Bahrain world trade center by Fred Hsu is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Believe it or not, the Bahrain World Trade Center, located in Manama, Bahrain has actually received some awards such as the 2006 LEAF Award for Best Use of Technology within a Large Scheme and the Arab Construction World for Sustainable Design Award.
Despite looking like the tips of a giant pair of scissors the design is actually very functional and is the first skyscraper in the world to utilize wind turbines! If you look closely at the photo you will see one on each of the three horizontal cross bars. Each turbine is 95 feet in diameter and combined they are estimated to provide 11%-15% of the building’s power.
The unusual shape of the building was engineered to maximize the turbine’s electricity generating potential. Wind funnel tests confirmed its performance. The wind is funneled at a perpendicular angle to the turbines, increasing their efficiency.
The Bahrain World Trade Center was featured in the Syfy channel’s movie Annihilation Earth where CGI effects depict it toppling due to an earthquake.
