Sunday, April 27, 2014

"The Sunken Oasis"

Architecture is a field with a great potential for cultivating creativity, but it's also a lab for experimenting with random ideas. And sometimes there's just a thin line separating these two categories.

Thomas Heatherwick, a British architect, has come up with a new concept for a public park in Abu Dhabi: "A Sunken Oasis".

The premise of the design is that the weather is too hot year round in the region that people need constant protection from the sun. Also, the cavernous space between the plates of concrete roof resembles the cracks on an Arabian desert surface. 

A bold idea, for sure. And it's pretty. But, will it work as a park?

ِِA park is supposed to provide you with an environment that stimulates, excites and relaxes at equal measures. The concept of "nature", as perceived by human beings everywhere, does not just change due to the fauna and flora of the region where they are living. When we think of a park, we imagine grassy lawns and thick leafy trees that provide plenty of shade. 

We imagine a treeline. We imagine an open sky, an exposure to the element, with only vegetation standing between you and the sun. 

An oasis in our tradition and culture is not a cavernous space. On the contrary, oases were conspicuous enough they could be seen from miles away. The motif of cracked earth is beautiful, but it doesn't say much. It speaks of arid climes, not of oases. 

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Arguing About History

I’ve always found arguing about history an amusing exercise. History by definition is that past period of time that had elapsed long before you were born (unless you were really really old), that you can only learn about from sources and mediums such as books, memoir, ruins, artifacts left in an underground tomb…etc.

When you argue with someone about history, you’re both basically implying that your source is better and more credible than the other's. You have not witnessed the events yourself; you are relying solely on a source. As a result, the conversation almost always careens into discussing the sources and trying to discredit the other guy’s reference material. You’ve moved from discussing an event to discussing two different accounts reported by two different people, at a much later date. From where you are both standing in time and place, you’re almost as distant from the events as you are from the person or the medium that reported them. Examining the credibility of this source or record is almost as tedious (and sometimes futile) as examining the event itself.

A true historian would not argue. He or she would tell you there are two or three accounts to what could have happened, and in his or her opinion this account is more likely than the others given circumstances and concurrent events and possible consequences. He, or she, would not say:

“Here’s what happened…”

He or she would say:

“Here’s what may have happened…”

So, why do people argue about history?

-          ReligionYour Holy Book is true as is. And hence, anybody contradicting its events or disagreeing with them should be subject to your malice and vitriol.
-          Politics: Some key historical events still have an influence over our lives today. People just can’t accept that their founding fathers had slaves, for instance. Or that the best playwright in history was an overbearing “misogynist”.
-          Irrational Pride: Some people have this idea that theirs is a neat, loving, smart and self-contained community that survived the millennia despite living side by side with other savage and plundering civilizations. In fact, there is arguably no civilization or an ethnic group in history that had not done horrible and dishonorable things. People on pedestals are amusing. Their histories are purged, spotless... sterile. At worst, it’s self-justified. Everyone else’s belongs to the cesspool of humanity.
-          Racism: You will hear plenty of historical allegations that are more mired in the racism and fanaticism of the person making them than in evidence. Think about it: it’s very easy to point at Africa and claim nothing good came out of that continent. Even if it’s harder to prove that a certain group you despise did nothing special, you can still discredit them. One guy once told me that Arabs achieved nothing scientifically significant and contributed nothing to humanity. He believed that all scientists, philosophers, authors, artists and men of knowledge that became prominent in the Golden Islamic era were non-Arabs: Persians (mostly), and then some Turks, Moguls, …

“All of them?” I asked.
“All of them!” he replied heatedly.

An argument ensued...

Monday, April 07, 2014

The Business Bay Canal: Water Under The Bridge?

7 Days reported what you have been dreading (but knew was gonna happen anyway): Sheikh Zayed Road traffic near Safa Park will witness a massive diversion while the bridge over the business bay canal gets built.

This project is not merely about building a bridge over a water body. It's digging the water body, building a bridge over it, and then fill it up with water (when it's water proofed and other bridges are complete etc..).

Of course, educating the public about the project and what kind of traffic delays to expect .... is RTA's job. (And it's certainly not easy).

It's certainly not my job. (Ehm, disclaimer)

But there's no reason why I shouldn't as an engineer sit down and visualize how I expect the project to run. Using common (engineering) sense and comparing it with other infra-structure projects I've seen.

Here are some sketches to help you, and me, imagine the stages:


Don't you just love the status quo? 
Just sayin'....

Sunday, March 09, 2014

Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature

No one in my social circle read books.



Basically, to them, I’m the crazy person who reads.


….You get the idea.





-          They are famous.
-          They are smart.


We are all crazy, and we know it. 

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Before I Sleep






Then I wake up.

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

UAE Tobacco Law

As reported by The National.










Thursday, December 12, 2013

Rasem Badran (and my response: in defense of Dubai)






It’s manufacturing.

It’s like importing a car.

It’s here today. It may move away any time.






But where does control begin and where does it end?
Is it possible or practical to ban glass and steel?
Why are they demanding it?




Friday, December 06, 2013

Nelson Mandela








 RIP Madiba.

Friday, October 18, 2013


(Spoilers Alert)












That's really really slim from probability point of view.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Qatar World Cup Stadiums: no air-conditioning?

Hello there!









So the energy model says it will work.




Wait, I forgot alcohol is not going to be served.

