The Shield House

The "Shield House" is a project designed for the "House of the Future" competition, aiming to craft a contemporary living template for Emirati citizens that aligns with Dubai's architectural ethos and cultural identity. The project seeks to address the challenges of transitioning from fossil fuels to sustainability by avoiding the demolition of existing structures, thereby reducing carbon emissions and integrating cultural heritage into contemporary living spaces.

Key features and strategies of the project include:

Definition: The project is defined as "Creating a sectional, protective shield against resource depletion".

Plug-in System: Beyond being a blueprint for future residences, the Shield House offers a transformative plug-in system for existing constructions, which saves significant costs and reduces carbon emissions.

Design Inspiration: The shield's design is fashioned from four main curves rooted in the ground, each representing a pivotal resource provider: HVAC, water, heating, and electricity. The design is further inspired by the palm tree's structural elements, including buried mechanisms, surface-level storage, and resource distribution, integrating sustainability into the functional columns.

Climate Mitigation: The shield's distinct, curvilinear form atop a flat roof is designed to strategically minimize direct sunlight exposure, enveloping the building and mitigating overheating.

Ventilation and Cooling: By integrating peak points of the shield as wind-catchers, the design optimizes airflow toward column No. 1, favoring west-northwest winds to amplify natural ventilation. This integrates with a geothermal mechanism that utilizes temperature variance between the earth and external air to regulate building temperatures naturally.

Geothermal Mechanism: Embedded approximately 6 meters deep, underground tubes function as a natural heat exchanger to regulate the building's internal temperature, with a thermostatic control system that optimizes energy use by allowing the ground to regenerate during unnecessary cooling periods.