Despite all of the things that are going wrong in today's world, I have urged my readers to also pay attention to what is going right. One key measure of the underlying vitality of the world is the "skyscraper index." The willingness to build super-tall buildings is a measure, not only of extraordinary economic prosperity, but also of confidence in the future.
In that regard, today's skyscraper index offers encouraging results. The whole world is now engaged in a race to build ever-taller structures. While much of this competition is led by Eastern countries with much denser population centers—and much more eagerness to show off their newly acquired wealth—America is also set to break new records for its tallest structures.
"Sky No Longer Limit for Skyscrapers," Tom Ramstack, Washington Times, September 2 Skyscrapers are back and bigger than ever as the centerpieces of urban skylines around the world. As the Burj Dubai building extends toward its half-mile-high goal in the Middle East, the pieces are in place for a skyscraper building boom.
"I think the age of the super-skyscrapers is just starting again," said George Efstathiou, a Chicago architect for the Burj Dubai.
The building set a record in July as the world's tallest, while construction continues in the tiny nation of Dubai. Unofficial sources say it will top out at about 2,625 feet in 2008, about the same as putting Chicago's John Hancock Center on top of the Sears Tower….
Foundation work started in June on the tallest US building, which would stand 2,000 feet high over downtown Chicago in 2010, if completed on time. The Chicago Spire would look like a giant corkscrew to shed wind currents that might make the building sway. It would house about 1,200 condominiums….
Crown Las Vegas is a planned $5 billion super-tall skyscraper to be built on the Las Vegas strip by 2012. The building, formerly known as the Las Vegas Tower, would stand 1,888 feet high, making it the tallest all-hotel structure in the world. It would include 5,000 hotel rooms and a 250,000-square-foot casino….
As economics and building-material innovations advance, architects call the new age of tall-building construction the second skyscraper renaissance.
"We are experiencing now a competition among the super-talls that is unprecedented around the world," Mrs. Willis said.
1 comments:
Don't count on the Crown Las Vegas tower being built. Still doesn't have FAA approval nor nearby high rise residents approval. So far it's a pipe dream tower and has yet to gain approval by Clark County commissioners as it has been constantly postponed for its final approval meeting.
Post a Comment