The Huffington Post posted an interesting slideshow today of proposed, ultra-futuristic-looking skyscrapers. There's one that looks like a crystal, and another made from shipping containers. Here's the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/15-mind-blowing-skyscrapers_n_847427.html#s263074
Although entertaining I find these sorts of things ultimately frustrating. For years we've been seeing architects do these exercises in design - the skyscrapers of the 21st century, they call them - but no one has ever bothered to actually build any of them.
Closest we have seen, really, is the Burj Khalifi in Dubai. But they keep talking about things like the mile-high city that was planned offshore in Tokyo at one point, or, well, any of the ones in that slideshow. But no one's really make any obvious effort to make these things real.
Of course, there are the realities of budgets, government instability, etc. I get that. And there's no point in building something like the Burj Khalifi if no one will use it (an extreme example of this being the South Asia Mall in China which is the world's largest shopping mall with room for 1,500 stores, but only a dozen are actually open). And from what I've gathered, the BK was hell to construct. And there's also that thing in North Korea that was supposed to be the world's tallest hotel that went nowhere.
But I guess the point I'm making is when will these types of builds stop being mental exercises and start becoming real? Maybe not all the ones in this slideshow (that shipping container one looks a bit daft, and the one in Paris looks like a giant Gumby), but with all these high hopes (pun intended) for futuristic construction, is there actually any serious intent to make any of these structures real? Here in Alberta they made a big deal out of Western Canada's tallest building going up in Calgary - but it really looks no different than buildings put up 30 years ago.
It's not quite at the same level as "Where the **** is my flying car?" but I would have hoped to see a few more "megatowers" by this stage in the game, at least under construction, even with wonky economies and assorted wars.
Alex
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/15-mind-blowing-skyscrapers_n_847427.html#s263074
Although entertaining I find these sorts of things ultimately frustrating. For years we've been seeing architects do these exercises in design - the skyscrapers of the 21st century, they call them - but no one has ever bothered to actually build any of them.
Closest we have seen, really, is the Burj Khalifi in Dubai. But they keep talking about things like the mile-high city that was planned offshore in Tokyo at one point, or, well, any of the ones in that slideshow. But no one's really make any obvious effort to make these things real.
Of course, there are the realities of budgets, government instability, etc. I get that. And there's no point in building something like the Burj Khalifi if no one will use it (an extreme example of this being the South Asia Mall in China which is the world's largest shopping mall with room for 1,500 stores, but only a dozen are actually open). And from what I've gathered, the BK was hell to construct. And there's also that thing in North Korea that was supposed to be the world's tallest hotel that went nowhere.
But I guess the point I'm making is when will these types of builds stop being mental exercises and start becoming real? Maybe not all the ones in this slideshow (that shipping container one looks a bit daft, and the one in Paris looks like a giant Gumby), but with all these high hopes (pun intended) for futuristic construction, is there actually any serious intent to make any of these structures real? Here in Alberta they made a big deal out of Western Canada's tallest building going up in Calgary - but it really looks no different than buildings put up 30 years ago.
It's not quite at the same level as "Where the **** is my flying car?" but I would have hoped to see a few more "megatowers" by this stage in the game, at least under construction, even with wonky economies and assorted wars.
Alex
