Downtown Circle: a futuristic urban design

We have seen ambitious design concepts for Dubai before, but this one stands out. The so-called Downtown Circle was designed by ZNera Space and creates a sustainable, self-sustaining vertical urban center in the heart of Dubai…

It is not the first time that we have seen ambitious design concepts for Dubai, but this one takes the cake. The so-called Downtown Circle was designed by ZNera Space and creates a sustainable, self-sustaining urban center surrounding the Burj Khalifa.

Downtown Circle proposes a sustainable, 550 meter, circular city surrounding the monumental Burj Khalifa. With a total width of 3000 meters, the structure appears to float above the city skyline. 

With sustainability in mind, the Dubai-based architectural firm ZNera given new meaning to urban design. The mixed-use complex aims to provide an efficient alternative to traditional high-rise buildings. Downtown Circle will consist of five levels, divided into smaller parts for residential purposes, for example, but also public, commercial and cultural spaces. 

A so-called Skypark will provide the necessary greenery and is sandwiched between the two rings in the sky. The park is the central point in the structure and offers clean, fresh air, lots of light and panoramic views of the city. Anyone who thought it would be bone dry in the middle of the desert is wrong; Inside the Skypark, different types of vegetation will be simulated, such as waterfalls, swamps and sand dunes... In Dubai, anything is possible and nothing is too crazy. 

A futuristic transport system with hanging pods must provide transport from A to B in the city.