History Rising.

[Cocytus]

http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com

As New York's 1776-foot Freedom Tower finally climbs above street level, the staggering 2650-foot, 162-storey Burj Dubai nears topping out. The tallest structure ever built by far, Burj Dubai is the centerpiece of a 20 billion dollar development. A total of around 100 billion dollars worth of development is currectly underway in the Arab Emirate which, when complete, will create the most phenomenal skyline on earth.

In the words of ruling sheikh Mohammad bin Rasheed al Maktoum.

"Dubai shall be not the modern capital of the Arab world, but the Arab capital of the modern world."

For a skyscraper fanatic like me, you can imagine the allure of Burj Dubai. Dubai has a lot of problems left to overcome, namely stark differences of rich and poor, virtually no native middle class, and the problems inherent in reconciling more fundamentalist Muslim ideologies to the world-class city they hope to build. But in any event, here's hoping they succeed.

Here's a picture of the Dubai Palms, a series of massive artificial islands which add tremendously to the coastline of Dubai. I'm making it a URL because the image is huge.
asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/images/palm2.jpg

The sheer audacity of the place is mind-blowing.

[Mike DiCenso]

As New York's 1776-foot Freedom Tower finally climbs above street level,

Actually, the Freedom Tower's structure breached street level some 6 months ago on May 8, 2008. The Freedom Tower's height is also purposely limited to 1,776 feet (541 meters) in height since it is supposed to be symbolic in representing the year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The Chicago Spire, will have a rooftop level of 2000 feet (609 meters), though no significant antenna spire appears to be part of the design at this point, and an antenna structure were it to be added would significantly raise the over all height.

the staggering 2650-foot, 162-storey Burj Dubai nears topping out. The tallest structure ever built by far,

According sources, the Burj Dubai will top out at 707 meters, or 2,320 feet at the rooftop level. It is only with the antenna spire that it will reach 818 meters.
-Mike

[Cocytus]

Good to see someone else who keeps up with these projects.

Actually, the Freedom Tower's structure breached street level some 6 months ago on May 8, 2008. The Freedom Tower's height is also purposely limited to 1776 feet (541 meters) in height since it is supposed to be symbolic in representing the year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Yes, I'm aware of the symbolic intentions of the Freedom Tower. The top 408 feet of its height is comprised of the spire, since the roof level was kept to 1368 feet, the original structural height of 1 World Trade Center. The concrete core of the building only recently breached street level, though some of the steel beams were above street level before that.

The Chicago Spire has been put on hold by its developer as the economic situation worsens. Another tower in Chicago, the Waterview, is also on hold until they can get construction loans. I'm confident the Spire will weather the crisis, and Chicago will finally build a 2000-footer. It's only about the sixth time they've tried (7 South Dearborn, Miglin Beitler Skyneedle, Project 2000, Chicago World Trade Center, etc.)

According to sources, the Burj Dubai will top out at 707 meters, or 2320 feet at the rooftop level. It is only the antenna spire that will reach 818 meters.

"Antenna" and "spire" are not the same thing. Read the CTBUH's guidelines for height measurement. A spire is an integral component of the design, as on the Petronas Towes, Taipei 101, and Burj Dubai. An antenna is a nonstructural component which is added after major construction, as in the antennae on the Sears Tower, 1 World Trade Center, Empire State Building, etc. So, the official height of Burj Dubai is 818 meters, because the component is a spire. But the Sears Tower's official height is 442 meters, even though the antennae rise to 527 meters.

This distinction was the source of a bit of confusion when the Petronas Towers overtopped the Sears Tower, even though their top floors were considerably lower than those of Sears.

The four height categories of CTBUH are roof, highest occupied floor, structural pinnacle and overall pinnacle. The 162nd floor of Burj Dubai falls considerably lower than the overall structural height, coming in at around 630 meters. Beyond that point, the reinforced concrete structure of the building's main shaft ends, and a steel structure takes over that comprises the mechanical space and spire. But Burj Dubai is still the tallest building ever built by all four height categories.

And, believe it or not, they've got taller structures in the works.

[Mr. Oragahn]

This looks like a Complete Locations illustration, super skyscraper and all that.

I guess building pointless metal rods is more important than trying to find a way to give every people a job and enough money to get a decent home and a decent health.

[Cocytus]

Umm, that could very well apply to any country which has ever built a skyscraper at any point in its history.

Having no homeless, zero unemployment, and free universal healthcare is not a prerequisite for building skyscrapers. If it were, no nation would have them.

[Mr. Oragahn]

Umm, that could very well apply to any country which has ever built a skyscraper at any point in its history.

Having no homeless, zero unemployment, and free universal healthcare is not a prerequisite for building skyscrapers. If it were, no nation would have them.

My point is that humans have a fixation with reaching God with all the more amazing constructs, but those resources bring very little to the societies. It's an allegory for flawed vertical thinking in all its glory.

[Mike DiCenso]

Although there is the prestige factor involved with building skyscrapers, there are a number of practical reasons for them to be built; namely it makes for more efficent use of the land where property values are at a premium, and urban sprawl needs to be kept to a minimum by building upward, not outward. That's why in places like New York city, in particular Manhattan Island, you tend to see a lot of tall buildings and skyscapers.
-Mike

[Cocytus]

Umm, that could very well apply to any country which has ever built a skyscraper at any point in its history.

Having no homeless, zero unemployment, and free universal healthcare is not a prerequisite for building skyscrapers. If it were, no nation would have them.

My point is that humans have a fixation with reaching God with all the more amazing constructs, but those resources bring very little to the societies. It's an allegory for flawed vertical thinking in all its glory.

As far as tangible returns go, yes. The monetary benefits are limited to the architects who design them, the contractors and subcontractors who build them, and the developers who sell/lease/rent them. You can extend the benefits to include the new, high-tech, up-to-the-minute office space workers get to experience, or the new residences people can purchase, provided they can afford them. Immediate peripheral rewards are practically nonexistant.

And yet there are benefits to society beyond merely tangible returns. Burj Dubai won't put food on the tables of southeast Asian immigrants to the city. The Empire State Building didn't put a proper roof over the heads of all the destitutes clustered into Central Park Hoovervilles after the Crash. But there is something undeniably alluring, even spiritual about great construction. One doesn't think of a cathedral as "just a building." They're monuments, not just to God, but to human ingenuity and achievement. A skyscraper is a monument to that same ingenuity, though it be secular and corporate in inspiration and intention. Nowhere does the power of a city, a culture, a people or a nation find such expression as in the great things it builds.