Dubai Mulls Building Massive Space-Age Ring to Encircle World’s Tallest Building

• 12 September 2022
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An experimental architecture firm ZNera Space has proposed a conceptual design of a space-age ring structure to encircle the world’s tallest skyscraper the Burj Khalifa, according to CNN.

Known as Downtown Circle, the project is a massive five-storey circular structure showcasing urban planning in a wildly ambitious design combined with a series of mesmerizing illustrations.

The structure will sit 550m above street level and have a circumference of more than three kilometers. The ring would be supported by five huge pillars, with their bases located in empty lots,  that could potentially serve an additional purpose.

ZNera Space’s principal architects, Najmus Chowdry and Nils Remess envision Downtown Circle as a horizontal stroke against Dubai’s vertiginous, futuristic skyline of seemingly endless skyscrapers.

“We wanted to create a microclimate in Downtown and create a sort of envelope around the area to control the temperature and make it more liveable in hot weather,” said Chowdry. “You can use those vertical [pillars] as urban air purifiers.”

In Dubai, temperatures often exceed 40 degrees Celsius, and the architects want their design to set a new benchmark for sustainability in the region.

“The entire ceiling will be a stretch of solar panels,” said Chowdry. “What we also want to do is implement a technology that we have already used in a previous project, solar hydrogen cells.”

This technology uses solar energy to convert water into hydrogen which can then power the air conditioning and provide energy to the building.

The concept also proposes transportation options from one end to the other including an electric tram system that could reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour and infrastructure to accommodate sky taxis.

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