[SamAdams76]

I don't get the hostility towards these skyscrapers. It's a sad statement that the United States is apparently no longer interested in reaching for the sky and is content to let other countries achieve skyscraper dominance.

Let's hope that some American spirit is revitalized and we can once again build the skyscrapers we are capable of. We should have dozens of skyscrapers over a mile high by now and within 25 years, we ought to have skyscrapers topping 10,000 feet - with several of them joining each other in some of our bigger cities to literally form "cities in the sky."

There was a science fiction story I read some time ago that talked about such a city in the future. There were so many skyscrapers linked to each other that people lived their entire lives above street level, never having a need to come down to the lobby. The roofs of these buildings were covered with parks and gardens and there were even professional sporting events going on up there.

[hosepipe]

[ I don't get the hostility towards these skyscrapers. It's a sad statement that the United States is apparently no longer interested in reaching for the sky and is content to let other countries achieve skyscraper dominance. ]

The U.S. has lots of land.. Mile high scrapers are inefficient targets for cretins in the current enviorment and death traps in a hundred ways.. Better 10 or 20 smaller serviceable buildings.. In my estimation.. Mile high buildings are cemented in testosterone..

[cva66snipe]

I don't get the hostility towards these skyscrapers. It's a sad statement that the United States is apparently no longer interested in reaching for the sky and is content to let other countries achieve skyscraper dominance. Let's hope that some American spirit is revitalized and we can once again build the skyscrapers we are capable of. We should have dozens of skyscrapers over a mile high by now and within 25 years, we ought to have skyscrapers topping 10,000 feet - with several of them joining each other in some of our bigger cities to literally form "cities in the sky."

Lower story buildings are cheaper to build, cost less to maintain, offer much more actual usable space meaning more profit, and can be built much faster resulting a a quicker investment return. Skyscrapers tie up most of at least the first 60 or so floors with elevator shafts, ventilation shafts, piping risers, switchboards, and equipment rooms. The ones the Sauds and UAE are building is strictly an insane ego trip. Look at the pictures of the lobby of the WTC towers for example. Most of it is elevators.

[Cronos]

There was a science fiction story I read some time ago that talked about such a city in the future

TRantor from Isaac Asimov's foundation series is the first such description. This was then used as a model for Coruscant and Taris in the star wars universe

[AFreeBird]

Let's hope that some American spirit is revitalized and we can once again build the skyscrapers we are capable of.

Take some comfort in the fact that this building IS of American design. Or at least the architect is American.

And the recovering the condensation from the windows: Very cool!