Designed by Turkish architectural design studio Hayri Atak, this unique skyscraper design set in Dubai seeks inspiration from vertical wind turbines to generate electricity.
1. ‘Squall Tower’
The Dubai skyline could get even more futuristic with the latest skyscraper concept designed by Turkish architect Hayri Atak. The concept is designed to physically rotate as the wind blows, according to a press release provided by the architect. The project, named ‘Squall Tower’, was announced by Atak in 2021, featuring a floor area of 120.000 square meters and a site area of 4.000 square meters.
“Squall tower is basically a concept project formed by combining 3 different parameters in the most appropriate way. In this sense, there is a carrier and aesthetic spine some vertical surfaces attached to it and an unstable platform on which surfaces sit,” explained Atak when presenting his project on Instagram.
2. Electricity-generation
Even if Dubai is not particularly struggling with an energy crisis, the very idea of having a skyscraper that rotates with the wind, thus producing electricity, is remarkably innovative and definitely sustainable in the long-term. The concept, which was designed by Atak, and his colleagues Kaan Kılıçdağ, Büşra Köksal, and Kübra Türk, is a project that combines three different parameters in the most appropriate way. Its vertical wind turbines, in contrast to skyscrapers resisting the wind’s strength, allows the tower to move in uniform with its environment.
Squall Tower pic.twitter.com/3o292GCpw1
— Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio (@_haads_) March 20, 2021
Atak told Interesting Engineering that the tower will be able to act independent of the wind direction and generate electrical energy thanks to its rotation. The tower is designed to have a helipad on top of it to allow regulars and visitors to access it from the top. Its rotating entrances on the base will enable people to access the structure’s rotating towers.
3. Slow and fixed speed
Future inhabitants of the ‘Squall Tower’ won’t feel the building moving. The tower comes with three ribbon-shaped segments that are designed to spin slowly, at a fixed speed. The segments will twist around a central axis, with numerous branches connecting everything together. Rotation with minimal drag will be possible thanks to the streamlined design of each ribbon’s cross-section.
With the help of the platform on which it sits the structure which can turn around itself with the effect of wind will constantly create new perspectives for its users and reveals a unique experience.
Hayri Atak, Architect
A single rotation will be completed once every 48 hours, with or without wind. As many rotating restaurants do, the tower will be enabling its occupants to have a complete view of Dubai.
Despite the marvelous engineering behind the ‘Squall Tower’ there remains a bridge to be crossed between design and execution before something as contemplative and visionary as the ‘Squall Tower’ might become a reality.
