Hi Prefab Skyscrapers Reach for the Heavens Reshaping HVAC! Da Vinci Tower! Dubai!.

Hi Prefab Skyscrapers Reach for the Heavens Reshaping HVAC! Da Vinci Tower! Dubai!.

Keeping an eye on the future is an important part of being successful in one's industry; in our case, the HVAC industry where the building industry is a primary driver of air-conditioning system design, technologies and materials.

Most recently we have been following the China Sky City project to build the world's tallest building, 220 stories with prefabricated modules built in advance in factories and assembled in record time and at significant cost savings. 

The project has run into a number of delays including a quality issue with concrete, a "hold" put on the project due to concern over "ugliness" and re-evaluation of construction plans which have caused revision of the construction phase to go from 90 days to a current build cycle estimate of 4 months.

As Sky City struggles in China a new project in Dubai, the Da Vinci Tower, has been proposed that goes beyond in many ways.

First, it is not taller at "only" 78 floors, but it uses unique factory built modules and employs a fourth dimension of movement with time; each floor rotates independent from other floors (voice activated control on each floor, or controlled centrally according to a specific schedule, or the building can be stationary for a period of time then "redesigned" for a new look).

The Da Vinci Tower is part of the Dynamic Architecture movement which has been evolving over the last few decades. The earliest known high-rise was built in Brazil at the turn of the century.

The Tower's circular core will be site-poured concrete with the pie shaped factory built modules of offices, air-conditioning equipment, plumbing and domestic water, utilities, etc. that will be lifted/guided into place as each floor is "built". A 30 percent reduction in building cost is projected by designers as well as shorter build cycles.

The Da Vinci Tower is totally energy self sustaining and will actually generate additional energy to power four additional buildings nearby using solar panels and a unique system of 77 turbines placed horizontally between each floor. Building controls will be using the latest SMART Technologies in the building industry.

How might this affect HVAC system design and operation (and operating costs?). How do you design a system when the conditioned space can have an infinite number of locations affecting solar load. What control freedom would there be between occupants on the same floor?... on different floors?...some of the questions being discussed right now.

From an OEM standpoint how will this affect the systems and components required to meet a wider range of loads and operating conditions? Will new requirements in sound, vibration, weight, size... require new technologies or cause a shift in the use of current technologies and materials? How will maintenance need to change? Does system reliability need to move to a higher level?

'Watch the four and a half minute Dynamic Architecture Video for more about the trend and the Da Vinci Tower project.

Video 1: David Fisher - Dynamic Architecture - The Vision.