The Dubai Quill

Dubai Quill was designed to pay homage to a new symbol for the city and the UAE
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Once upon a time, a lonely feather lived in a beautiful Palace, where exotic birds flocked and flew in the lush tropical gardens. The feather was lonely because she wanted to be part of a wing of one of the exotic birds, but the birds had enough feathers of their own. All the different birds rejected her pleas. The Peacock had long colourful feathers of his own and couldn’t use her. The Falcon had strong wide feathers and another would make him too heavy. The Dove had graceful white feathers and another would unbalance her peace and harmony. Even the Flamingo refused, stating that he was too tall and refined for another feather.

So one day, as the winds blew in from across the sands, the feather asked the wind to carry her away. The wind gently picked her up and whisked her into the sky. She swirled round and round, up and down and eventually came to land in a grassy opening with trees and palms all around. She settled next to a solitary rose growing on the grassy slope. The scent was lovely. At one end of the opening, a lake rippled against the soft bank. Children took boat rides on the lake and people picnicked under the shade of the trees. Some walked together along the paved walkways, enjoying the sunshine and smiling. It was perfect, thought the feather. I will stay here in this beautiful park.

But that night, as the winds left, a huge storm came over the park. The sky growled and cold rain fell from the angry clouds. As the thunder raged above, a bolt of lightning cracked down from the heavens onto the feather lying on the wet grass. Instead of burning it to a crisp, something strange and magical happened. The feather began to change.

She started to grow and transform. She was changing into whatever she dreamed she could be. She dreamed as hard as she could. She would have the beauty and form of the Peacock feather, the strength and width of the Falcon feather, the grace and balance of the Dove feather and the height and elegance of the Flamingo feather. She would shape herself to reach the sky, where all the other birds fly—as high as the minarets.

She would be a symbol for inspiration, because even a feather wants to be more that just a feather.

For a thousand nights she transformed herself from the spot beside the rose where she was let down by the wind and now she was ready, knowing what she would be.

A symbol of knowledge and learning. A place where people visited, a spectacle where ideas could be discussed within her frame. A space where people could view the park from the sky just like a bird.

A place where new ideas could inspire others and where rose gardens would scent the air. A place where the continuing history could be forged and written for future generations. The lonely feather had transformed herself into a Quill. The Dubai Quill.

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Power

The Quill is considered as a self-supporting structure, where the splayed profiles contain a steel structural frame. The frame is clad in aluminium panels in the way aluminium boat hulls are fabricated.

Solar panels are embedded into the flat profile, which receives direct sunlight throughout the daylight hours. The solar panels generate power to light the various components of the project and power the AC systems.

Photo-luminescent materials will be used, where zero electricity is required for emergency lighting.

Water

Cold water tubes, laid within the splayed profiles of the Quill, will cool the aluminium surface of the vane. During the evening hours, the humid air condenses on the surface and moisture trickles down channels set along the profiles. The water is collected at the base and recycled to be used within the building and for watering the rose garden.

Plant

Plant areas are located adjacent to the existing services to the northern end of the site. A looped service road allows uninterrupted access to this zone. Tree planting will camouflage these out buildings.

Maintenance

Self cleaning paint surfaces can be employed for use on the Quill. The auditorium roof utilises water over the glazing to cool and clean the surface. This water is filtered and re-cycled within a closed fountain system.