Eight.

5/11/2013 4:28:30 AM

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21579437-new-lightweight-lift-cable-will-let-buildings-soar-ever-upward-other

7/25/2013 4:27:53 AM

Why don't they just use mag-lev tech? Look mah no cables

7/25/2013 6:22:16 AM

magnets would be too heavy to do that a long way vertically.

7/29/2013 6:47:15 PM

Remember the Chinese company that wants to build the 838 meter sky city in 10 months? They broke ground on July 20. Which means by May the worlds tallest building and structure will be in china, if they do really do it in 10 months.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/24/travel/sky-city-breaks-ground





This just might be the most interesting looking tall building ever. Sheraton in china, just opened.

http://travel.cnn.com/sheraton-huzhou-hotel-918281

8/1/2013 3:52:59 AM

When skyscrapers melt cars
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23930675

Quote :

"A new London skyscraper dubbed the "Walkie Talkie" has been blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a car parked on a nearby street. Martin Lindsay parked his Jaguar on Eastcheap, in the City of London, on Thursday afternoon. When he returned about two hours later, he found parts of his car - including the wing mirror and badge - had melted. Mr Lindsay said he "could not believe" the damage. The developers have apologised and paid for repairs. [worth 946 quid] The 37-storey skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street, which has been nicknamed the "Walkie Talkie" because of its shape, is currently under construction."

The victim


The culprit



The problem is the skyscraper is concave and so reflects light into one localized area on the ground below in the afternoon, blinding people walking by and buckling cars.

This has a lot more pics of the car, as well as cool pics of the pool of light the building creates.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2409073/Walkie-Talkie-building-melts-car-reflecting-sunlight-concentrated-spot.html

9/3/2013 5:40:33 AM

^http://www.wral.com/london-skyscraper-accused-of-melting-car/12846020/


[Edited on September 5, 2013 at 4:45 PM. Reason : ]

9/5/2013 4:44:51 PM

They didn't mention that the dog he left in the car was vaporized.

9/5/2013 4:45:51 PM

Quote :

"The problem is the skyscraper is concave and so reflects light into one localized area on the ground below in the afternoon, blinding people walking by and buckling cars."

How the fuck did that not get considered when this thing was designed?

9/5/2013 5:43:12 PM

Apparently this isn't the only building designed by this Architecture firm having these problems.

9/5/2013 6:28:20 PM

Quote :

"The problem is the skyscraper is concave and so reflects light into one localized area on the ground below in the afternoon, blinding people walking by and buckling cars."

It's worth mentioning that the car in question here is black and the melted pieces were plastic. Something has to change with that building, but it's not like its focusing a death ray down on the street capable of melting metal.

9/6/2013 8:48:17 AM

Quote :

"It's worth mentioning that the car in question here is black and the melted pieces were plastic. Something has to change with that building, but it's not like its focusing a death ray down on the street capable of melting metal."

Noooo!! I am a man of architecture, not of war! I intended the giant death ray to be used for good, not evil! To help mankind, not to destroy it!

9/7/2013 8:09:32 AM

Google street view from Burj Khalifa, all the way to the 163rd floor!

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/03/travel/google-street-view-burj-khalifa/index.html

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/gallery/burj-khalifa/

9/15/2013 10:54:45 PM

[Edited on September 15, 2013 at 11:08 PM. Reason : Sorry double post]

9/15/2013 11:07:59 PM

[no, not me]

9/17/2013 1:09:36 PM

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2013/09/13/south-korea-will-soon-be-home-to-an-invisible-skyscraper/

9/17/2013 1:14:23 PM

^ was just about to post that

9/17/2013 1:20:24 PM

Surely that won't be a frivolous waste of energy....

9/17/2013 4:09:00 PM

It's an amusement park, which is by definition a waste of energy

9/17/2013 9:54:36 PM

That huge building is an amusement park? I did not know, thanks.

9/18/2013 8:14:05 AM

Lot of artist impressions here of the outside and inside of the building:
http://www.businessinsider.com/tower-infinity-first-invisible-skyscraper-2013-9

Quote :

"Tower Infinity will be used primarily for entertainment and leisure purposes, and is set to include a 4D theater, restaurants, a water park, landscaped gardens, and the third-highest observation deck in the world."

And this is cool:

Quote :

"The floorplan is open so that you can peer down multiple levels as you ascend."

See link for image.

********************

Good info about One WTC
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=shaping-up-10-engineering-and-design-facts-about-one-world-trade-center

And this is an amzing gif



*********************

Ten Tallest Skyscrapers being built right now (7 are in China)

http://www.businessinsider.com/tallest-skyscrapers-under-construction-2013-8

Worth a click to see how the buildings will look like. These will be the tallest 6 buildings in 2018:



**********************

About the Walkie Talkie building (real name, 20 Fenchurch Street), aka Fryscraper and Walkie Scorchie:

Quote :

"It's worth mentioning that the car in question here is black and the melted pieces were plastic. Something has to change with that building, but it's not like its focusing a death ray down on the street capable of melting metal."

Well yeah it is not going to melt metal, you need a couple of thousand degrees for that. But, it is hotter than you think.

Cool little clips to watch, including showing someone frying an egg in the death ray, as well as blistered tiles and a carpet that smoldered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGnZz8-PvdY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcBOWdKlfsA

Crackling of hair on your head
Melting of plastic
Smoldering of carpets
Blistering of tiles and door frames
Frying of eggs
So hot that you can tolerate it for just 30-40 seconds

That's what people have reported, and the temperatures are way hotter than you would expect:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-05/london-s-walkie-talkie-fryscraper-draws-crowds-in-heat.html

Quote :

"One man tried to fry an egg in the beam while others, including Bent, 51, carried thermometers to record the temperature on bicycle seats in the tower’s glare. His reached 107 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while Martin Kicks’ hit 117 degrees Celsius yesterday. Water boils at 100 Celsius. Local media have re-nicknamed the building “Fryscraper” and “Walkie Scorchie.”"

Think about that, that's 230 degrees F

Funniest of all, the architect who designed it, has another concave death ray emitting building on his resume from 4 years ago, the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas, which started burning guests at the pool .

Quote :

"his isn’t the first concave building to be built that couldn’t cope with the sun’s glare. Similar problems struck the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas, which focused the sun’s rays down onto the pool deck until the windows were coated with non-reflective film. That building was designed by Rafael Viñoly. Among his other achievements: 20 Fenchurch Street."

About the LV hotel: http://www.businessinsider.com/architect-behind-the-walkie-talkie-building-2013-9

You would think he would learned his lesson the first time around, but he is blaming outside consultants for the problem:

http://www.businessinsider.com/fryscraper-architect-responds-2013-9

The problem will go away in about 2 weeks as the sun gets lower, but the problem will reemerge in March or so, and they are trying to come up with a permanent solution by then.

9/19/2013 6:51:08 AM

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/01/evol-street-art-stencil-apartment-buildings/

11/6/2013 6:59:29 PM

http://www.wral.com/committee-to-say-whether-ny-tower-tallest-building/13101016/

11/12/2013 3:49:25 PM

Quite a bit of new stuff coming up, maybe I will update soon.

In the mean time, this gives a good idea of how tall Burj Khalifa is. The tallest 3-4 buildings you see aside from the Burj in the pic are all around 400 or so meters, IOW, similar to ESB, WTC twin towers, Sears Tower, etc.

1/21/2014 4:44:37 PM

Above ground work to start April 27.

http://mashable.com/2014/04/19/kingdom-tower-tallest-building/

Wonder how many slaves are working on it. And maybe the country should ensure there are no massive potholes and broken streets every few feet, and that there is no sewage on streets, and construction debris all over the city (IOW, the city looks like a dump) before making that? OK, sure it is a private project, but it will still be a massive fucking contradiction once it is finished.

4/19/2014 8:17:18 PM

http://us.cnn.com/2014/06/24/travel/phoenix-towers-worlds-tallest/index.html

World's next tallest tower: Super green, very pink

Quote :

"No one can accuse China of stinting in its efforts to reach for the sky. Less than a year after construction was halted on a world-beating 838-meter tower in Changsa in central China (just days after it began) architects have revealed plans to build something even bigger. City of Tomorrow: World's tallest tower The view from the riskiest climb of 2014 2013: One WTC deemed U.S's tallest building At one kilometer (0.6 miles) high, the largest of the two Phoenix Towers planned for Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China, will be the tallest in the world if completed on schedule in 2017/2018. The towers will also be crazily futuristic and super environmentally friendly. And pink. "Yes, [they are pink]," Laurie Chetwood of UK-based design firm Chetwoods Architects tells CNN. "They reflect the spectacular colors of the sunsets in the region." Designed to sit on an island in a lake, the largest of the towers will stand 172 meters (564 feet) taller than Burj Khalifa in Dubai."

Quote :

"Three large spheres containing celestial-themed restaurants accessible via "skywalks" will be suspended between the two towers. The spheres "represent planets orbiting the Towers," according to the designers. If giant pink towers and celestial spheres aren't gaudy enough, the larger building will have the unlikely boast of housing the world's tallest kaleidoscope driven by a wind turbine. It'll project a psychedelic display for people gazing up from below."

8/13/2014 8:27:58 PM

This is what I said in June 2011:

Quote :

"as it stands now, there are only 3 completed (and open) buildings above 500 meters. however, there are 10 buildings above 500 meters under construction. which is... just crazy!"

This is today:

5 completed buildings > 500 meters, 13 under construction, 5 on hold.

12 free-standing structures > 500 meters.

I might update with the newest additions since 2011, but for now, here is the latest in the tallest building in the world under construction:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Tower

Reminder: it will be ~1 km tall.

As of June, it is on the 23rd floor



Here it is:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/21%C2%B044'02.6%22N+39%C2%B004'57.9%22E/@21.734044,39.08274,742m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

You can zoom in to see the interesting shape of the footprint.

7/28/2015 6:03:39 AM

The elevators in ^ will go till 660 metres. A steel cable that long will weigh 20 tons, so they are using elevator cables made of carbon fiber which weigh just 3 tons! The double decker elevators that will go straight to the observation deck will be the fastest in the world, at 30 feet/sec.

8/18/2015 11:20:46 PM

I don't even want to know what that cable will cost.

I know what our steel replacements cost and they are only 10-15 floor cables.

Also... i hate elevator companies, bunch of arrogant fucks that don't listen to the people that own the building or what they want.

8/23/2015 11:07:11 AM

hey now, I resent that. While there are some folks that do not listen, we have plenty of 'even if it costs us 10 out for every 1 in to make it right' managers who try and pick up the slack

/me has worked 12 years on elevators, dad put in 42, have done service, repair, upfit, modernization, as well as new install and full building gutted level renovations. These days I do final fit and finish then get it through state code inspection as well as internal and external QA punchlisting

8/23/2015 2:59:18 PM

sorry

My experience is mostly with otis tke and schindler

I would retract and maybe we will work together some day but right now on all three of those i don't feel like anyone pays attention to their contracts and obligations (to the point we had to put some reasonably serious penalties in our contract to stop the idiocy)

8/23/2015 7:24:47 PM

I work for TKE out of Raleigh, and years ago spent 2 years working for Schindler. The regional VP for the service side of TKE, in charge of the Eastern 3rd of the US, is Nick Mebane. He has his physical office in Raleigh, and the zone manager for the carolinas, etc is John Holland who has his office in Norfolk. Both tend to be more receptive and long term customer focused than individual account reps or branch managers. Plus they have the pull to get stuff done ASAP. If you have issues with TKE and need an email or phone number to escalate with, let me know.

8/24/2015 5:49:14 AM

Must see videos!

Burj Khalifa Pinnacle BASE Jump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD4qsWnjsNU

Joe McNally Photography- Climbing the Burj Khalifa (The World's Tallest Building)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30_b22TVY7s

12/13/2015 12:13:00 AM

I went up Taipei 101 the other day, pretty impressive building. The counterweight system at the top is pretty cool, they had videos showing it in action during a Typhoon and am earthquake

12/13/2015 12:25:05 AM

30 feet per second is only 1800 FPM. Fastest are still

Quote :

"Two high-speed lifts installed by Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems (Japan) in Taipei 101, the world's tallest building situated in Taipei, Taiwan, have a maximum speed of 1,010 m/min (3,313 ft/min), equivalent to 60.6 km/h (37.6 mph). The lifts take just 40 seconds from ground level to the 89th floor, situated at 382 m (1,253 ft), and have atmospheric pressure regulatory systems to avoid discomfort (ears 'popping') for the occupants."

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-lift-(elevator)



https://www.thyssenkruppelevator.com/about-us/one-world
The TKE units at the WTC are slower, only 2000 feet per minute.

And TKE already makes a 2 elevators in one hatch system, and now has a WonkaVator like system called Multi, see http://www.gizmag.com/thyssenkrupp-magnet-drive-elevator/34976/ All maglec, no cables, goes up down sideways, diagonal.

12/14/2015 6:45:51 PM

^ thanks for that.

Quote :

"The building will have a total of 59 elevators, five of which will be double-deck elevators, as well as 12 escalators. It will also have the highest observation deck in the world, to which high speed elevators will travel at up to 10 metres (33 feet) per second (slightly over 35 km/h (22 mph)) in both directions.[83] The elevators cannot go faster because the rapid change in air pressure over that much distance would be nauseating; at 914 m (3,000 ft), the air pressure is over 10 kPa (1.5 psi) lower than at ground level (about 10% less air pressure)."

so how can they do it in other towers? i must say here that the wikipedia entry also states:

Quote :

"Jeddah Tower will have three sky lobbies where elevator transfers can be made, and no elevator will go from the bottom to the highest occupied floor."

but it does not mention on what floors those lobbies will be. an interview i watched on youtube with the architect said that current elevators in the world can only go to about 570 m at the most due to design/engineering constraints. meaning, the sky lobbies will be at the most at 600 m, but probably quite lower considering that the top occupied floor will be at 630 m.

so are their elevators in in T101 and WTC that go all the way from top to bottom? if yes, how can go at such speeds if for this building it says that any faster than 33 FPS would be nauseating?

12/14/2015 7:27:29 PM

Quote :

"Also... i hate elevator companies, bunch of arrogant fucks that don't listen to the people that own the building or what they want."

the worst specialty union contractors i've had to deal with are nothing compared to every elevator company

12/15/2015 8:36:16 AM

Quote :

", and have atmospheric pressure regulatory systems to avoid discomfort (ears 'popping') for the occupants"

While it wasn't unbearable. I did still experience some discomfort and had to blow out of my ears

12/23/2015 7:51:24 AM

Fireworks video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50zu27nH2eE

1/4/2016 3:32:09 AM

World's future tallest building taking shape slowly but surely

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeddah_Tower

9/21/2016 2:38:48 PM

Quote :

"so are their elevators in in T101 and WTC that go all the way from top to bottom? if yes, how can go at such speeds if for this building it says that any faster than 33 FPS would be nauseating?"

To answer your question, yes the elevators at WTC go all the way from ground floor to the top.

Quote :

"Jeddah Tower, previously known as Kingdom Tower and Mile-High Tower, is a skyscraper under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at a preliminary cost of SR4.6 billion (US$1.23 billion)."

LOL, you couldn't even build a 70 story office building in Manhattan for that price. I guess this is the going rate for slave labor?

[Edited on September 28, 2016 at 1:24 PM. Reason : ]

9/28/2016 1:21:44 PM

that and a lot of people dying

9/28/2016 2:23:40 PM

you could barely get a 2br in the west village for that price AMIRITE?

9/29/2016 12:28:03 AM

love this pic (the shadow, not the desert)

http://www.arabnews.com/sites/default/files/styles/ph3_660_400/public/11/01/2017//1484163659348434100.jpg


[Edited on January 22, 2017 at 7:21 PM. Reason : hotlinking not allowed, so copy paste into your browser instead of clicking it]

1/22/2017 7:19:18 PM

Why the fuck build a skyscraper in a barren desert???

2/8/2017 8:33:32 AM

Because you're Scrooge McDuck rich.

2/8/2017 8:36:36 AM

^^ WTF kind of twisted logic is that? Should countries which are geologically deserts not develop at all? Or they should develop, but just not build tall buildings? How high should the buildings go? Is there a cutoff that correlates with % vegetation in the country?

Countries which have money will build skyscrapers, regardless of whether they are deserts or any other kind of geographical classification. And countries which don't, won't build any. Well that last one is proving to be false, with Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and a couple of other dirt poor countries building 400-600 m (1,300-2,000 ft for you heathens) skyscrapers currently. But yeah, that's besides the point.

See, with enough money, it doesn't even look like a desert anymore from many viewing points:

2/8/2017 11:28:05 AM

Well...

Lack of population density would seem to make it all the more frivolous and wasteful to build up when it cost so much more than building out? Who the fuck is gonna pay the ridiculous rent to be in that one building there is nothing around it?

2/8/2017 11:50:04 AM

The population density of UAE is 3.5 times that of the US, so whyTF are there skyscrapers in the US???

Holy shit dude, you need to get out more

Quote :

"Who the fuck is gonna pay the ridiculous rent to be in that one building there is nothing around it?"

Ugh, WHAT???

OK, you really need to get out more.

Who will pay the rent or buy the condos? Ugh, rich fucking people? Let's see the types:

- Western expats earning shitloads of money
- Young entrepreneurs who made a startup and got rich overnight
- Established foreign families who have been living there for a while and have kids
- Perhaps some locals as well, who get a condo there for secret relationships/affairs

Nothing around it?

It is right next to the world's largest mall ffs The mall has 1,200 stores. Pretty sure you can get in there whatever you need. Or in any one of the other several mega malls or, gasp, thousands of ordinary small stores like anywhere else in the world

You can get any material comfort/possession in Dubai easily that you can in the US or Europe.

Want parks, beaches, bars, restaurants, etc? Dubai is packed with them. Supercar dealership to upgrade from the Aston to a Bugatti? They are all over Dubai.

Dubai has been in the news for over a decade for its insane development spree and you just woke up?

There are more Veyrons (per capita) in Dubai than anywhere else, there are gold ingot vending machines in some malls, several largest/tallest [insert structure] world records, blah blah blah, and you are wondering who would buy a condo in the world's tallest building?

2/8/2017 12:26:01 PM

2/8/2017 12:34:42 PM