The three tallest buildings in Saudi Arabia are the Al Faisaliyah Complex Tower, the Kingdom Center Tower, and the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower. These three buildings are remarkable in their construction, and represent the building boom that has besieged Saudi Arabia over the past decade. Each of these buildings is new, with the Al Faisaliyah Complex the oldest of the three and finished in 2000. The Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower is the newest and was completed in 2012. These three buildings are icons of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Al Faisaliyah Complex and its signature tower are located in the central business district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia halfway between Olaya Street and King Fahd Road (Emporis). Construction on the Al Faisaliyah Complex started in 1997, and was work was completed in 2000. The complex tower is made of a 6000 cubic meter "raft" that involved continuously pouring concrete over a 17 hour period (Foster and Partners). The 327,000 square meter complex houses a revolving restaurant inside the building's iconic golden globe element, as well as offices, conference rooms, a 100 retail unit shopping mall, 1600 bay parking lot, a 224 room hotel and 99 luxury apartments. The tower portion is 267 meters high, and was the first skyscraper in Saudi Arabia (Foster and Partners). The King Faisal Foundation commissioned English architectural firm Foster and Partners to design the building; its chief engineer was Buro Happold. The lobby is a key feature of
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the largest arid country (Al-Ibrahim, 1991). The country covers some 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula (Al-Hamzi, 1992). The area of Saudi Arabia is 2.25 million square kilometers, equivalent (1.4) million square miles (Batayneh, 2012). The total number population in Saudi Arabia is 25.7 million (Al-Shayaa et al., 2012). Saudi Arabia climate is broiling in the summer and chilly in the winter, and Saudi Arabia does not have well-defined season. In addition, Saudi Arabia is waterless country, and it does not have rivers or lakes (Al-Shayaa et al., 2012).
World famous and believed to be created in the first hundred years AD, the Al Khazneh in Petra of Jordan was once used as a mausoleum or a crypt (Macaulay-Lewis, n.d.). This building is now a tourist attraction and has been made famous by being featured in films from around the world.
Next, my mother told me this mosque is the biggest one, and the second religious buildings, also it has the tallest minaret in the world. This mosque has a roof made of light steel, and decorated with cedar wood which opens in 3 minutes for bringing fresh air during the summer. Also, this mosque has many chandeliers made in crystal. The location of this mosque is right by the sea overlooking the Atlantic ocean,
It was a normal, September morning for Roz and her daughter, Amanda. She dropped her off at her school and rode the subway to get to her job at the first World Trade Center building. After a few minutes of entering the building, arriving at the 88th floor, and engaging in light small talk with a coworker, an explosion occurred that shook the whole building. Dazed and confused, Roz and her coworkers stood in confusion wondering what happened. It wasn’t until they saw one of their team members badly burned from head to toe that they realized that what had happened. Frantically, they ran towards a stairwell and descended down 80+ flights of stairs to the safety of the firefighter and police filled lobby. At a point of desperation and exhaustion, Roz was lucky to find a ride to her daughter’s school where family members were already there waiting to hear a call of good news (A Survivor’s Story). Stories like these are a dime a dozen, although many were not as lucky as Roz. The attack on September 11th, 2001 forever changed the lives of many and the consequences had a radical effect on all aspects of life including politics, health, and discrimination acts.
The building was designed by Montgomery C. Meigs. Construction began in 1881 and completed in 1887. Meigs based his design on Italian Renaissance precedents, notably Rome's Palazzo Farnese and the Palazzo della Cancelleria. The building is the largest frameless, freestanding brick building in the world. (wikipedia hasn’t been updated) The entire structure is made of 15,500,000 bricks, including the massive columns. It is the largest building ever built of load-bearing bricks. Meigs alternated the window designs like that of the
The Freedom Tower also known as “One World Trade Center” is the tallest skyscraper in the western hemisphere, and the fifth tallest skyscraper in our planet earth. The building structure consists of 104 stories can also be described as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center. The Building location is 285 Fulton Street, Manhattan New York, United States 10007, as depicted in the map below Figure 1.
During this century, the new sovereign of Cordoba, Abd ar-Rahman, bought the building and basically rebuilt it by designing a mosque. It is because of this unusual legacy that the Great Mosque of Cordoba, unlike most mosques, is not aligned with Mecca, the sacred sacred place for Muslims in Saudi Arabia.
Jerusalem is the holy city that hosts an array of religious artifacts and buildings that are rooted in different religions that span centuries. From the Wailing Wall to the Second Temple, Jerusalem exists as a testament to ancient religions and their cultures. But one particular architectural masterpiece rises above all of them. The Dome of the Rock or Qubbat as-Sakhrah rises above Jerusalem, its golden peak reflecting the desert sun, a beacon of ancient history. It can be seen from all over Jerusalem and is the glory of the Haram es-Sharif or “Noble Sanctuary” or Temple Mount for Muslims. It stands erected between other religions and it contains a rich history interlaced with a mystery that has perplexed historians and archeologists for centuries. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions of the world and just like Christianity has left a mark in the ancient world, so too has Islam. One of the biggest marks it has left is due to the architecture attributed to Islam. Islamic architecture is praised by millions of people due to the elegant and proportional design. There have been many buildings erected in the name of Islam such as The Great Mosque in Damascus or the Umayyad Palace in Jordan but The Dome of the Rock has been hailed by many to be the jewel of Islamic architecture. It is a testament to the longevity of Islam and a reminder of what the followers of Islam believe in.
The architectural features of Wealthy Heights, the district with ethnic/heritage value, were important, yet less important than those of Heritage Hill, the district with architectural value. Regarding the preservation of Wealthy Heights, community participants wanted moderate changes to the architectural features the most. The difference between moderate and radical changes was subjectively determined. However, the marking activity and results accelerated participants’ discussions of the given topic. In general, there was a common understanding on the importance and appropriate treatment regardless of the different degrees. In many cases, participants preferred visually/physically compatible changes. Community participants were concerned with
All of this was done to say and estimated 30 million dollars back in the time when it was built. So it seems like the economy and the mindset of the time played a major role in the world trade center collapse and everything to do with it, either directly or in directly. There were only 2 good reasons to go with this design and it seems like both of the m were at the forefront of the designers mind. The first one was to save money by not spending as much as he needed to on the material. The other is the fact to make more money by having more space in the building to rent out to the rest of the people by giving them the space that should have belonged to the thicker parts of the columns.
There is then an octagon of 2 ambulatories on 8 piers and 16 columns that holds the cylinder tightly, as if in a ring. There are four doors, each of them corresponding to the main axes of the Haram al Sharif. An extensive decoration of carved stone, mosaics, painted wood, multi-colored tiles, marble, and carpets covers most of the building, inside and outside. These decorations reflect many different time periods due to the continual need for repair with varying degrees of success , resulting in the accumulation of damage over time. Furthermore, contemporary changes in taste influenced how the building was maintained. The Dome of the Rock’s extraordinary visual impact is a direct result of the mathematical rhythm of its proportions. All of
The Palace of Ukhaidir is a spectacular fortress located in the Arabian desert, 120 kilometers South-West from the city of Baghdad. It is situated in present day Iraq. It was built in 775 CE by Isa ibn Musa, who was a nephew of the second Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mansur. The latter paid Isa ibn Musa a significant amount of money so that he would not claim the throne. According to some chroniclers, he used this fortune to build a mansion, known today as the “small green place.” The quadrangular fortress consists of living apartments, bath, courtyard of honor, a great hall, and a mosque. The surrounding wall is provided with many round towers and a gate in the center of each side. Its architecture is innovative and progressive. A new technique of
Until the 19th century it was the tallest building in the world and, at the age of 4,500 years, it is the only one of the famous "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" that still stands. It is the Great Pyramid of Khufu, at Giza, Egypt.
The Taj Mahal is a prime example of India’s rich culture. A mix of Indian, Persian and Islamic characteristics, the two decade long project is a renowned “Wonder of the World” that boasts an emotional and romantic history; it was built by Emperor Shah Jahan of the Mughal era in a splendid tribute to his deceased wife. To this day, the Taj Mahal continues to be a famous landmark and cherished piece of Indian art.
The sustainable measures of Middle Eastern heritage buildings are limited, as well the international green rating system versions are still unsuitable and unable to adapt the local conditions and customs. Despite the Arab efforts to have their own rating systems, such as Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Kuwait (Komurlu, Ruveyda, Asli Pelin Gurgun, and David Arditi 2015, Omar Attallah, Sherif, Ahmad Senouci, Amr Kandil, and Hassan Al-Derham 2013), sustainability in most Middle Eastern countries is still deficient and facing many challenges presented by the lack of the cooperation and supports of the local Arabic organizations, and the dearth of metrics, gap of research, measurement field, monitoring systems, and environmental management and regulations (Komurlu, Ruveyda, David Arditi, and Asli Pelin Gurgun 2014). Despite Syrian government 's concern for the environment and sustainability, the situation of environmental research field is still weak (Haydar and Pediaditi 2010). Ministry of Local Administration in Syria directed towards the observance of environmental conditions within the updating of building codes for the cities, trying to raise awareness and training national cadres. The only Syrian thermal insulation code, was published by National Syrian Arab Standards and Metrology Organization, is still very limited (SASMO 2015). The process of promoting and developing on the built environment research field in Syria faces difficulties and obstacles; because of the weak linkages