For products that seem to come straight out of sci-fi films, take a look at those offered by Hong Kong-based James Law Cybertecture International.
One such futuristic technology from the company’s stable is an intelligent mirror that doubles up as a doctor. The mirrors placed in washrooms have sensors that monitor inhabitants’ health including blood pressure, weight, height, body mass index, bone mass, water density, etc. They then wirelessly transmit the data to servers from where it could be shared with doctors or family.
These mirrors are among the technologies that will be fitted in the ‘Cybertecture Egg’ building coming up in Mumbai in the Bandra-Kurla complex. The project, a 32,000 square metre property in the shape of an egg, is already a rage in the real estate circles for its blend of contemporary architecture, intelligent living and environment-friendly design. The building is skewed to improve solar gain, besides adding to its visual appeal, and occupies 10-20 per cent less surface area.
James Law, company chairman, was recently in Hyderabad to deliver a talk on ‘Live the Future’ at Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University. For a Hong Kong multiplex, he designed facilities such as ticketing machines and projectors so well integrated into the architecture that they could easily deceive an unsuspecting first-time visitor.
Lights in bathrooms sport sensors that switch on according to the number of people inside. “We should create new technologies that will synchronise with the environment,” he quips.
His ‘Technosphere’ project, a 10 million sq.ft. building in Dubai touted as the single largest spherical structure in the world, will have a ‘river’ inside, modelled on the concept of human settlements flourishing around water bodies.
Sky gardens
A series of ‘equatorial rain forests’ called ‘sky gardens’ that thermally shield the building from the sun are planned on its exterior. Water too will be arranged to flow through the rain forests and the building made to give the impression of earth. He says nearly 0.5 million cubic metres of water will be recycled in the building everyday.
Stores, he believes, should provide experience rather than sell products. Basing on this philosophy, he created a novel store for game-maker Electronic Arts where 90 per cent of the space is not for merchandise but to let customers experience games. As soon as a customer enters the gaming stadium, four robots challenge him/her for a game that is flashed on different screens inside the store. “This is the future store,” he declares.
Speaking about the upcoming ‘The Ipad’ in Dubai by Omniyat Properties, he says it “symbolises our living in the 21st century.” The building houses 230 intelligent cybertecture apartments.
Some of the technology that comes with it includes one that can change the view of a living room and another change the shape of a room by rotating it. Apartments even change colour each time someone receives a message or an e-mail.
