Jaddaf-Fascio

 Al Jaddaf is /was a historic area along Dubai Creek. When I first moved here it was a large expanse of sand where traditional Arab Dhows were built. Just how authentic the construction methods were, I wouldn't like to say. But it was a fascinating relic of old Dubai, before the incredibly rapid modernisation process began.

Jaddaf Waterfront was the choice for my Friday night out this week. It's still under development, but shaping up well and within striking distance of International City. I don't know what the Masterplanning guidelines are, but the styles range from contemporary takes on Arabic and Classical, to "irregular rhythms" modern. Breaking up the grid and varying the spacing of elements from floor to floor.

I don't know if there is a other name for this strategy, but it seems to be "of the moment" and works quite well in this kind of development. The colour palette ranges from off-white to strong ochres, contrasting well with the blue-grey reflective surfaces of glass and water.

You could suggest that this style has had its day as the backlash to globalism sets in. Maybe so, but the paradox of Dubai is that globalism is part of its local brand. It is an international city with laws in place to ensure that Emirati identity and control are never threatened.

These are policies that don't translate directly to Europe or North America, but surely have something to offer. Certainly I question the attitude of many who sneer at the Gulf States as some kind of affront to the "human rights" mantra of the EU.

Something about glass houses and stones perhaps. More importantly, for me, Dubai is a beacon of hope in a deeply troubled region.

 

The conference theme was Embracing Change. Time to stop grumbling and show what we can really do with BIM. Of course I took this to mean CLextending its reach beyond the narrow confines of commercial work. I unveiled my vision of "the way we build"... Studies of the history, technology and cultural meaning of selected buildings.

I chose three Office buildings from the twentieth century. Compare and contrast, like a modern day Bannister Fletcher, but with the passion of a Vincent Scully, a Lewis Mumford, or perhaps a Reyner Banham.

The three slides shown here were created with Revit. Off-label, experimental use to create diagrams, such as we might include in a concept design report. BIM from cradle to grave, not just a tool for production drawings.

As I remember, the continents are floor slabs and the passage of time is captured with phases. Pushing the boundaries.

 

2013 seems a long time ago. I still had a gigging band, but it was coming to an end. I was starting to explore YouTube as an alternative outlet, but making the mistake of investing far too much time adding visuals to the recording.

I say too much because I couldn't keep it up. On the other hand I'm glad I did these few carefully produced songs. My musicianship was at a peak, as you would expect from the regular band practices and gigs. My guitars and amplifiers still worked. Whatever video editing software I was using gave me what I needed to tell a story in a much more sophisticated way than recent efforts.

I was also on the edge of obesity related diabetes as you can see. That's such a common problem these days. One of the down sides of an affluent society. I was lucky to find a path out of that trap, but my food addiction is still a huge issue. Just about keeping it under control.

I haven't played "walking the dog" for some years now, but it's one of those numbers that kept reinventing itself as my musical journey took new directions. I have performed it in Sheffield, Harare and Dubai, the three cities that defined my adult life. I saw Dr Feelgood tear through it in a gig at Sheffield City Hall. A splendid edifice in the Greek Revival Style.

Distant memories but powerful still.

 

What young man could resist the idea of contributing to the rise of the "third Rome" What young man of extraordinary creative talents would turn down the commission to design a new Party Headquarters in his home town in the foothills of the alps? What young idealist could fail to believe in a party that claimed a respect for tradition alongside a commitment to a modernised Italy, with control over the Mediterranean Sea?

It's difficult to see beyond our revulsion for the term "fascist" even though the Fascio is a symbol of ancient Rome, a bundle of reeds, "unity is strength". The same idea expressed with different words can have almost the opposite emotional impact.

 

I built simple block models with black and white cubes, to understand the basic space planning as it developed from a simple renaissance courtyard form into highly nuanced modernist expression. Another abstract analytic model focused on the usable floor plates and placement of vertically connected functions within this scheme.

Sadly this kind of schematic work is rarely done in Revit. But that was my dream and part of the meaning I ascribe to the term “BIM pencil”.