The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has announced the winners of ‘Cool Abu Dhabi’, a global design competition. The competition was an open invitation to designers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, material fabricators, educators, researchers, students, artists and interdisciplinary teams, to design creative ideas to tackle climate change and provide solutions for the urban heat island effect in Abu Dhabi. Over 300 well conceived entries were received from 67 countries. We would like to thank all the participants for their entries and congratulate the winning entries and honorable mentions. The ten winning entries will receive $10,000 each in prize money and all participants will receive a certificate of appreciation.
Winning Entries
Leafy
Sinan Gunay, Nurhayat Oz, Irfan Ertis
Istanbul, Turkey
Jury Comments
"Leafy" is a clever, playful, and dynamic proposal that marries outdoor thermal comfort and public art. It does so through a multi-layered approach to outdoor thermal comfort by proposing a shade structure inspired by plants. It beautifully folds into lamps at night allowing for a great visual delight and the night cooling of the space. Though structurally challenging, this ambitious proposal is achievable and can become a signature for the Abu Dhabi public realm given how it can negotiate a series of scales and can be deployed in different contexts.
Salt & Shades
Dr. Ali Sedki, Dr. Neveen Hamza, Dr. Mostafa Khalifa, Dr. Mohammed Mahgoob, Eng. Mohammad Riad Al Halaby
Egypt
Jury Comments
"Salt & Shades" is a strong material proposition to use waste salt from desalination as a desiccant to reduce humidity and improve outdoor thermal comfort. The proposal creates salt pounds and columns with fog net shade structures as a composite system to create a distinct design aesthetic for the space while meeting thermal comfort objectives. Though singular in its strategy around salt, the proposal provides a rigorous research base and is a very strong and intriguing proposal worth further consideration in Abu Dhabi
Aquapods
Snono Studio: Luca Fraccalvieri, Ahmad Nouraldeen, Rudy Spiridon, Francesco Angiulli
Santeramo in Colle, Italy
Jury Comments
"Aquapods" is based on the biomimicry of Fenestraria plants to create a unique set of pods as a defining structure of the design. Combined with highly reflective canopies that fold at night to allow for night cooling, and adiabatic pots with nature that protect the space from hot winds, this proposal adopts a multi-layered approach to create an optimal outdoor thermal comfort. Ultimately, the proposal also creates a space that is very pleasant and comfortable, while providing an ease of construction.
Sa'af Al-Nakheel
Amna AlHashimi
United Arab Emirates
Jury Comments
Sa'af Al-Nakheel is built around using the traditional dried palm fronds or 'Areesh' as a primary identity for the project. The project follows a multi-layered approach by creating comprehensive canopy and vertical walls filled with interwoven areesh and courtyards filled with planting. Water is deployed strategically in shaded areas for enhancing comfort through evaporative cooling. The overall aesthetic of combining a modern structure made of steel and with interwoven traditional areesh is at once striking and elegant.
Sky
Marjan Ghobad
Germany
Jury Comments
"Sky" intelligently identifies and takes advantage of the sky during the day. The proposition devises a sky kaleidoscope – a playful canopy structure that is specifically designed to capture the available sky throughout the year that is free of direct sun by using strong technical analysis. Though it requires further architectural resolution, it is an interesting take on thermal isolation to create an effective micro-climate.
PKSTH
Öznur Pınar ÇER, Danilo PETTA, Derya GENÇ, Tuğçe ÇER, Sarje NAGDA
Wiesbaden, Germany
Jury Comments
”PKSTH” is a conceptually strong landscape design proposal that creates a distinctive and almost forest-like spatial experience of being immersed in nature within a bustling city. It is one of the few proposals that integrate innovation with landscape and strikes an optimal balance between the built and the naturally grown oasis. By integrating traditional and native tree species, the proposal has the potential to achieve good thermal comfort and create a cooling microclimate.
Circadian Clouds
Muhammad Obaid, Maha Khalil, Dana Hamdan
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Jury Comments
"Circadian Clouds" is a conceptually simple, high technology idea. It skillfully creates an ephemeral, floating shade structure that is independent of infrastructure and utilities. The motivation behind the idea of using individual, autonomous units that could aggregate actively in different configurations to provide comprehensive shading not only to the space but also building surfaces and as such reduce both direct and indirect radiation is very powerful. While architecturally underdeveloped the concept of a floating chandelier has the potential to also become a beautiful public art element.
Architecture of the Void
Lara Abi Saber, Michel Abi Saber, Sarah Abi Saber
Beirut, Lebanon
Jury Comments
“Architecture of the Void” while deceptive in its name is a clever combination of both traditional souks and courtyards. It achieves a good level of outdoor thermal comfort using the arcade to provide low angle shading, strong planting program including gaaf trees, and somewhat ambitious roof gardens. The elevated tier also offers opportunities for enjoying public space at night. With its balance of built form and landscape with a great exploration of programmatic possibilities, this proposal is very distinctive in its character.
Baths of Our Times
Daniel Czyszczoń
Kraków, Poland
Jury Comments
"The Baths of our times" simultaneously creates both a playful and reflective space that is focused on individual expression rather than simply creating a congregational space. Also, it is intelligently oriented to maximize the cooling potential of the space by blocking out the harsh western sun and northwestern winds. Besides, it is technologically a sound proposal that aims to optimize a new form of energy production- geothermal energy. The design proposal is reminiscent of 'sikkak' in Abu Dhabi, the pedestrian alleyways that are proven to work as cool spaces, but adapts it into an urban space. The form, texture, and color of the proposition are also reflective of local vernacular character of Abu Dhabi.
Arqoob
Fatma Oualha
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Jury Comments
'Arqoob' creates a distinctive canopy structure that combines both vertical and horizontal shading with fog collection opportunities. This hanging canopy with its variable depth, at times, engages users below in imaginative ways such as acting as a swing. The comprehensive multi-layered strategy proposed here also incorporates planting and radiative cooling of the ground. Overall, the image of this project is quite distinctive and playful.
Honorable Mentions
01. Yamaa
Shamsa AlMaeeni
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
02. Origins
Team Members: Mohammad Hossein Mohammad Pour Parcheh bafi, Sajjad Navidi
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
03. Abu Dhabi's Urban Cool Corridor
Team Members: Shashank Jain, Integration (MEP Services Engineers), Ibrahim Diaz (Landscape Consultant), Arch 4D Ltd. (Renders and visualisations), Soham De (Artist), ENVI-met (Software technical support), Sonia Guha
London, United Kingdom
04. Urban-Cascade
Team Members: Osama Abou-Samra, Majida Malo
Paris, France
05. Urban Dunes
Team Members: Maurizio Barberio, Micaela Colella, Angelo Figliola
Bari, Italy
06. Shadow Shelter
Team Members: Julio Jesús Palomino Anguí, Julio Palomino Abreu, Margarita Luxan Garcia De Diego
Guadalajara, Spain
07. Wahat
Claudio C. Araya, Nada Asadullah, Laura Catra
Netherlands
08. The Evaplaza System
Christopher Burman, Joseph Augustin
London, United Kingdom
09. Abu Dhabi Skins - (Bio)Reactive Urbanscape
Leonardo Zanatta
Brazil