The Worlds Tallest Building Has 1 000 Year Old Air Conditioning
Burj Khalifa's beautiful secret is revealed in the new book, Hidden in Plain Sight. Sublime science hides in plain sight at the world’s tallest building. Tourists swarm Burj Khalifa’s observation decks to absorb startling views across Dubai’s skyline, and the sandy coast of the United Arab Emirates. Laid out beneath them is a space-age city which showcases the burgeoning wealth of the Middle East. Above their heads, meanwhile, is a testament to ancient Arab ingenuity. Covering the ceiling of the 125th floor deck are mesmerizing geometric patterns engaged in a millennia-old battle with Mother Nature. Called mashrabiya, this Arab latticework is so old that its origins are murky. What is undisputed, however, is that it was a brilliant architectural innovation which both blocked sunlight, and funneled breezes into homes here in the sun-scorched Middle East. In this way, mashrabiya was simult
