Tarek Fahmy: Cultural Critic

Article Title: Dubai: High rises with techie appeal
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From hydrogen fuel cells to UV-filtering windows, Dubai’s soaring new developments incorporate the most cutting-edge technologies. Graham Norwood reports

Interesting Facts About Dubai:

• “Dubai only gets 6 per cent of its revenue from oil, so it is more conscious than one may think about the cost of energy. ”

• “Two thirds of buyers (real-estate) in Dubai are from outside of the Middle East according to research by the Dubai-based MAG Group Property Development company.”

• 70% of Dubai’s population are foreigners.

Article Title: City on the Gulf: Koolhaas Lays Out a Grand Urban Experiment in Dubai
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“Designed for one of the biggest developers in the United Arab Emirates, Nakheel, Mr. Koolhaas’s master plan for the proposed 1.5-billion-square-foot Waterfront City in Dubai would simulate the density of Manhattan on an artificial island just off the Persian Gulf. A mix of nondescript towers and occasional bold architectural statements, it would establish Dubai as a center of urban experimentation as well as one of the world’s fastest growing metropolises.”

Articel Title: Dubai plans ‘moving’ skyscraper
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The world’s first moving building, an 80-storey tower with revolving floors giving a shifting shape, will be built in Dubai, its architect says.

SLIDE SHOW for the previous NY Times article.