CARAVANSERAI
A BREATHING GATEWAY FOR MASDAR CITY
Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across a network of trade routes, most notably the Silk Road. They were places for meeting, resting and exchanging ideas and goods, but also small gateways, collectively enabling travellers and caravans to safely get from one continent to another. Today and in the future sustainable practices need to exclusively support our existence, and Masdar City is an exciting development towards this global goal. In many ways Masdar City can be seen as a modern caravanserai, supporting our route towards a renewable energy future, connecting people, resources and ideas across an international network.
“Caravanserai” is a celebration of this unique and extraordinary aspect of Masdar City. It establishes a pleasant passway to the heart of the city, creating a large shaded space for citizens, researches and visitors to enjoy and utilize in the process. The shear size of the lightweight, breathing, skin makes it an icon and gateway for Masdar City, while cementing the city’s aspirations with sustainable solutions of its own.
Inflation and deflation of the skin will happen in direct correlation with the environment, creating a living, breathing, structure, that continuously adapts and reflects light in mesmerizing and sustainable ways. This highlights our need to continuously stay in sync with our environment like a beautifully tuned organism.
It is our vision that the Caravanserai can function as a pleasant gathering space for the inhabitants of Masdar City, become part of its identity, host events and help Masdar City on it’s way to become the gateway towards a better, smarter, greener future; a Caravanserai for all of us on this necessary journey.
