Eye on Dubai: Fisher's Turning Towers Revealed

Earlier today, a Curbed NYC operative was dispatched to the Plaza, where Italian architect Dr. David Fisher gave a big reveal on designs for his Dynamic Towers, two skyscrapers— that rotate floor by floor— one slated for Dubai and the other for... Moscow. Fisher plans on erecting Dynamic Towers around the world. Up next: New York City. Insanity alert! Individual floors will be manufactured off-site as pre-fab units; they'll then be strapped, one by one, to a central core that will house the building's engineering systems. Both towers will generate their own electricity with wind turbines fitted beneath each floor. Hard. Core. The Dubai building will host 80 floors' worth of mixed-use space; the top 10 floors will be occupied by luxury "villas" with private pools, parking— and the ability to rotate the entire floor to capture the sweeping vista of their choosing. The Moscow plan (pictured above) is still in its "conceptual phase," though the building is likely to include 70 units' worth of offices, residential and retail space. See below for Curbed NYC intern Noah Adler's report. Yes, the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey was, in fact, played.

Quoth Curbed NY's Noah Adler:

Dynamic Architecture's presentation for the press began with a young woman playing Vivaldi on violin, quickly followed by a video blasting the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The drama of these two pieces of music – intended to excite and intrigue the audience, no doubt – was unfortunately lost on the eyes and ears of the attendees. They had freaking moving buildings to deal with!

Architect David Fisher outlined his principles of the future of architecture: buildings should be dynamic, factory-built, and environmentally sound. The architecture of the future, he declared, ought to be “designed by life, shaped by time.” The allure of flashy renderings and abstract ideas about the future such as “Time is our best architect,” however, did not convince the many skeptics in the crowd.

When asked about the groundbreaking and move-in dates for the Dubai tower, Fisher spoke about how production in the Italian factory that will construct all the pre-fabricated units would begin “in the next few weeks.” When asked about how safe the building would be for its spinning residents, Fisher began his answer by explaining he had never designed a skyscraper before, which was far from reassuring. He went on to explain that he consulted some of the top engineering firms in New York and consulted with Bosch, a security and safety company.