Posted on 12/11/2004 9:07:25 PM PST by wagglebee
The construction of what will be the world's tallest building is set to begin in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building contract was awarded to a consortium led by the South Korean Samsung Corporation on Thursday.
The Burj Dubai tower will stand 800 metres tall - just 5 metres shy of half a mile - once completed in 2008. That will be a full 350 metres taller that the tallest floored in the world today, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
The new tower’s unique, three-sided design will ascend in a series of stages, around a supportive central core and boast a total of 160 floors, accessible via a series of double-decker elevators. Its shape will be integral to its impressive size. The design is intended to reduce the impact of wind and to reduce the need for a stronger core - allowing for more space - as it ascends.
"It's almost like a series of buildings stuck together," says Mohsen Zikri, a director at UK engineering consultants Arup. "As you go up you need less and less lifts and less core."
Military precision
A key challenge will be the logistics involved in construction, Zikri told New Scientist. "You need things to be delivered with military precision or you will have chaos on the ground."
A spokeswoman for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Chicago-based architects firm behind the design in the US, says the shape should prevent wind vortices building up around the tower and causing it to move in the wind. "Wind is the primary thing at this height," she told New Scientist. "The engineers have focused on shaping the building to minimise this effect."
As wind whirls around a tall building it can build into powerful vortices that in turn generate powerful winds on the ground. But the wide base of the Burj Dubai should also prevent wind from causing these disturbances.
Besides beating the Petronas Towers, which stands at 452 metres tall, Burj Dubai will also be considerably taller than the CN tower in Toronto, Canada which at 553 metres is the tallest structure in the world without a multiple floor structure.
Foundation work was recently completed by Turner Construction International, based in New York, US. Above ground construction will now begin under the control of the Samsung Corporation. The contract was awarded by Emaar Properties in Dubai, after an 11-month bidding process.
The tower will be used for offices, residential apartments, hotels and shops and will be surrounded at its base by a man-made lake.
Sinbad the Sailor?
Dubai has trade agreements with Israel.
Oops.
Ditto.
Great design that is innovative and destined to be classic.
-- Joe
It is the Pentagon.
The reason they don't build buildings that high in the US is they are not economical. At a certain point there are too many elevators taking away valuable square footage from rentable area.
The Manhattan schist (bedrock ) is only 18 ft deep at times square. Midtown was made for skyscrapers. It would be pointless to go much deeper except for mechanical and infrastructure demands. The Empire State building's foundation goes about 5 stories down
You've been drinking far too much of your own "green tea", I fear!
No. Haven't been drinking ENOUGH green tea.
But I suspect that you haven't been drinking enough of the sincere milk of The Word of God.
Your "faith" is yours...keep it to yourself unless asked for it.
Try leading by example.
There'd be far less trouble in the world if you "preachy types" would just shut the hell up.
SO, Am I hearing you correctly?
You have the right and privilege to respond to things hereon out of your value system however you see fit remotely within the rules of the forum.
And those who are divergent from your value system,
do NOT.
AND FURTHER, you consider such a declaration NOT preachy?
Have I got that right?
Am curious,
Do you also RANT against these HISTORICAL FACTS?
Just got this in email. It seems very fitting, to me.
In God We Once Trusted
Oracle Commentaries
12/11/2004
Though it has been said many times much more eloquently than I can say it America's first foundational premise is that there is a Creator-God, and it is this Creator-God who alone gives mankind his rights, not human government.
Governments that grant them (Such as the United Nations) can also take them away. But God-given rights take precedence over any government.
This is the entire basis of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
This is why our founding fathers made such statements as the following: We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion ... Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate
to the government of any other.
John Adams, 2nd U.S. president)
It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Patrick Henry
.. Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. National prosperity can neither be obtained nor preserved without the favor of
Providence.
John Jay, first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent, our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian. No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation (State or National) because this is a religious people ... this is a Christian nation.
U.S. Supreme Court, 1892
We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being .. When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs; it follows the best of our traditions. For it then
respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs. To hold that it may not would be to find in the Constitution a requirement that the government show a
callous indifference to religious groups.
That would be preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe ... We find no Constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious
influence.
U.S. Supreme Court, 1952
In the light of our history and founding principles, how dare such cursed organizations as the ACLU pretend to represent the meaning of the U.S. Constitution or interpret its intent. Religion, particularly Christianity, is not only embedded in our founding documents, but also established by consistent historical
profession by our government institutions.
Even the current decisions of our Supreme Court on the myth of separation of Church and State are clearly out of step with the established historical views of the Supreme Court. Most of the current Supreme Court justices are not interpreting law, but seeking to rewrite our most sacred and important foundational premise of law that they
issue from our Creator-God, to whom virtually all of our great leaders of the past appealed publicly.
Why is it that George Washington instituted a day of Thanksgiving to God?
Why is it that the U.S. Congress in 1895 passed the law to have "In God We Trust" placed on all our currency"?
Why is it that it is written over the entrance of the Supreme Court building, "In God We Trust"?
Why has it been from the beginning that presidents and other national and state leaders are sworn in with their hand on the Christian Bible"?
Why do they close the oath with, "So help me God"?
The latest obscenity that has been attempted by a small minority of anti-God citizens with the help of the ACLU's continued crusade to stamp out all public expression of faith in God is a situation in North Carolina and Georgia. Grieving families of loved ones killed in
automobile crashes place crosses along the highways at the place where they were killed.
The anti-God group is protesting that placing a cross on government owned right of way constitutes a violation of the "separation of Church and State."
What is next for these people? Will they go to government cemeteries for our military, such as Arlington National Cemetery, and demand that all crosses be removed from the graves of our fallen heroes?
What is it going to take for the vast majority of God-fearing Americans to wake up and say, "Enough is enough"? We need to make it known loudly and clearly, religion is our foundational heritage. If you want to live here, welcome. But if you want to remove the very thing without which our great country will self-destruct, Get out!
As the second U.S. president, John Adams, clearly warned: "... Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
The fact that there has been a calamitous decline of both of the above in our nation is the reason we are having so much trouble trying to govern these days. It is the reason our courts are overloaded and jails overcrowded.
Wake up Americans. God is giving us His last warnings. Return to the founding principles of our forefathers before there is nothing to salvage.
Hal is at home recovering from knee replacement surgery. This column was first published in December, 2003. We ask for your prayers for Hal's speedy recovery.
Hal Lindsey
Though in Taiwan, the two tallest, as I understand it--certainly the 2nd tallest--were built on super deep concrete pilings--lots of them--into alluvial soil--which will liquify in a quake. The bedrock was tooooo deep to dig down to.
Sounds like a big risk to me! I think the current tallest in the world there--tower 101--I forget the right title--can you imagine a tower like that tilting significantly?
Just saw the Sears tower on Nat Geo.
Very wise redundancies in it from alternate electricity generation to double air conditioning needed.
People are people the world over. Some are very smart and some are very dumb and a lot are in the middle.
Koreans can be as wonderful/horrible in as many ways and degrees as any other people group.
Taipei 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan
Great Buildings
from Submit an article!
Designers and Builders: C.Y. Lee and Partner, Architects, and Turner International Industries, Inc., project and construction management
Vital Statistics: With a massive 60-foot spire inspired by Twaiwan's native bamboo plant, Taipei 101 Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the world. At 508 meters (1,667 feet) high, the tower and its spire outrank the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Taipei Tower has 198,347 m2 (2,336,000 sq. ft.) of office space, 77,033 m2 (796,000 sq. ft.) of retail space, and 83,000 m2 (893,000 sq. ft.) of parking space for more than 1,800 vehicles.
Earthquake Safety: Designing a building this large presented unique challenges because Twaiwan is subject to typhoons and earthquakes. To counter movement, a tuned mass damper system has been incorporated into the structure. The 800-metric ton (1,764,000 lbs.), spherical steel mass is located on level 88 and will be visible from the restaurant and observation decks. The system transfers the energy from the building to the swinging sphere, providing a stabilizing force.
Special Design Features: The design of Taipei 101 borrows heavily from Chinese culture. Both the building’s interior and exterior incorporate the Chinese pagoda form and the shape of bamboo flowers. The lucky number eight, which means blooming or success, is represented by the eight clearly delineated exterior sections of the building.
Observation Decks: Located on floors 89 and 91, the observation decks include the highest restaurant in Taiwan. Two high-speed elevators reach a maximum speed of 1,010 meters/minute (55 ft./second) when traveling to the 89th floor.
Is Taipei Tower the World's Tallest Building?: Yes, if you include the spire. However, organizations that compile skyscraper statistics often do not count spires, flagpoles, antennas, or decorative features. To compare the Taipei Tower with other tall buildings, see our FAQ page, What is the World's Tallest Building? More Links
What is the world's tallest building?
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Turner International Industries, Inc
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Taipei 101, whose pinnacle reached full height on Oct. 9, 2003, is currently the official world's tallest building in the categories of highest structurally, highest roof, and highest occupied floor. The Sears Tower in Chicago holds the fourth category of overall height.
The multi-use structure will house retail facilities on Levels 1-4; a fitness center on Levels 5-6; offices on Levels 7-84; restaurants on Levels 86-88; observation decks on Levels 89, 91, and 101; and communication facilities on Levels 92-100.
Some facts about Taipei 101:
* The building can be found in the Xin-Yi district of (east) Taipei. This is a relatively new part of Taipei, with a lot of newer buildings. These were built in the past few years and many others are planned to be built here in the next couple of years.
The Xin-Yi district is the new city centre of Taipei and is an area with a lot of shopping malls, cinema's and other leisurement enjoyment.
* The building will have the two fastest elevators (Toshiba) in the world. These will travel at a top speed of 1,008 metres per minute or 16,8 metres per second (just over 60 km/h). A trip up in these elevators will take 43 seconds; down will go in just over 52 seconds.
* Taipei 101 will have an indoor and an outdoor bservation deck. The indoor one will be on the 89th floor (382m), and the outdoor one will be located on the 91st floor (391m). They will be opened for the public early 2005.
* At the 87th floor an 800 ton tuned mass damper is held, stabilizing the tower against possible earthquakes, typhoons, and strong winds. The building is designed to withstand earthquakes above 7 on the Richter scale, and winds forces of more than 60 metres per second.
* Connected to the building is a 6-story shopping mall (five above and one under ground), called Taipei 101 mall. This mall was opened in November 2003. It is for the most part home to very exclusive and very expensive shops.
* Work on the tower began in 1999 and until the completion, the construction was hit by a few tragedies. Among them was a 6.8 earthquake that hit Taipei at the end of March 2002. Because of the earthquake a construction crane fell from the 56th floor, killing five people.
* The design of the building resembles a bamboo shoot rising, steadily but strong, from the ground, reaching the top one step at a time
* The whole complex is constructed on a site with a total of 30,278 square metres. The total floor area of the building is 357,721 square metres.
* The building is divided into six zones. Each zones has four double-deck elevators with a capacity of 20 persons each. In total the building has 61 elevators.
* Building costs were approximately $ 1,7 billion.
* Early plans for this tower called for a 60-story tower with a pair of 20-story blocks. Then an 88-story tower was proposed, but the architects convinced the owner to go even higher.
* The foundation of the tower goes as deep as 80 metres/262 feet.
* When the building is in use over 10,000 people will work in the tower each working day.
* Total height to the roof is 448m (1,470 feet), which makes it the tallest building in this category as well. This also means that the spire on top is over 60 metres (197 feet) tall. Total height to the highest occupied floor is 438m (1,417 feet). Here Taipei 101 is the #1 as well, although technically speaking it will not win this title until the building is in use. At the time of writing, Taipei 101 is the world tallest skyscraper in three categories: ground level to structural top (509m/1,671f), ground level to roof (448m/1,470f), and ground level to highest occupied floor (438m/1,417f)
The only record that is missing is the one measuring from ground level to pinacle (including masts and spires that are NOT part of the architectural design of the building). In this category Chicago's Sears Tower is still the tallest building in the world: 529m/1,736f. Sears Tower is 443 metres (1,454 tall) and ranks #4 behind Taipei 101 and the two Petronas Towers.
Your best friend at Taipei 101: a big steel ball
By Chiu Yu-Tzu
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Apr 30, 2004,
Page 2
If one day, while savoring a cappuccino or sipping a glass of shiraz on the 90th floor of Taipei 101, you notice that a massive metal sphere suspended from cables has started swinging back and forth, do not be disturbed: It will only mean that a minor temblor has struck Taipei or that a brisk wind is picking up outside. And the big gold ball will make you much, much safer.
The tuned mass damper -- a device that increases skyscrapers' resistance to strong winds and earthquakes -- is, at 680 tonnes, the largest damper in the world. It was designed and built by Canadian Motioneering, a company participating in a technology transfer with the National Research Council, Canada.
Canadian delegates from the center made a field trip to Taipei 101 yesterday to inspect the construction of the damper, following a construction technology workshop on Monday and Tuesday.
According to Shieh Shaw (ŽÓм), president of Evergreen Consulting Engineering, which is in charge of the tower's construction, the damper establishes a safer environment inside the tower because it eliminates about 40 percent of the shaking that can be caused by strong winds.
Members of the National Research Council, Canada, and Taiwan's National Science Council inspect the tuned mass damper on the 88th floor of Taipei 101 yesterday. PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"In addition, it can also reduce vibrations caused by earthquakes," Shieh said.
Shieh said that the tower's earthquake-resistant features, including the damper, will prevent the 101-storey building from becoming unstable at all levels of seismic intensity.
The damper, which is a passive device that depends for its functioning solely on reacting to the laws of physics, is sphere-shaped. It is constructed of thick plates of steel and is suspended from cables like a pendulum.
The device's components were made in Canada, France and Italy -- except for the massive steel plates, which were made in Taiwan.
The damper will soon be painted gold. After the tower is opened in December, visitors to restaurants, bars and observation decks between the 88th and 92nd floors will be able to see the huge gold ball.
Ted Lipman (êt‹`‰¶), Executive Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, said that the office aims to introduce more state-of-the-art Canadian technology to Taiwan -- and that he hopes the damper will be satisfactory to its buyer.
"The building is safe with the damper in it. With the damper, people will feel more comfortable when working inside," said Russ Thomas, director of the council's Fire Risk Management Program, said after visiting the construction site.
Dampers designed by Canadian Motioneering have been used worldwide, including in skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Las Vegas, New York and Toronto.
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