2007 at 5:41 pmIf it would actually work..then it’d be pretty cool.
But, clearly, a building..shaped like a cloud 900feet in the air, and only colums to support it?
It’ll go crashing down..and kill all the guests.
I would want to see that. But not be in it…
never has ‘pie in the sky’ been a more appropriate phrase. audacious concept, totally impractical, but ten out of ten for imagination. why not build it in 2nd life? I like the look of Dubai in architectural drawings, but to visit? nah, keep it.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:14 pmvery unnecessary !! huh
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:34 amat first i thought is was a cheeky, superstudio-type proposal. haha that clever, a rain cloud in dubai. then i realized that ARUP is working on it. we might actually see this thing go up.
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:57 pmi agree with the egomaniac folly statement. how is a resort city “essentially sustainable”? this design claims to be inspired by the nomads, but isn’t the whole dubai construction explosion exploiting the poor for labor and destroying the ability for nomadic lifestyles to exist in the region? in my mind, as architects we are creators of environments for humanity and thus have an enormous social responsibility. i find designing resort cities for the wealthy to be morally reprehensive.
June 24th, 2007 at 6:13 pmOne word: PLANES!
June 26th, 2007 at 12:23 amjuvenile and tacky, but then again so is the man-made ‘palm tree island’.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:35 pmAn interesting idea.
Like most ‘interesting ideas’ I doubt it’ll get built, at least not recognizably. However it does highlight the transformation of structures resulting from improved materials, computer-based engineering analysis, and some customers willing to invest buckets of money in prestige structures.
I do look forward to other, more modest, executions of this idea.
June 26th, 2007 at 5:31 pmOh! So that’s what they need all of that money for!
June 26th, 2007 at 5:34 pmLast week’s issue of “The New Yorker” had an article on Cecil Balmond, the chief engineer at Arup. I can guarantee you that if Arup’s AGU designed this, than any structural flaws you all think you see have been addressed already. Those people are geniuses, and Balmond leads the vanguard.
That being said, it just seems such a revolting waste of money and an example of senseless excess. At least it’s prettier than that silly housing development made in the bay in the shape of a palm tree…
June 27th, 2007 at 6:44 pmI have seen this from its inception and I know it will work - watch this space.
June 29th, 2007 at 1:36 pm..these days anything can be built;even a space holiday-resort is but a yawn..Sufficient funding can attract super scientists\technicians to construct resort stars & moons to waltz around dying Earth,blinkinking to eternity.
July 4th, 2007 at 5:48 pmWhat a piece of crap!! What a waste of money and hard work
July 7th, 2007 at 1:51 pmjajaja very awesome, cery creative
July 7th, 2007 at 5:16 pmOHHH, que bonito!!
July 8th, 2007 at 5:06 pmvaya pandilla de cometronchos que estais hechos…
Dis is crazy. Dubai haz to by WEPONSSS to fait de imperialism of de United Estates, not bild dis crazy tings. WEPANS, TANKS, AIRPLENS haf to by… like me.
July 9th, 2007 at 5:09 amdubai es una nota en una vaina asi es que deberian pensar los maricones chavista para desarrollar el turismo por toda venezuela y no en estar haciendo ballet rosado y todas esas mariqueras super gay que hacen pero les queda poco dios le debe tener su castigo reservado a poco tiempo de entrega
July 10th, 2007 at 6:44 pmWell anything new and novel is often criticised and hated when first begun to be brought out in the open. Like was the Eifel tower this is innovation and am all for it. Way to go ppl….
July 11th, 2007 at 12:58 pmOH FFS its stupid,and it would/will probably kill a lot of people in a collapse.
“lets make islands that look like palmtrees..oops its harder than we thought!”
July 12th, 2007 at 9:57 amBuck the Middle Feast.
July 12th, 2007 at 3:33 pmRemember this was a competition of ideas, not reality. If someone thought this idea was worth solidifying into a reality than you have creativity at its best.
July 15th, 2007 at 2:42 pmI’m not sure I would want to vacation there though.
To call this “essentially sustainable” indicates a profound lack of understanding of what sustainability means. I’d like to see all that creativity focused on creating something truly sustainable - that would be “cutting edge”.
July 16th, 2007 at 6:04 pmmoon (and we know *whose* planes) and f.bfg had same initial reaction i had (though Karen’s comment about arup is intriguing).
Me: it’s somewhat good, because an uncommon concept. and concepts can lead to real work eventually.
i see the most immediate real potential as an expensive, albeit still ridiculously expensive, shade structure for more ‘conventional’ structure below.
even as shown, presumably the ground level area would be more populated than depicted.
July 18th, 2007 at 9:01 amwithout yet looking up the arup reference, i recalled that deep sea drilling platforms have some trusswork near the platform, but i believe their pilings run a long ways to ocean floor with no further cross bracing. and while the ocean provides buoyancy to underwater parts, the ocean currents also impart huge forces to the underwater parts. so if oil income can pay for platform structures, perhaps it can pay for this Dubai Cloud structure
“more sustainable” in such a hot region would probably be earth insulated rather than aerial.
July 18th, 2007 at 9:09 ambtw, that brown fuzzy rendering seems an odd barbershop floor depiction. (or symbolizing smog?!)
In it’s own way this is cool, but I can’t help of think of Battle Angel Alita when I look at this (and if you don’t know the story, ‘google it’). If you’re that lazy you can’t be bothered, the first volume of the Battle Angel Alita manga is essentially about the lucky few who live in the ‘Sky City’ vs the masses who live below, in what literally is it’s dumping ground. This isn’t that extreme, but it’s heading in that direction, is it not? After all, were the very first skyscrapers not built for the very purpose of escaping the crap on the street? (Anyone who knows even a basic amount of architectural AND cultural history will know what I am talking about).
If they spent all the money they do on folly such as this on homeless and poor people instead, there would be much better living conditions for everyone, very few if any poor people, and the world in itself would be a much better place. But who am I kidding, if one has the massive capital to fund such frivolity, it’s unlikely one will care what fate belies the less fortunate mass.
I wonder what Yukito (creator of Battle Angel Alita) thinks of this…
July 18th, 2007 at 7:29 pmPut me on the list for a condo, lower level please. I know the view isn’t as good, but i dont want to have to walk up too many stairs.
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:18 amHonestly, this just feels obnoxious to me.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:40 amWhat a fantastic idea!
I could never imagine such an inventive way of killing poor immigrant construction workers…
November 18th, 2007 at 3:29 pmtotally different but cool!
November 19th, 2007 at 12:50 amGenial!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:39 amAccident in the Making!
November 19th, 2007 at 6:29 pmI bet my life this will never be built.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:15 amDubai is building these opulent structures to spur tourism
November 23rd, 2007 at 2:11 amthey will run out of oil(cash) in 3 years
too little too late i think,the local economy relies on near slavery now
when the oil stops flowing i predict Dubai will be swallowed up in the sand
I can’t wait to visit Dubai I love every thing I’ve seen there!!!!
from the team Inspirational Experiences
December 26th, 2007 at 5:08 pmfodaaaaaaaaaa-se
January 9th, 2008 at 7:47 pmif it gets built anywhere it will be in Dubai, artificial islands, artificial ski slopes now artificial cloud
January 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pmLol, I can’t help but think of the Jetsons when I see this structure. Wheres Elroy?
January 16th, 2008 at 3:29 pmwhat a brilliant bit of architecture. lets hope it happens
January 24th, 2008 at 5:03 pmLooks impressive architectually.
From an engineering point of view, unless the rain from the cloud falls vertically, its basically going to fall down in a cloud of dust.
February 28th, 2008 at 2:59 amHow many slaves, trapped on a few $ a month will it take to build this one?
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 amWow is that for real? Some realy amazing buildings are coming out of Dubai.
March 8th, 2008 at 12:32 pmThis is by far the Dumbest Architecture idea i have ever seen. This would be the worst eyesore and the creator should be shot in the face
March 13th, 2008 at 4:04 pmit looks wonderful and not an expert in order to state my opinion if this is possible or not….but since political views are arising in here and since I had working in the UAE for some time, I find I must point out to all that
March 18th, 2008 at 1:56 pm1. Yes it is a waiste of money and am sure the UAE could do so much more to help poor countries around the world, evenso, it is THEIR money and THEIRS ONLY and therefore cannot comment further.
2. The UAE is not all Middle East (something that most U.S. population don’t tend to know or even start to understand) and the UAE is making money from it’s oil, something that is essential to all and not from selling weapons worlwide, creating conflicts between nations and starting wars where so many people have lost their lives.
3. UAE is not stealing their capital from anyone but gaining it through trading it’s exports (making it clear once again)
4. Nothing wrong with making dreams even when sometimes not possible. Agree on manpower which is essential for projects similar to this one and the conditions they live in but all must know (I was working on a construction site for over a year), that these manpower firms have been established in the UAE by British & American businessmen.
5. Hopefully people may be able to dream of more practical and helpfull things and situations for the well being of humanity (prevention of starvation, stopping wars, etc.)
This would look great at about ~3-to-20 stories high connected and supported in some manner to a larger building. The “rain” could be have water made turbulent by mixing it with air (bubbles). Or it could be actually water let loose Vegas-style from the underside of the transparent cloud-shaped VIP bar that would be connected to some commercial building or hotel. Or a mixture of these solid and liquid sculptural elements…that would make for a nice spectacle along with a light show…ahem. I have a feeling it would end up being nicknamed “The Urinal”.
The originally proposed design would have so much torsion so as to be impossible no matter how many verticals(unless the main structure was 100-150m long with a substantial enough width). 300m up with no horizontal bracing for so small a structure is insanity.
More spit and wind from the desert.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:42 pmThis unique project is going to be executed by the end of year 2012 and there are more to come for my beloved Dubai. It is not oil that makes Dubai on what it is today, it all comes from a vision of a great man that is turning it into a beautiful reality… The best place to ever live!!!
April 13th, 2008 at 6:50 amRegards,
The Art of Building Team UAE-Dubai