Kalbod Studio Unveils Sandstorm Absorbent Skyscrapers With 25 of Them Planned For Dubai

If you have ever visited Dubai or any other city in the United Arab Emirates, especially in the spring and summer, you are aware of the impact of sandstorms, the normal rhythm of the city slows down and depending on the extent of the sandstorm, the entire city can be disrupted. Not to mention, sandstorms increase respiratory issues and contamination of the air and water from debris and pathogens that travel along in the storm.

Dubai is known as a haven for innovative solutions to pressing issues and Kalbod Architecture Studio, has unveiled its Sandstorm Absorbent Skyscraper that will attempt to study and mitigate this inherent desert behavior. The company hopes to design structures with the goal of merging creativity and technology to develop a workable remedy for sandstorms in Dubai.

In addition to improving Dubai’s weather, the Absorbent Sandstorm Skyscraper’s of which 25 are planned for the Dubai Skyline will be constructed in an area that will be used as a research base to study and better understand these storms in order to develop more effective solutions in the future.

The skyscraper’s primary facilities are covered by a glass structure that progressively rises from the ground. The 25 buildings that will make up the Absorbent Sandstorm Skyscraper project, features an open embrace-like shape that help them to trap dust particles.

Research have shown the electrical charge of sand particles. As a result, the tower’s basic construction is made up of two large holes that use magnetism to capture soil particles and neutralize their electrical charge. According to the storm’s severity, the smart panels within the holes will open to a certain level once sand particles enter the cavities and bind to them. Finally, all of the particles electric charge is removed twice to guarantee that all of them have been neutralized.

For sustainability, installing sand batteries in the tower’s facilities is being considered, which can store energy for several months and be used even in other regional buildings. More than one skyscraper is needed to control sandstorms. So Kalbod is hoping that the presence of 25 towers on the site, which will overlap and integrate the function of each other, is more than enough to get the project off the ground.