Bahrain World Trade Center: Wind Turbines on Twin Towers?

Where’s the most interesting architecture you’ve seen? Have you ever seen a building with its own massive wind turbines? When you travel to visit the middle east, check out the Bahrain World Trade Center skyscraper. It might be the best example of wind energy integration.

The most interesting architecture in the world?

The first thing you’ll notice is the unique shape. Those twin tower triangle shapes are to help maximize the wind power.

me at the Bahrain World Trade Center. Impressive wind turbines right on the building
This is what I look like on less than an hour of sleep. Impressive architecture though!

How big is the Bahrain World Trade Center?

The Bahrain World Trade Center is 787 feet (240 meters), 50-floors, with three wind turbines in between twin towers. The turbines are 29 meters, 68 tons, and generate 1100 megawatts per hour. Impressive!

Did you know

Bahrain World Trade Center was the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design.

Wind Power, in an Oil country!

It’s great to see a country with an oil economy innovate. I never would have guessed that the first country to have a building with wind power integrated is an oil rich economy.

I was fascinated to learn how it was specially designed to maximize wind power. Perhaps you will be too –

Bahrain actually has two skyscrapers with twin towers right near each other. The Bahrain Financial Harbor is even larger than the Bahrain WTC.

How the technology in the Bahrain World Trade Center works

The tapered, elliptical towers act as airfoils, channelling offshore winds to drive three massive wind turbines set between the towers on a series of skybridges. Engineers say the turbines are designed to generate between 11 percent and 15 percent of the centre’s energy needs.

– Otis (full case study linked here)

Engineers say they used computational fluid dynamics and sophisticated wind-tunnel tests to determine the ideal shape of the towers to maximize the power generated by the wind turbines. Their analysis led to an elliptical, tapered design that funnels offshore winds between the towers and creates negative air pressure (or lift) from behind. That innovative design accelerates the wind’s velocity as it hits the turbines “

More info on the Bahrain WTC design

The elliptical plan forms and sail-like profiles act as aerofoils, funneling the onshore breeze between them as well as creating a negative pressure behind, thus accelerating the wind velocity between the two towers. Vertically, the sculpting of the towers is also a function of airflow dynamics. As they taper upwards, their aerofoil sections reduce. This effect when combined with the increasing velocity of the onshore breeze at increasing heights creates a near equal regime of wind velocity on each of the three turbines.

research by Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
Bahrain World Trade Center - fascinating architecture design! See the 3 wind turbines between the buildings.
Bahrain World Trade Center

More from my Bahrain trip

I found Bahrain to be really interesting! My Bahrain trip was compressed into just 19 hours on my way to Jordan.

The Bahrain Camel Farm might have been my favorite part of my Bahrain trip, and I hadn’t even planned to visit!

The Bahrain WTC isn’t the only fascinating architecture in Bahrain. I’ve outlined my favorite buildings in this post.

500-Camels-in-Bahrain-Visit50
one of the many camels I met in Bahrain
Bahrain map
Bahrain connects to Saudi Arabia via highway

Amazing Angkor Wat Photo Tour

35 photo tour of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples

Angkor Wat is one of the most impressive sites in the world, and was immediately a highlight of my southeast Asia trip. The temples are breathtaking!  While you need to visit them in Cambodia to appreciate it, below is a photo tour of the experience.

I’ll start with some sunrise photos, because that’s what it’s famous for and I love them!  I’ll show you the geography, then sprinkle in a little history, with photos throughout the post.

Angkor Wat at sunrise
Angkor Wat at sunrise. This brilliant photo is from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff at Stuck in Customs

Where is Angkor Wat?

Angkor Wat is located in Siem Reap, in Cambodia. Along with Angkor Thom, the Bayon temples, and Ta Prohm, Angkor might be the best two-day trip you can take in all of Asia.

Angkor Wat, in Siem Reap, Cambodia

History

Angkor Wat was built by the vanished Khmer empire. It was constructed during the reign of King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113 to at least 1145.

in the halls of Angkor Wat

Did you know?

Angkor is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siem Reap literally translates to ‘defeat of Siam,’ which is today’s Thailand. It’s a conflict that goes back centuries, between the Siamese and Khmer people.

Angkor Wat sunrise in Cambodia
photo by JonJon Pascua

The real “tomb raider” ?

This is Angkor’s only temple with tombs, despite the “Tomb Raider” movie being shot at nearby Ta Prohm, where there’s no tombs.

The Library at Angkor Wat.
The Library at Angkor Wat. Photo from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff

“Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.”

Aspara dancers everywhere!

There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in Angkor Wat.

There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in Angkor Wat.
There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in the walls.

Did you know?

I found this interesting – “Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.” It’s true, it’s both a city and temple at the same time.

Angkor Wat entrance - Angkor Wat at Visit50.com
“The city that is a temple.”

Stories in the Walls – a closer look

The walls of Ankor Wat tell stories of war heroes and battles from their troubled past - Visit50.com
The temple walls tell stories of war heroes and battles from their troubled past

Buddhist monk explores Angkor Wat
Buddhist monk explores the walls. Many tourists forget the religious significance

The Battle of Kurukshetra is the subject of this bas-relief at Angkor Wat.
The Battle of Kurukshetra is depicted in this impressive bas-relief.

How long did it take to build?

They say Angkor Wat took 30 years to build, which seems like a long time, until you see all the rich detail on nearly every wall. Nearly every wall has details you can miss!

a monk at - Angkor Wat
Nearly every wall has details you can miss!

Why was Angkor Wat built?

Scholars say the temples were built for funerary purposes, since its bas-reliefs are meant to be viewed anti-clockwise, a direction that was associated with death in the Khmer empire.

entrance of Angkor Wat

From Hindu to Buddhist?

This stone sculpture depicts the 8 arms of Vishnu, the powerful Hindu god, but with the head of Buddha. When Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple, the head of Vishnu was replaced with the head of Buddha.

Count the arms...VERY powerful!
Count the arms…VERY powerful!

statue in Angkor Wat - count the armsMany devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity

a devata graces the walls in Angkor Wat. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity

a youthful monk learns to read the future
a youthful monk learns to read the future

Angkor Wat statue missing its head after it got raided. They stole the heads!
Raided. They stole the heads!

Angkor Wat entrance
“Angkor Wat” translates to The city that is a temple

Cambodian wedding photo shoot at Angkor Wat
Cambodian wedding photo shoot. I saw wedding photo shoots both times I visited, so perhaps it’s a popular spot for wedding photos.

Anchor Wat reflection in the reflecting pool. It was under repair
under repair when we went – the green tarps typically aren’t there

reflection of the temple towers in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ankor Wat and the reflecting pond
my first time in Cambodia and the reflecting pond

me at Angkor Wat

 

amazing Angkor Wat - best photo of the temples and reflecting pool in Cambodia
Photo from ITLWMT

temple at Angkor Wat

"Library" from Angkor Wat
“Library”. While its true purpose remains unknown, scholars say it most likely functioned broadly as a religious shrine, rather than strictly as repositories of manuscripts

devata at the entrance of Angkor Wat
devatas at the entrance

 

statue of animal guarding the city walls of Angkor Wat
guarding the complex walls

photo of the walls at the entrance.  8 meters high and 3 km long, and flanked by a moat.
The walls at the entrance are 8 meters high and 3 km long, and flanked by a moat.

The "swimming pool" at Angkor Wat
The “swimming pool” – looks good for being 1000 yrs old!

Cruciform gallery separating the courtyards in Angkor Wat
Cruciform gallery separating the courtyards

details of ruins. Look closely at everything - from a distance this looked like a pile of rocks
look closely at everything – from a distance this looked like a pile of rocks

tower at the temple
closeup of one of the towers

My favorite in the Angkor Wat complex?

Finally, if you’re going to Siem Reap, you’ll definitely also want to check out both the Bayon temples / Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm (post coming soon). Those are my favorites!

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