Skyscrapers

[The Yankee]

They're nice, but they must be practical. Building a 1km high skyscraper that is impractical just to get on the record books would be a disaster. It would have to actually work well for whatever function the building is for.

The building, known as the X-Seed 4000, is designed to house up to one million residents on as many as 800 floors! Designers have had to consider tricky questions of temperature and pressure differentials between the base and topmost floors, and are looking to utilize solar power to solve these and other critical issues. The cost, you ask? Somewhere between $300 and $900 billion... what's that, an Iraq War or two? Couple of manned Mars missions? Quite do-able - if you're Japan, one of the world's richest countries.

But there'd be a whole host of issues regarding this, not least of which would be the building itself as outlined above. Dumping up to a million residents there would also affect services, traffic, and just the speed of which a resident could get out of the building to head elsewhere.

 

[Grisu]

I like tall buildings a lot, unfortunately they'll never be built here due to very strict regulations...the talles building in switzerland is just over 100m I think.

I think it has to do with Calatrava. He's probably the hottest architect out there. The twisting design eliminates the wind sway which would be considerable where they're discussing putting it especially for an all residential property.

IIRC Las Vegas is going to put up a building Crown Las Vegas that will be 1888 feet.

Calatrava does pretty cool things. I think the Basler are still kicking themself for picking the ugly/bland other project for the Wettsteinbrücke instead of Calatrava's design...

Dubai still requires women to be fully veiled at all times in public. I think they're okay from an Islamic terrorism standpoint.

Are you sure you're not mixing Dubai up with another Emirate maybe? I've been to Dubai this winter and there were a lot unveiled women (there was basically everything from fully veiled to western-style clothing). We went to a public beach where many women were sunbathing in Bikinis.

There is a building in London that looks like a giant Penis.

It sickens me.

I would refuse to work in it.

I think it looks awesome. IIRC the real name is Swiss Re Tower

Spoiler :

 

[Mulholland]

But there'd be a whole host of issues regarding this, not least of which would be the building itself as outlined above. Dumping up to a million residents there would also affect services, traffic, and just the speed of which a resident could get out of the building to head elsewhere.

It probably won't be built. Like you imply it's too revolutionary. I think by the sheer size of it people would never have to go outside again. I do like this quote in the article though.

The cost, you ask? Somewhere between $300 and $900 billion... what's that, an Iraq War or two? Couple of manned Mars missions?

 

[StarWorms]

I think it looks awesome. IIRC the real name is Swiss Re Tower

Spoiler :

It's called 30 St Mary Axe aka The Gherkin - although I like to call it The Bullet.

Edit: Actually it seems it's also called Swiss Re Tower

Too many names!

 

[The Yankee]

Even if residents didn't have to go outside again, it'd still affect traffic due to shipments and the occasional trip outside anyway. Not to mention all the power and other services needed.

One trillion dollars wouldn't be the final cost, that's for sure.