Half mile Skyscraper

Aesthetics Visual Arts
1

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=260000

This is the scope and vision that should have been at the heart of the WTC rebuild

From the BBC:

"South Korea’s Samsung Corporation has won the contract to build the world’s tallest building, the Burj Tower in Dubai.

Samsung won the $306m(£160m) deal, after an 11-month bid process.

The concrete and steel tower will be part of an $8bn(£4.2bn) 500-acre project in the United Arab Emirates.

Workers have already started to clear the ground for the 800-metre high, 160-floor skyscraper and it should be completed by November 2008.

Construction work on the Burj tower will begin in January, and when completed it will be taller than the world’s current highest building, Taiwan’s 509-metre TFC 101 building.

The building will have a hotel, a shopping mall, offices and luxury apartments."

Oh - and as I suggested, it definitely reminds me of someone else’s work:

http://www.delmars.com/wright/milehigh.jpg

Of course the dubai skyscraper will only be half as tall as this design, but its still a heck of alot taller than the rest of them out there (beats the next tallest by essentially 1000 ft). :slight_smile:

2

Wow…

That is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen…

What scares me is that they might get a horrible architecht to rebuild the WTC (or worse, a conglamarate of them as in The Fountainhead).

3

Am I the only person who thinks they should rebuild the WTC exactly the way it was? At least, to where it looks exactly the same, but minus the structural flaws. That would be the ultimate way to say “f*ck you” to the rest of the world.

4

Am I the only person who thinks they should rebuild the WTC exactly the way it was?  At least, to where it looks exactly the same, but minus the structural flaws.  That would be the ultimate way to say “f*ck you” to the rest of the world.

I see two objections to this approach.

(1) It isn’t ambitious enough.

Building a bigger, better building would be.

(2) Telling “the rest of the world” anything is a waste of time – and possibly second-handed.

Howard Roark is the appropriate model: set your goals and go after them. The opinions of others are irrelevant.

5

That’s a gorgeous building…and at $300 million, it sounds like a bargain. I would love to see a structure like that go up in one of our cities. Haha, especially considering that the firm that designed the Burj Tower is American! :frowning:

what would the world’s nations do, without America to design their skyscrapers, run their networks and build their airplanes? :smiley:

6

Dubai is an interesting port city with a fairly free market, which is why it (UAE) is becoming the Hong Kong of Asia minor, in my opinion. There are no corporate taxes, for example. I think the amount of wealth that travels through Dubai is the reason why so many great architectural projects are being created there.

I’m not surprised a Taiwanese firm is handling this, as the tallest building in the world has just been created in Taiwan. The image you presented seemed similar to the Tower of Light, which was supposed to be a WTC replacement. I’m sure it was quite smaller, but it still looked glamourous.

I do not mean to divert attention away from the skyscraper, but my favourite architectural project in Dubai right now is the Palm Islands. You may have seen these on the show “Frontiers of Construction” which airs on Discovery. They remind me of what Roark had in mind when he made vacation homes for privacy and seclusion, although these are designed for the wealthy. Most of the properties include private beaches and large mansions.

Birds-eye image of the man made islands

14mb Video of the multi-billion dollar project (Windows Media)

The company who is developing The Palm is also working on The World. It will be marine access only:

Image

The rise of The World, The Palm, and Burj Dubai (the original tower in this thread) are a result of the freehold property laws which have just been enacted. The laws allow foreigners to fully own land in some of the Emirates, which has caused a boom in investment and real estate. Emaar is constructing Burj Dubai and Dubai Marina, while Nahkeel Properties is constructing The World and The Palm.

That’s a gorgeous building…and at $300 million, it sounds like a bargain. I would love to see a structure like that go up in one of our cities. Haha, especially considering that the firm that designed the Burj Tower is American!

Is Emaar a subsidiary of an American company? I know that they work mainly in the emirates, and are listed on the Dubai Financial Market. From the Emaar website:

About Emaar

Emaar Properties is a Public Joint Stock Company listed on the Dubai Financial Market. With an asset base of US$ 7.7 billion (including land) Emaar has witnessed tremendous growth since its inception in 1997. In 2003 Emaar reported net profits of AED 676 million (US $ 184 million), a 31 percent increase on the previous year. Total sales revenue was AED 3.72 billion (US $ 1.01 billion) – up 179 percent on 2002.

7

Several points about this thread:

  1. The Burj Tower is the most beautiful building I have ever seen.

  2. Why aren’t buildings like these built in the US? Is it because of all the stifling environmental regulations? Or the voluminous land-use regulations? Despite how beautiful the Burj Tower and Palm Islands are, it pains me to see these built somewhere else than the US. Not because of some petty nationalism but because it reminds me how much enconomic freedom we have really lost.

  3. Dubai has some of the most beautiful architecture on the planet. How is this possible in an Islamic country? Watching the video of Palm Island there was such a contrast between these beautiful structures and the Arab residents wearing their primitive, tribal head scarves. Is the phenomon of Dubai the result of oil money? If so, then we have enriched our enemies to the point of impoverishing ourselves. They are building these structures which represent the best of Western Civilization in the middle of a culture which is waging war against that civilization. Dubai has always confused me. Is it a good sign or a travesty?

  4. The Burj Tower makes the original World Trade Center look like the work of amateurs. I know they represented the capitalist West but they really were two big, non-descript rectangles. See #5.

  5. As much as we all honor what the WTC stood for, it can not be forgotten that the original WTC was the product of a state-owned and state-run organization; namely the NY-NJ Port Authority. It was built entirely within the framework of socialized comercial real estate. Everything from the original motive of the project to its design to its heavily politicized construction was organized and run by Orren Boyle and Wesley Mouch type businessmen. The cheif culprit being Governer Rockefeller. Here is an article which describes the politics behind its construction:

http://www.city-journal.org/html/11_4_the_twin_towers.html

My point in mentioning this is that I don’t think the argument should be that “we” should build the WTC bigger and better. But that the WTC should be in fully private hands and Larry Silverstein should decide how big he wants to build the new complex. He may have valid reasons for not building it so high. For starters, he should build it according to the economics of lower Manhattan not according to any collective “need” for symbols of rebirth. It would be great if the Burj Tower were in the center of lower Manhattan, but not if couldn’t reach even half of its full occupancy.

  1. I desperately want to see beautiful and powerful symbols of man’s achievements too. But I want to see them in the context in which they belong, freedom. Not as superficial national monuments which are built on funds looted from tax payers and credited to pull pedlers and power lusters.

I’ll end with this from Ayn Rand, “The Monument Builders” 1962, written before the construction of the original WTC:

"In America, human effort and material resources were not expropriated for public monuments and public projects, but were spent on the progress of the private, personal, individual well-being of individual citizens. America’s greatness lies in the fact that her actual monuments are not public.

The skyline of New York is a monument of a splendor that no pyramids or palaces will ever equal or approach. But America’s skyscrapers were not built by public funds nor for a public purpose: they were built by the energy, initiative and wealth of private individuals for personal profit. And, instead of impoverishing the people, these skyscrapers, as they rose higher and higher, kept raising the people’s standard of living–including the inhabitants of the slums, who lead a life of luxury compared to the life of an ancient Egytian slave or of a modern Soviet Socialist worker."

8

Am I the only person who thinks they should rebuild the WTC exactly the way it was?  At least, to where it looks exactly the same, but minus the structural flaws.  That would be the ultimate way to say “f*ck you” to the rest of the world.

Yeah, and build it out of rubber. Won’t they be surprised next time…

Actually, I like that idea. Make it like it never happened. However, it would have to have one hell of a missile defense system to get me to work in it.

9
  1. The Burj Tower makes the original World Trade Center look like the work of amateurs. I know they represented the capitalist West but they really were two big, non-descript rectangles.

New Yorkers weren’t enamored of it at first, either (nor was I). I used to live in Brooklyn and traveled under the towers on my way in to work (on a typical day, I would have been long gone by the time they fell). However, standing in the plaza, looking up at the two towers, they were quite a sight. The minimalism of them was actually a plus from that vantage point; they were almost unreal because they were so smooth and homogeneous all the way up to the top. The towers may have been simplistic, but they were beautiful.

10

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=260000

This is the scope and vision that should have been at the heart of the WTC rebuild

…

Oh - and as I suggested, it definitely reminds me of someone else’s work:

http://www.delmars.com/wright/milehigh.jpg

I love this design from Wright, dubbed “The Illinois.” I have a large print of it on one wall of my office, adjacent to the wall with Wright’s “Fallingwater.” If they cannot yet build Wright’s design, I am glad that one half the size is being built. Great find, RadCap!

11

Is Emaar a subsidiary of an American company? I know that they work mainly in the emirates, and are listed on the Dubai Financial Market. From the Emaar website:

Ex_Banana-Eater, I was speaking of the architectural firm which actually designed the building. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP is the architect; they’re based out of Chicago.

12

This also reminds me of these beautiful peices of artwork as well:

http://www.cordair.com/Larsen/anewheight.aspx

http://www.cordair.com/Larsen/youngbuilder.aspx

http://www.cordair.com/Larsen/studyforatc.aspx

13

With such an array of organizations within one skyscraper, I fear that congestion will be the main concern for the architects. If one has observed elevators in a mall, it can be observed how easily they get crowded and how ridiculously inefficient they actually are with a lot of people.

I suppose it would be possible given the mall is on the bottom 3 - 6 floors with many escalators, and the offices, high end apartments, restaurants, etc, are all higher up.

… That’s probably what they’re planning, nevermind on the “difficulty” note. <_<

14

I have to admit, I was skeptical that this would get built, but the constructions is progressing nicely. At this rate, Dubai may soon be the greatest city in the world – at least architecturally.

By the way, after browsing the Emporis database, thinks are looking pretty grim for the USA. We’re way behind our skyscraper construction quota. Of the world’s great skyscrapers, all the American ones are old, while the Middle East and Asian ones are brand new with many more on the way.

Skyline ranking: http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/sr/

Most active: http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/ma/ci/

World’s tallest: http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/wo/

I was surprised to see a North Korean hotel in the world’s tallest list. Unsuprisingly, it’s just a hollow concrete shell – like the regime itself.

15

World’s tallest: http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/wo/

From that link: http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=329425

Wow… I dont even know what to say, I hadnt even heard of this building before but thats one of the most impressive things I’ve seen for a while (the photography as much as the architecture). The building in the original post could be even nicer though, but I’m not sure. I think theres a certain point after which skyscrapers tend to look too thin relative to their height - I prefer buildings that look a bit more chunky. A half-mile tall building that looks like it could be snapped in half just looks… odd. I’ll reserve judgement till its nearer completion though.

(The Empire State Building is a good example of a ‘chunky’ skyscraper that I think looks amazing)

edit: That North Korean hotel is a monstrosity.

16

Actually the building in the original post has grown on me; it looks a lot less fragile once you see it as part of its environment.

God its beautfiul.

17

then there is this going up - not as tall, but in Dubai…

http://www.dynamicarchitecture.net/home.html

18

Am I the only person who thinks they should rebuild the WTC exactly the way it was? At least, to where it looks exactly the same, but minus the structural flaws. That would be the ultimate way to say “f*ck you” to the rest of the world.

No, you’re not. Penn & Teller suggested it shortly after 9/11, including the statement that it would be a “f*** you!” to the terrorists.

Donald Trump also suggested it, plus making each building one story taller at least.

19

many pictures of construction in progress here: http://www.burjdubai.com/

20

Unfortunately from what I hear Dubai is more or less being abandoned by people.