Unhappy Arab Emirates

These surveys on happiness and the like are always treated with scepticism, especially when the country in question comes out in a negative light. But this latest index, the happiness "planet" index, paints a scathing picture of the UAE as an unhappy place, both for the people living there and as usage of natural resources.



With only Kuwait behind the UAE as the most unhappiest place in the Gulf, it warrants further review:

The new global environmental report compiled by the independent British think-tank the New Economics Foundation (NEF) analysed life expectancy and general life satisfaction and set them against each nation’s carbon footprint.

Saamah Abdullah, one of the authors of the Happy Planet Index, attributed the UAE’s poor performance to the consumption of natural resources, which is among the world’s heaviest.

Abdullah, who had been a Dubai resident for five years, pointed out that UAE had the third-highest per capita carbon dioxide emissions in the world but added that life expectancy was quite high at 78.3 years, based on 2005 data.




So what does happy mean - and what does happy stand for? Does the fact that your carbon footprint mean that place is unhappy? Yes, according to the authors:

"The HPI strips the view of the economy back to its absolute basics: what we put in (resources), and what comes out (human lives of different length and happiness). The resulting global index of the 143 nations for which new, improved data is available, reveals that the world as a whole has a long way to go. In terms of delivering long and meaningful lives within the Earth’s environmental limits – all nations could do better. No country achieves an overall ‘high’ score on the Index, and no country does well on all three indicators. "


So this does not seem an exercise in happiness, but more an exercise in making the world greener, or at least trying to. The mish mash of criteria is a little odd:

Life Expectancy - The UAE scores well at 78.3
Life Satisfaction - The UAE scores badly at 7.2
Ecological Footprint - The UAE scores badly at 9.5 as its total ecological footprint, based on data from the Global Footprint Network.

...and I wouldn't necessarily group them together to create their equation of happy planet index = happy life years/ecological footprint plus some alpha and beta application, but hey I'm not a statistcian. You can download all the data and the report if you are that way inclined.

All in all, what they are trying to do is make the world a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race. There's a song in there somewhere, I'm sure.

UAE ranked 123rd out of 143 nations in Happy Planet Index
The Happy Planet Index

Young Emiratis Wanted

Request from the Emirates Foundation. As received:

" UNEMPLOYED EMIRATI YOUTH - RESEARCH PROJECT: Calling on all young, unemployed Emiratis - we need your participation in an important research project that will inform the international community on the challenges faced by Emirati youth.

Emirates Foundation has collaborated with ICOS Group to carry out a research project about the high unemployment of young UAE nationals. All you have to do is answer our survey questions and give your opinions on causes and solutions to this problem. Your contact details will be kept confidential and your identity will be kept anonymous.

We ALSO need more researchers, Emirati GUYS who want to work with us carrying out interviews. This is well-paid work done on your own time between now and August.

WE RE ON A TIGHT DEADLINE SO PLEASE GET IN TOUCH ASAP. Join our facebook group and message us immediately. "

Research Project group on Facebook

nb - don't usually post these requests - but this is all in a good cause.

Google knows about Dubai....

There has been much in the recent press about predictive trends - and how the internet can aid in predicting outbreaks of swineflu and the like, how twitter can identify sentiment etc. Looking a little further, google predictive search can help us find out what people are searching about. (you know - when you search on google's home page and you get suggestions) I experimented with some key phrases to see what came up: Dubai is, why is Dubai, Will Dubai, Is Dubai, Dubai and the.

Some interesting results, or perhaps obvious ones!







Inspired by is Google making us dumber?

Donut

What's a donut? It's either a small ring shaped type of cake that is deep fried. Or it's a 360° turn made in a car or boat. Both are life threatening, in a way. But deep in the desert of the UAE exists another donut of sorts. And how is this defined - well, it's a little tricky. But let's put it like this:

There is an enclave called Nahwa. It is part of Sharjah, and it is completely surrounded by the Omani territory called Madha. Madha, part of Oman, is completely surrounded by Sharjah. And while the split up of the UAE is confusing enough, this little anomoly, makes for some interesting research.

This is where it roughly located:



And looking in a bit more detail, here is how the donut is made up:



with a bit more detail, it is halfway between the Musandem Peninsula and the rest of Oman.
The enclave is on the Dubai-Hatta road in the Emirate of Sharjah. It covers approximately 75 km² and is towards Khor Kakkan near the Hajjar mountains.



and this is the complicated make up of the emirates in the UAE:



From a nerdy persepctive it is all quite interesting, but why this happened is anyone's guess. Maybe when the Brit's were drawing up the map of the emirates by surveying allegiances, they came across some Omani - and that was that. Madha becomes an enclave and an exclave, and Nahwa becomes an enclave of that exclave.

From the pictures, you can see that Nahwa only consists of a few houses and Madha is pretty small as well. This is certainly not going to be the next real estate hotspot, but to me it looks pretty serene:



Apparently your mobile phone switches from Etisalat/du to Oman Mobile, so that you know you are in another country....but no border control here!

For good measure, here is a picture of a some real donuts/doughnuts. Hungry now?



Nahwa
Wikipedia
Madha
Krispy Kreme

Dubai 2020 Olympics

This week Dubai announced that it was considering putting in a bid to host the Olympics in 2020. But has Dubai got what it takes to hold the Olympics? Could it deliver? Would it be true to what the Olympics represent? I belive that to all these questions - it is possible - and by 2020, more than 10 years time, Dubai will have learned many of the lessons required of hosting such an event. The infrastructure is starting to be put in place, but the issue with Dubai is that it is a state in transition (and one would argue that is at standstill at present) - and it has bever had to deal with an event of this nature ever before. But think again. The rebirth of Dubai - ie Dubai now compared to Dubai 10 years ago - is a wholescale change. That is the scale of transformation that an Olypics needs. I believe that is possible. It has happened before and it will happen again - the growth that is.



If the right people are in place, if the right direction is given and if the leadership is there, there is no doubt that it could be achived and run very well.

But, we are at the very beginning - Dubai is only considering and is in the hat with some other notable cities including - Durban, Cape Town, Busan, New Delhi, Toronto and Kuala Lumpur - and Doha. Taking this to the next stage will probably rule out 4 of these cities, so there is probably only room for one city in the Middle East. What Doha has over Dubai is that it has successfully run and operated a similar games, the Asian games in 2006, and although smaller, proof of concept is usually less risky than the promise.

And why would Dubai want the Olympics? Cities want the Olympics for many reasons - regeneration, tourism, investment, commerce, - but Dubai would want the Olympics to tell the world that it has arrived - and by 2020 it certainly will be more than ever on the world stage. The blip of the bubble bursting will be behind it, and there will be new drivers of growth - one of which may be the Olympics. It may be a hot summer in 2020, but an Olympics in the Middle East? It's about time.

Dubai has what it takes to host the Games
Dubai has what it takes to host the Biggest Show on Earth

Goodbye Mikaeel

Goodbye Michael Jackson. I will remember you for many things. For the beat in Billy Jean, for the dance move in Smooth Criminal, for your good friend Bubbles, for the oxygen tank, for the irony in the song Black or White, for the crotch grabs, for the high pitched screams, for sleeping with children, for the fun, for the controversy, for showmanship, for music.



I will also remember you for converting to Islam, changing your name to Mikaeel, wearing an abaya, and walking into a ladies toilet in Dubai and applying make up. I'll try and learn the moonwalk in your honour.



RIP

"Sand swimming" in Dubai

A disturbing story yesterday of a man caught on the Saudi border:

ABU DHABI – One of the truck drivers stranded in Al Ghuwaifat on the UAE-Saudi border was on Friday admitted to Al Sila Hospital following hallucination. A physician at the hospital told Khaleej Times that a driver of Syrian origin was transferred by Abu Dhabi Police ambulance after .........he was found swimming on the sands........ “He had sand in his mouth and all over his body,” he said. “He was violent, he did not know anything, he was disoriented due to heat stroke. He also had fever and sore throat.”



Obviously not something you hear of on a regular basis, but no doubt if you are stuck in the middle of the desert in 50 degree heat, you'd start hallucinating. Obviously sandswimming is not going to take off as a sport - and we hope that the poor gentleman makes a full recovery.

Beware of the sun...

Stranded Driver Hallucinates

Abu Dhabi, the sandal

You know you are high on the popularity index when your name is used as a brand. We’ve had it in the past with the Jennifer Anniston haircut, Ceylon tea, Frankfurter sausages and, dare I say it, the the J-Lo butt.

Now the popular trendy shoe store OFFICE is naming a range of their gladiator style sandals for the new spring/summer collection after the capital of the UAE. Yes, we are serious - Abu Dhabi footwear has just elevated to a whole new level!

The OFFICE website describe the sandals as:

“Arabian nights. Natural snake printed leather, lace-up, peep toe. Like Arabian days. Geometric cut-outs and mini stacked wedge. Leather lining and sock. Man made sole. Also available in black leather and taupe suede.”



The sandals have created quite a stir and OFFICE has reported running low stock due to high demand. Celebrities such as Fearne Cotton, a popular British TV presenter has been spotted with her ‘Abu Dhabis’ and now everyone wants a pair as can be read on many shoeholic blogs:

“I would seriously DIE for a pair of the Abu Dhabi peep toes! They are so awesome, I would have the coolest shoes in Heaven.”

Now, does the brand office of Abu Dhabi approve?

Office
Brand Abu Dhabi

The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi

When the leaning tower of Abu Dhabi - aka Capital Gate aka Hyatt Abu Dhabi - is completed, it will be, according to the blurb - the most inclined building in the world. Yes, they've applied officially to the Guinness Book of Records. To be strict about the specifics - it will have an 18 degree westward incline. Nice.




That's 14 degrees more than the leaning tower of Pisa. But there again, Pisa wasn't built to lean, the foundations wasnt strong enough.



This tower will be home to Abu Dhabi’s first Hyatt hotel, which will be skillfully bling and represent all things Abu Dhabi, from luxury to the future. There's another Hyatt that's being built in Abu Dhabi, such do they reckon that Abu Dhabi needs them.



There will be a huge internal atrium, including a tea lounge and a swimming pool suspended 263 feet above the ground, has been constructed on the 17th and 18th floors, the halfway point of the 35-story, 525-foot tall tower - which is where building is currently at. Bring on the bend.

Archinect
Capital Gate to enter Guinness Book of Records as most leaning tower

The Dubai Dead, the Living Dead and the Non Dead

Much has been spoken about the demise of Dubai. Whichever camp you are in, you must surely see that there is a blip of some sort. At least, in property terms, there has been a slow down in the wowness that we have seen in recent years. What exectly is the reality? Unless you are in Dubai, you can not know the reality. And on occasion you are painted a picture - which shows the reality is being fudged. Even if you think that something is not on the cancelled projects list, it may be presented to you as in process - when in fact it is still a pile of rubble:

Supposedly, this project is doing well during the current climate. But it consumes no resources, no concrete or fossil fuels or electricity. That's because it doesn't exist.



It appears that the developer, Al Fajer Properties, has sold £428 million worth of units and is updating their website with pictures of a neighbouring project. According to the Independent,

The pictures appeared in an advertising campaign in a Dubai-based national newspaper last July, with the caption, “Shot at location on 10th June 2008. Ebony & Ivory - Jumeirah Lakes Towers.” The two page spread included the seals of Dynasty Zaronni and Al Fajer Properties. Buyers were not amused: They would not have got my money if they had not shown me fraudulent pictures.” said one. “A lot of people would not have bought had they not thought the project was in an advanced stage of construction.” said another.


The government isn't too happy about this either, and has clamped down on any information about it.

“I had written half of the article when I was told by my editor to stop,” said a Dubai-based national newspaper reporter who attempted to cover the story. “The investor’s group have records of payment, and it’s obvious that they have been shafted, but we can’t write about it.”




More from the Indepedent (surprise, surprise) By Heerkani Chohan and Treehugger by Lloyd Alter.

That's not great press, but at the other end of the scale is the 014:

O-14, a 22-story commercial tower, is slated for completion this autumn. The most striking feature is a 16-inch-thick concrete shell, perforated by over 1,300 openings--which the architects liken to lace. The skin also has high performance built in: It functions as an exoskeleton, allowing the interior of the building to be column free. It also regulates the buildings temperature, by shielding it from sunlight and creating a "heat chimney." Hot air rises in the gap between the interior and exterior facades, and the moving air cools the glass surfaces inside. Granted, the architects haven't published exact figures on exactly how much energy this effect will save, but it is heartening to see such an ancient technique being revived in new buildings.

O14, a 22-story tall commercial tower perched on a two-story podium, broke ground in February 2007, and comprises over 300,000 square feet of office space for the Dubai Business Bay. O-14 is located along the extension of Dubai Creek, occupying a prominent location on the waterfront esplanade. O14 is sheathed in a forty centimeter-thick concrete shell perforated by over 1,300 openings that create a lace-like effect on the building’s façade.

The concrete shell of O14 provides an efficient structural exoskeleton that frees the core from the burden of lateral forces and creates highly efficient, column-free open spaces in the building’s interior. The future tenants can arrange the flexible floor space according to their individual needs.

The shell is not only the structure of the building, it acts as a sunscreen open to light, air, and views. The openings on the shell modulate depending on structural requirements, views, sun exposure, and luminosity. The overall pattern is not in response to a fixed program, (which in the tower typology is inherently variable), rather the pattern in its modulation of solid and void will affect the arrangement of whatever program comes to occupy the floor plates. A space nearly one meter deep between the shell and the main enclosure creates a so-called “chimney effect,” a phenomenon whereby hot air has room to rise and effectively cools the surface of the glass windows behind the perforated shell. This passive solar technique essentially contributes to a natural component to the cooling system for O14, thus reducing energy consumption and costs, just one of many innovative aspects of the building’s design.

The shell is not only the structure of the building, it acts as a sunscreen open to light, air, and views. The openings on the shell modulate depending on structural requirements, views, sun exposure, and luminosity. The overall pattern is not in response to a fixed program, (which in the tower typology is inherently variable), rather the pattern in its modulation of solid and void will affect the arrangement of whatever program comes to occupy the floor plates. A space nearly one meter deep between the shell and the main enclosure creates a so-called “chimney effect,” a phenomenon whereby hot air has room to rise and effectively cools the surface of the glass windows behind the perforated shell. This passive solar technique essentially contributes to a natural component to the cooling system for O14, thus reducing energy consumption and costs, just one of many innovative aspects of the building’s design.

The holes are achieved by introducing computer numerically cut polystyrene void forms into the rebar matrix, and sided with modular steel slip forms prior to the concrete pour. Super-liquid concrete is then cast around this fine meshwork of reinforcement and void forms resulting in an elegant perforated exterior shell.

The project has generated extraordinary international interest in the architectural press as it is among the very first innovative designs to be constructed among a sea of generic office towers that have come to be the standard in Dubai’s current building boom. O-14 was recently featured in ‘Impossible City’, an hour-long television documentary about the recent growth in Dubai, which was produced by CBS News and aired in the U.S. on the Discovery Channel in October, 2008.

From ArchDaily


The latter is an achievement, but I bet those invested in off plan property are a tad worried. Don't invest in something you can't feel may be investment advice that seems a little dated, but dotcom bomb, real estate bubble and banking debacles all are a little guilty of not following that piece of advice.