1. FREEDOM TOWER
Location: New York City
Completion: 2009
Height: 1,776 feet
The top of the tower will consist of a latticework containing some pretty little windmills and a spire that reaches 1,776 feet in honor of the year the US was established. It will eventually be crowned the world’s tallest building–despite the fact that the top third won’t even have floors.
It has a single glass elevator that will glide from the top floor to what will be the world’s highest viewing platform 1,500 feet above the ground. At that height, you’ll be able to look down at the Empire State Building, the top of which is 28 feet lower. I’m afraid of heights, I don’t wanna have a view of it.
New Yorkers have become a touch nervy about working in tall buildings, this replacement for the World Trade Center will have only 70 floors containing about 2.6 million square feet of office space. In comparison, the twin towers had 110 floors taking up a whopping 11 million square feet. Hope it’ll not happen again, I pray. (9-11)
2. TAIPEI 101
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Completed: October 2004
Height: 1,667 feet (The highest building as of now 2006)
Already considered the world’s tallest building even before it was completed, this monster tops the 1,483 feet tall Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its other global record: world’s fastest lifts, which can jet you from the lobby to the 89th floor for only 39 seconds. Going up?
To help stabilize this teeteering beast, architects added a "mass tune damper," essentially a giant ball that, in this case, weighs 730 tons. Although such dampers are usually hidden, this one is open to the public and painted gold. If it were a real gold, some may chip on it!
Taiwan was so eager to have the world’s tallest building that it overlooked minor obstacles that might have worried lesser developers. Like the major fault line that sits a mere 660 feet from the tower’s base. My GOD!
3. LOTTE WORLD II TOWER
Location: Pusan, South Korea
Completion: 2010
Height: 1,620 feet
Located on a widswept bay. Pusan is renowned for its typhoons. Engineers will put seven tanks holding 2.2 million gallons of water at the top of the tower, which, believe it or not, will help stabilize the building when it gets a bit breezy. Yeah that’s true but can it be incorporated to the building? Physics, Mechanics, Dynamics…brings a good idea!
Since their building will tower everything in Pusan. South Korea’s second largest city, the designers wanted it to look at least a bit Korean. The tower is meant to resemble a traditional Korean totem.
With the troubles of 9/11 in mind, firefighters get their own set of stairs. Plus, the building will include reinforced areas that protect people from smoke and fire. If there’s ever a shortage of water to battle tha blaze, firemen can always tap into those handy 2.2 million gallons sloshing around the roof. Remember the 7 tanks on the roof?
4. SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTRE
Location: Shanghai, China
Completion: 2008
Height: 1,614 feet
A tram-car system will pootle tourists around the hole that makes the building look like a giant bottle opener. This could bring an idea to come up of a skycraper that looks like a Coca-Cola bottle! Going back, there will be an outdoor observation deck at 1,329 feet. At that height you won’t even be able to see the people you’re gobbling on hahaha.
This building’s foundation was poured in 1997. Financial crisis hit and developers realized they were suddenly too skint to build a 101-story tower. The building sat unfinished for years, until construction resumed in February 2003. It should be, or it’ll just a waste of money.
Shanghai’s recent skyscraper building spree is causing the city to sink, although so far the rate is a mere centimeter per year. Still, that’s what you get when you build a throbbing metropolis on stinking swamp land. They should monitor this, and have a regular tests. Kinda scary about this!
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