Looking for cultural response and sustainability in the design of a high-rise tower in the Middle East

Middle Eastern culture has exhibited for generations various fundamental principles of sustainable ways of living. It is the intention of this design to revive and utilize these fundamental principles into a modern design of an 80-story residential tower in Dubai. The main goal in this design is to create an innovative and next generation sustainable tower design specifically for the Middle East by taking advantage of cutting-edge technologies while respecting the traditional way of living that reflects the cultural roots. Issues discussed in this paper are: • Comparing the Environmental effect on Middle Eastern culture and its relation to architecture, such as the open glazing concept offering view and daylight penetration strategies of western culture versus the traditional solid masonry walls and wide use of mashrabias in Middle Eastern cultures • Middle Eastern cultural response to a high-rise building An example of a high-rise tower design that brings the idea of Islamic and Middle Eastern culture; Cultural adaptation of high-rise living style from the low-rise (Eight story low-rise living to high-rise living) Unique floor plan shape, offering shading and traditional masonry appearance Importance of green space and its application to high-rise buildings Modern adaptation of traditional mashrabia for solar protection and privacy • Conclusions on sustainable tower design.