X–Architects of Dubai have designed an urban complex called Xeritown that aims to be a more sustainable mode of development than recent projects in the emirate.
The development, proposed for the emerging Dubailand urban district, aims to encourage a pedestrian-orientated lifestyle and minimise energy consumption.
The following information is from X–Architects:
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Xeritown
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Xeritown is located in Dubailand, a new extension of the city towards the inland desert. Instead of considering the site as a Tabula Rasa “Xeritown” takes the desert and local climate as a context within which the urban form emerges by working with the natural environment instead of against it.
The project Xeritown aims are:
- to consider environmental conditions (wind, sun, humidity) as generators of the urban form,
- to integrate landscape, architecture and infrastructure in one system where all the parts collaborate to create a socially rich environment,
- to consider sustainable design as an approach that permeates the entire design process, and not as simply finding technical solutions in the final phases,
- to encourage a pedestrian-orientated lifestyle in a city which is strongly car-oriented and minimize energy consumption through active and passive means at an urban level as well as user level,
- to conserve ecological resources like water, soil, flora and fauna to enhance the bio-diversity.
LEAD DESIGNER
X-Architects
Collaborators:
SMAQ (Dubai),
Johannes Grothaus + Partners Landscape Architects (Potsdam/Dubai)
Renderings: LeBalto, Marc Pouzol.
Reflexion (Zurich)
Buro Happold (London/Dubai)
Commissioner/Developer: Dubai Properties (Dubai).
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Posted by Rose Etherington
July 11th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
the human scale design have been achieved for the residential blocks. I am not sure about the overall style though. the interior style of the shopping area is out of date.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
At last! Some sensible thinking coming out of Dubai. This is what the US should have done rather than the foolish McMansions in far out exurbia rapidly becoming uninhabitable. The roof of the pedestrian pathways looks questionable but one assumes some clever technology to minimize heat gain while providing illumination and comfort.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
finally something good in Dubai ,
July 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
OMFG! UGHH
July 11th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Cant you kind of say whatever you want about these renderings? As well as calling it sustainable couldn’t they also say it aids the cure of cancer? Just as believable without any diagrams, proof, etc.
The circle packing in the first rendering is hilarious.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
why, in the name of God/Allah, is it sustainable to build more shoppingmalls and a second or third housing for rich people?
Nice project, but there is an encreasing sence of dobblestandard, growing fast, in Dubai nowadays…
“-let`s make an appartment-tower, that i self-sufficient”… for whom, i ask?
July 12th, 2008 at 12:02 am
beautiful!
July 12th, 2008 at 12:37 am
i think this could be really good. but the renderings are not heading in that “good” direction.
how come we get so few details? “sustainable,” “pedestrian-oriented,” and “resources” are such vague descriptions.
the way to understand/present a project like this is a document (text and images), not just pretty pictures.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:12 am
oh whats the word, you know the one, ummmm, doh!
oh yeah FUGLY! thats it!
as in U-L-G-Y you aint got no alibi
You get where the F comes from Im sure.
just cos you cover a box with psuedorganic designs doesnt mean its not still an ugly box, or indeed series of boxes.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:56 am
very indegnous approach ,all architects gone to dubai
July 12th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I don’t think this is something interesting. It seems not so different from al madinat jumeirah…an already existing district in Dubai. The one adjacent to Burj al Arab.
Now doing lower density settlements is so different from the “bigness” around the city that it could appear fashionable but I think, in fact, there’s nothing interesting, innnovative or just minded, about those.
July 12th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
The concept is definitely interesting - need lots of luck getting it implemented right.
July 13th, 2008 at 12:04 am
This kind of urban tissue takes tens, hundrets of years to develop. That’s why wherever you find them they are succesfull. It’s a great gamble they’re playng by planting it complete from the start. I’m quite curious if it will work.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I’m Sorry, but isn’t this a bit like, or even, exctremely similar to, the Masdar Development by Fosters?!!
Down to the Ceiling that provides shade/light and the patterned wall and the ‘eco-friendly living’.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Is that river natural? Fresh water? What’s the carbon footprint of just getting water there to flow (and evaporate) for purely cosmetic reasons?
July 17th, 2008 at 5:50 am
google “masdar”
July 17th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
el diseño es muy simple y bano para lo que es el nuevo, moderno y futuristico medio oriente, Dubai. el color esta horrible.
July 26th, 2008 at 7:33 am
what are the strange levitating circles in the first pic meant to be?
July 31st, 2008 at 8:25 am
Night scene shows the amount of lighting pollution this project shall bring
August 21st, 2008 at 5:37 pm
madinat jumeirah (to Antonio Conroy) is privately owned and in use just for tourists and buisnessmen hosted there. For example the boats there are guest only use. It doesn’t reprezent a genuine public space. It’s a Disneyland. This at least wants to be a public space.