Dubai Defies Static Panorama: Rotating Skyscraper!

With the emerging building industry in Dubai. Architect David Fisher is taking its place to defy the static panoramic views.

An 80-storey tower is about to soar in the skyline with its shitfting floors periodically making a slender shift-shape.

Architect David Fisher holds at news conference in New York:

"It's the first building that rotates, moves, and changes shape,"

The building took sustainability feat, a compelling ingenuity, generating power from wind turbines attached to each storey to power up a 420-meter that spins in full rotation around an axle for every one and three hours.

Dubai's moving skyscraper costs roughly $700M and will be inaugurated in 2010

image courtesy (first): source

image courtesy (second): source

tribute to: BBC News, http://www.fahad.com/

Shanghai World Financial Center Inaugurated

August 30 2008, Shanghai World Financial Center has just brought itself to the public.

Soaring at the height of 492 meters at the heart of city Pudong, the skyscraper win the attention from its geometricall eye catching shape. Amidst several astronomical skyscrapers soaring in the skyline throughout the world, Shanghai World Financial Center claims the fact as the tallest completed building.

Developed by the Mori Building Company and designed by Kohn Perderson Fox.

image courtesy of: wikipedia

tribute to: source

South Korea's New Cultural Tower

South Korea had just finalized the design of their proposed Cultural Tower to soar on the Incheon South Korea.

GDS had taken down 146 entries through 46 countries from Korea Land Corporation's design competition last March. Charged with the thought: 'In the absence of matter is the presence of hope', the edifice goes in the design concept of crystalline shard.

Charles Wee, Design Principal of GDS Architects claims: “Too often in modern times, the phrase ‘Landmark Tower’ is indicative of a nation’s desire/ego to showcase a level of economic prosperity and technological achievement for others to envy. Rather than fall victim with trying to compete with the great iconographic landmarks of the world or develop another version of the “tallest observation tower”, our heart, minds and motivation were set to represent the Power of Absence and the Strength of “Nothingness” often referred to by Louis Kahn.”

Cheongna City Tower veered away from the typical concept of highrises both by purpose and message. The very foundation of design is to permeate a hope throughout the world. The tower soars ath the astronomical height of 446 meters and popularized in the name of Tower Infinity; to illustrate humbleness and innocence from which a cultural, observation deck will function not to mention other facilities as well.

Engulfed by educational purpose, Infinity Tower are paved by technical ingenuity and innovation to lay a space where experience and education combine.

Michael Collins & Scott Callihan, Senior Associates of GDS claims:

Our shared belief in Society’s obligation for educating and mentoring our youth and steadfast determination to shy away from the typical themepark ride clichés led us to create more stimulating and rewarding user experience venues. This can be seen in the Views of the World, where users enter the elevator and upon ascent to the observation level, begins a user experience where all walls transform into actual views at their corresponding heights from significant observation towers/buildings around the world.

Groundbreaking for Tower Infinity is scheduled in 2010 and completion in 2013.

Iconic Chrysler Building Purchased by Abu Dhabi

The ever icon of Art Deco, Chrysler Building soaring in the New York skyline has been recently purchased by Abu Dhabi sovereign at US$2.8 billion.

The purchasing of the building was the second transaction of real estate this year on the Manhattan skyline.

Middle Eastern investors has been the top foreign claimers of buying commercial real state this year followed by German Investors.

Chrysler Building, a 77-storey edifice was designed by William Van Allen and was the most astronomical building in the skyline of Manhattan by the year it was finished, 1930. It was then permeated as the exemplary of Art Deco throughout the globe. The height has been overreached a year after by Empire Building.

The Fundamental Science of Architecture

The exact science goes to chemistry of logic and aesthetics. Architecture is the study of planning the spaces by how it would be allocated or breakdown into something useful for the target users .

The most immediate proof of architecture for the public is the aesthetic side. Anything pleasing to the eye is convincing for the average viewer. A post-modern building (building which borrows personality from the past, a classical column) for example, could subtly induce classic flavor for the public but the practicality inside or the usage is another thing. The man that unite these two: the aesthetic and function is called the architect.

The design behind every project or buildings is by no means static. This depends first of all on the type of the building of course. For example an average subdivision have 6 to 8 meters two way road throughout the subdivision. On the other side of the town, a low-cost-housing could have a minimal vehicular road and the rest extends to alleys to minimize cost, after all, people who live might probably have no wheels, or statistically 7 persons for 1 car.Another example per facility: domestic kitchens has average sink depth and minimal piping facility (p-trap for example: pipe that goes under your sink bent to block the odor and entry of cockroaches or other pests) while restaurants have deeper sinks to accommodate large number of dishes and special plumbing the clean out the intense grease.

All projects, in or out the field of Architecture are comprise of several components; let's put it in bare way and what goes subtly unique into it.A usual tangible project starts by analyzing the site: its feasibility which also extend to feasibility on the long run, in simple word, anticipation. This includes the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Pursuant to local laws or ordinances, buildings should follow the blueprint of the land use or reserved building type of the town or city. Which means, a lot or a parcel of lot has been preplanned long before that very project had started or implemented, is it reserved for agricultural, commercial (sometimes equivalent to residential) or preserved by the government for future plans?After such rigorous study on the site enters the climax and heart of project, planning.Some architects don't jump on planning rectilinear way, instead a study called the Bubble Space Diagram is formulated. Bubble Space Diagram is a standard-operating-procedure that preview the proximity and accessibility of spaces by use of balloons or bubble diagrams for ease of sketch and fast estimation of spaces.

After planning, engineers and other affiliated professionals are commissioned to work on the project: master plumbers, electrical engineers just to name a few. Before planning enters a heap of contract documents, I won't mention it here for it's ubiquitous in all formal projects. Next is the construction phase. Rough estimates shows that labor costs 35 percent of the total construction instrument and of course the rest goes to materials

Still, the man that stands at the center is the architect. He is responsible in each and every way of execution of the project.Unlike other fields of Arts, Fine Arts for instance , Architecture is an extroverted profession for it embraces the both the people and the built environment. The design of an architect should not only satisfy his/her standards (at least) but should also meet the needs, likes and behaviors of target users. Anything beyond this is preposterous or selfish.

The architect stands behind this science who receives the credits or suffer from any critiques that stems from his works.