SKY HIGH
Even after a rather stern lesson concerning the fate of some of our finest, are
we are still a nation enamored of tall buildings.
For some time the desire to build the Â?biggest in the worldÂ? has been placed behind the back burner and we have, for many years we have not been at the head of the lists of the world's builders of the tallest structures. That situation is being viewed as a improper place for us to be among the nations. A shameful place,it seems to some, which reflects poorly on our ability to advance steadily as constructors of large projects, and we keep hearing mumblings about tentative plans to outdo everyone with a super-tall structure.
It has been a relatively quiet campaign because the vast majority of citizens do not,
as yet, realize that we have not led the world with the tallest buildings, for some years. Right now, honors for having built the world's tallest office building go Taipe,Taiwan.
Let's refrain from getting into listing confusing sets of statistics, because so much depends on what your, and others, think a proper building ought to be. The number of floors or stories is one way to count. The height of the ceilings between those floors is to be considered, and there is a matter of Â?usable: office floor space which
is ultimately available. Artists decorations can be used to push the up-end ever higher without adding any usable areas.
Many factors enter into the intricate matter of statistical descriptions - counting the number of floors, too but just what can be added in the way of communications towers can become a high tech way of adding needed footage. The two building in Kuala Lam pour which l held the world record until Tiawan outdid them, were twins Â? but one is now taller than the other because radio and TV towers have been added to the pinnicile. So, one of them is now Number 2 and the other Number 3 among tallest buildings.
u The new Taiwan champion dwarfs the Koala Lampur title-holders and all of them are higher than anything we have to show in tall buildings. I assume that they National Tower. Toronto,Canada, remains the tallest man made structure.
Some people were tempted to create a new 'world's tallest office buildingÂ? on the e Ground Zero site in New York city. But, if present plans are realized, common sense has warned us that such a building may well invite terrorist attack. There are other objection to building such monster. Not only do they offer tempting targets for those who would be jealous of our attainments, but they , by and large, they have, only rarely, been financially profitable.. I believe; the Empire State Building has showed its first profits just recently.
.If you want to see how poor such buildings can be, notice how hugh center portions of them a are lighted at night by floodlights inside the open, steel framework. Floors and rooms will be added when enters state their preferences.
To see such emptiness of tall buildings discourages business investment.. Figures concerning management, mainternce and marketing such large ,towering buildings more than one person has been discouraged.
New super -buildings, will, no doubt, incorporate a number of floors designed to generate their own electric power with entire floors give over to wind rotor installations.
A.L.M June 19, 2004 [c566wds]
