Dubai Tower of Sustainable Power

Dubai, the Las Vegas-like playground located on the desert shores of the United Arab Emirates, consumes an astounding amount of energy — especially in the summer, as nearly 60 percent of commercial and residential energy goes into air conditioning. But thankfully there is still room for energy-efficient building designs in this oil-rich region.

The latest design by UAE architect Robert Ferry combines exquisite form with high-tech function. His solar-concentrating skyscraper, the Almeisan Tower, is still just a design on paper but promises to up the ante on truly green urban design. First of all, its gorgeous design includes an observation deck with a cafe on top and other facilities down below; but it requires no energy, produces no emissions and will have zero waste.

Almeisan is the Arabic name for one of the brightest stars in the night sky and a reference to the tower's solar-concentrating technology. Energy from the sun is reflected by 224 heliostats (specialized mirrors) and aimed onto a central receiver at the top of the tower, which heats a vessel of liquid sodium to 500 degrees Celsius. The heated liquid generates steam, which drives a turbine. This promises to generate enough power for the tower, as well as some extra juice for neighboring structures (an estimated 600 kW total).

The tower design also boasts a passive cooling system, with the help of natural vegetation, as an online article by GizMag explains "eight wind piers passively cool the area by drawing the hot air to openings 110 meters above the ground, where the winds and cooler air create a chimney effect."

Unfortunately, according to that article, the tower design was not the winning entry in a competition to design an aesthetically prominent structure in Dubai's Za'abeel Park. But who knows, maybe another sun-drenched city known for its flamboyant buildings will be interested in greening its energy-sucking reputation.