. . . and we thought the Freedom Tower was going to be tall . . .

It is always fun to preview cool architectural achievements around the world! We’ve covered everything from the world’s smallest apartment to the coolest architectural projects in the middle east (includes the then proposed-tallest building in the world) to the world’s largest building (proposed in Moscow - slated to dwarf the Pentagon).

Once again, we’ve learned of a building that is slated to make the competition cry tears of inadequacy . . .

The Daily Mail reported today that Saudi Prince al-Walid bin Talal, one of the richest men on Earth, has unveiled plans to build a tower that will be 1 mile tall (5,280 feet) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - dubbed the Mile-High Tower.

Photo Courtesy of The Daily Mail

This building, expected to cost £5billion ($10 billion US), if completed, will be more than twice as tall as any planned or completed skyscraper on Earth . . . talk about ambitious!

“Experts say the technical challenges are enormous. Much of the lifting will be carried out by helicopters, which will also be used as commuter transport for builders. The tower will have to be capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures, with its top baking in the desert sun by day but dropping to well below freezing at night. To resist the strong winds prevalent in the area and stop it swaying, giving its occupants a form of high-rise seasickness, it will be fitted with a giant computer-operated damper. “

Dramamine, anyone?

The Concept

In looking into the concept a bit more, I discovered some insight from SkyScraperPage.com: “Exploring urban issues facing 21st century, The Mile High Tower offers a fresh perspective on an idea that has been debated by architects for a century”1 mile =1600 M . Exploding land values, growing populations and expanding economies are placing extraordinary burdens on many culturally rich, but land deprived Asian regions. In response to these pressures we have proposed a vertical city. In conceiving the tower as a vertical city, the design team has integrated technological, architectural and urban planning strategies into a single structure that breathes with urban complexity. The scale of the building and the scope of the program force the reevaluation of current skyscraper precedents for form, purpose, infrastructure, transportation, structure, and sustainability.”

Pay close attention to the rendering below. To the right of the tower stands a scale size Petronas Towers, one of the current leaders in tall construction . . . Petronas is dwarfed by the Saudi model!

Artist rendering below:

Mile-High Tower compared to other skyscrapers in the Middle-East:

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Tags: Architecture, dubai, Jeddah, Mile-High Tower, Prince al-Walid bin Talal, saudi arabia, skyscraper, tallest, tallest building, tower

For decades, the Pentagon has had the distinction of being the world’s largest building, but that is about to change . . .

Let me introduce to you Crystal Island, soon to be located in Moscow, Russia. This building is not just big, it’s enormous!

This building, according to Nubricks, “will cover a staggering 2,670,000 square meters, stand 450 meters tall and will cost an estimated $4 billion.” Additionally, it is slated to have “3000 hotel rooms, 900 serviced apartments, a business centre, office spaces, a sports centre, entertainment centre and shopping mall as well as an international school, restaurants and cafes. Visitor numbers are expected to be high and there is a planned 16,500 space car park to accommodate them.”

From the look of the plans above, it appears that planners have taken into account solar and wind power, and have focused on keeping the design environmentally friendly in many other ways as well.

It looks like the rest of the world has returned to a battle for skyscraper supremacy - a battle the USA doesn’t quite have the funds to get involved in - anyone see the new Freedom Tower in NYC? I know I don’t! Maybe China and the Middle East can spare a few more dimes to help the poor old US of A out . . . again.

One thing is certain, Crystal Island will put Moscow back on the map as an architectural hub, something it hasn’t been since the rise of Red Square.

Photos courtesy of SkyscraperCity

Pentagon, world’s largest building, Crystal Island, Moscow, Russia, skyscraper

Can you tell where this building is located?

Hint: We’re not in Kansas!

Any ideas?

When I discuss with friends about buying real estate in Manhattan, and specifically about why my husband and I have not been able to find anything for years, I always blame him (out of his earshot, of course). He happens to be one of those people who want a perfect home, and we all know that “perfect” doesn’t exist. There’s always a little compromise here and there, but most buyers end up with a home that they love, after some renovation or what not. But he is unbending in his quest. Another problem he has, when looking, is that he’s always looking to buy something for nothing. In other words, if the property is listed at $1 million, he only wants to pay $500K. And another problem he has is…. Wait, I could go on forever!

But I have to admit that I, too, have little fixations that do not help. I’m a big proponent of Feng Shui, the Chinese art of interior design and placement which theorizes that the layout of a home can influence your life. It really does make sense: a layout of a home can give it a certain energy that will affect your chi over a period of time.

There are many schools of thought in Feng Shui, but the basic premise is that different spaces and corners of your home represent different areas in your life, such as love/marriage, money, friends/helpful people, career, education, and so on. If certain corners are missing from your home (if you have an L- or T-shaped home, for example), those parts of your life can be seriously affected. That’s why the first thing I do when searching for apartments in New York is to ask the broker to send me the floor plans. I then obsessively screen for “whole” apartments: no corners missing, front door in the right place, bathrooms situated in the right place, and so on. My favorites are apartments that are completely square or rectangular. Sounds simple enough, but surprisingly hard to find in Manhattan.

By the time I’m finished with my Feng Shui screening, about 95% of the listings are tossed out. Whatever I end up with, I show to my husband, who as previously mentioned, has his own real estate pathologies. Should anyone be surprised that we haven’t yet purchased our dream home?

Tags: apartments, chinese, design, estate, feng, interior, manhattan, New, real, shui, York

Dubai in the tiny country of UAE has become one of the most cutting edge places in the world for real estate development. From the spectacular man-made palm tree shaped islands of the Palm Jumeirah to the Burj Dubai, set to be the world’s tallest tower at 2,313 ft and 160 floors, to Ski Dubai, an indoor ski slope in the middle of this desert nation, there is no where else on earth where architecture and imagination come together so well.

There is only one way to trump the islands, skiing, and skyscrapers . . . build a tower with 5 rotating floors that can spin “at speeds which can be selected by the resident once in either three, six, 12 or 24 hours.” Four of the rotating floors will be set as penthouses, and the last will be a rotating villa. Pretty cool!