Dubai is constructing a building that looks like a giant iPad and has so much technology it acts like 'Iron Man's armor'
The Pad is due to be opened later this year after a decade of work. The building is tilted at a 6.5 degree angle to mimic an iPod in a dock. It is the culmination of Law's "Cybertecture" philosophy to architecture.
"Some bricks are the old clay bricks and the concrete bricks, and then there are the new bricks, which are technology, the new bricks of new ideas, new strategies, new forms, new models, new typologies," Law said.
The Pad has 231 "intelligent" apartments with various features that enhance the capabilities of those who live in it, including health monitoring, air filters, and virtual reality walls. Law believes that in the future residents will be able to add features to their apartments in the way one downloads apps from Apple's App Store.
The lights and music in the apartment can be customized to mirror the moods of residents. For example, the lights can shift color if someone rings the doorbell, calls the phone, or a favorite television program is about to start.
Law sees The Pad as a next-level smart home where heating and security can be monitored from your smartphone. "You'll be able to really maintain or keep a relationship with your home," he said.
"Architecture is no longer just this piece of concrete that sits there," said Law. "We're all living a life where we've been tuned to interacting with the the environment, interacting through the internet."
Law calls his approach cybertecture, "a kind of philosophy about architecture and the way in which we build our model building and cities in the world, where I believe architecture with the old, big A is a little outdated now."
Cybertecture, according to Law, utilizes more than just architects. Instead, it requires the collaboration between architects, researchers, engineers, designers, and multimedia creators to make buildings that are "relevant for the world now."
The apartments have a feature called iReality, which is a virtual reality projection that can be linked with views 62 different world destinations. The wall can also be used to video chat with friends and family.
The bathroom includes smart features that allow it to monitor residents' weight, blood pressure, internal temperature, and other metrics to provide a snapshot of the resident's health on the mirror.
Law wanted his building to match an iPod by having "software inside that helps you curate the enjoyment of your life, your music, your photos."
"We are all connected through information technology," Law said. "You can't live in isolation with a piece of architecture anymore, so that architecture becomes in itself just like a mobile phone ..."
The building was originally due to open in 2010, but construction had to be paused because of economic difficulties. It will be completed in 2018.
The Pad isn't Law's only innovative project. For example, he has been working on the O-Pod — a 100-square foot apartment retro-fitted from a concrete water pipe that offers a small home for an affordable price to young renters in the high-cost city of Hong Kong.
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