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you might wonder what these dots represent
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they are desert sand particles waiting
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for what you might ask?...
well, waiting entails time, and sand was once and still is a symbol of the passage of time...
Simply put, sand is waiting for the time
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Time for the desert sun and sand to rise and shine...
An artefact brought back from 2080 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where it is 95% desert, and many regions are sunny throughout most of the year.
The following journey explores that future in-depth and timeline that got us here to use speculative design to raise awareness and open the conversation about the potential of desert sand and sun.
Here’s a link for the references used in this research project along with workshops conducted with the people of Riyadh.
Once upon a time, in 2080, the universe did not standstill. Earth continued to orbit around the sun. And on top of a small community roof in the city of Riyadh, Deem and Mariam were telling tales of the old times after observing their current world and wondering how things used to work.
the city operates entirely on renewable solar and wind energy
communal living areas in harmony with the indigenous environment
Renewable Sand is a sustainable, breathable, and non-toxic building material suitable for residential areas in the desert. Keep the interior cool in the summer and warm in the winter
Walls and, especially, the roof are infused with solar cells that turn sun rays into energy and purifies water with the heat; any excess is transferred to spaces with no direct sun access
greywater is used for watering the trees shadowing walk pathways
100% of accumulated construction waste throughout the past has been successfully reused and integrated with Renewable Sand in building environmentally friendly factories
In 2050, as you rest your head on earth to hear the echoes of sand in our ancestral lands. “Listen to earth; you already have all you need.” You look around, but all you could see is grey buildings and the rubbles of what once used to be...
Beneath it all, an abundance of desert sand to be utilized in the upcoming years...
Scarcity of resources, including water
Living expenses are no longer affordable
overpopulation and sprawl reduced quality of life
temperatures reached 59°C
Factories fueled by fossil fuels have been shutdown worldwide due to their contribution in the degradation and harm to the ecosystem as part of the IEA road map to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
Today, the public is unaware of the negative impacts of current development and living patterns.
Today, electricity is still mainly dependent on fossil fuels.
Today, cement factories contribute to air pollution, which has been proven to affect date palm trees. And it is responsible for 4-8% of CO2 worldwide, and only 1/3 of construction waste is being recycled.
Today forms the misconnection between our rich past and our promising future.
The old city of Riyadh was composed of communal residential areas with courtyards built with mud —a mixture of sand, straw, and water— which was the popular form of building. It created high-density living areas with narrow shadowed alleys that work in harmony with the indigenous environment.
