Executive Summary
Skyscrapers are continuously increasing in height as new technologies provide solutions to unique problems that arise as a building grows. Technological advances have given rise to categories of towers such as ‘super talls’ (defined as buildings of over 300 metres) and ‘mega talls’ (over 600 metres). The tallest building currently is the Burj Khalifa at 829.8m (Schmidt, 2013) however this will not be the case for long, as the construction of 1km tall Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is already underway.
With the world’s natural resources in extremely short supply, it is of incredibly high importance that we use them in the most efficient way possible, therefore significant consideration must be given to how we use them, whether this be for huge towers or otherwise.
On top of the issue above, there is an annual increase in population of nearly 76,000,000 (Worldometers.info, 2016) and the world’s urban population is also on the increase; expected to be at 70% of the planet’s population by 2050 (Berg, 2016).
The next milestone height to be reached by a building is one mile. It is suggested the we certainly could build as high as this (Berg, 2016), but whether we should is a bit more difficult to answer.
In this report, I aim to assess the benefits, drawbacks and design considerations of these enormous structures before providing an opinion on whether I believe they should or should not be built.
Benefits
This section will explore the
To begin, after the site has been chosen several lengthy steps must follow, the site location meets all regulatory, environmental, historical and municipal zoning requirement approvals. Additionally, the property on which the tower will be constructed must be free and clear of all encumbrances and mortgages usually 100’ x 100’ square foot area of property. When all those steps are successfully completed and approved the construction can now move forward with a notice to proceed. There will be a site visit organized for the bidding process inviting pre-approved contractors, civil engineers,
Now that we have a9 we can we can calculate the costs for a 90-foot-tower with the following formula:
The world population of 7.2 billion in mid-2013 is projected to increase by almost one billion people within the next twelve years. It is projected to reach 8.1 billion in 2025, and to further increase to 9.6 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion by 2100. This assumes a decline of fertility for countries where large families are still prevalent as well as a slight increase of fertility in several countries with fewer than two children per woman on average.
The wind turbine is taller than the Statue of Liberty and its blades are more than 100 feet wide. Local residents may not want such a tall structure at the top of the mountain.
One of them is the Washington Monument standing at a height of 555 feet, 5-1/8 inches tall. It was the tallest structure in the world at the time it was finished. It remains the tallest structure made of masonry still today. It is one of the most used symbols of Washington today (Moeller 1 Pg. 90).
In 1973, the Sears Tower, now know as the Willis Tower was completed. At the time it was the tallest building in the United States.
One of their similarities is the height. Both Empire State Building and The Eiffel Tower are the tallest infrastructure in their cities. The Empire State Building with 1,250 feet in the top floor and 1,454 feet to the tip is the tallest building in the city of New York, this building that nowadays is a point of attraction for tourist in the big apple opened in May 1931. Likewise, The Eiffel Tower located in Europe with 906 feet in the top floor and 1,063 feet to the tip is the tallest construction in the city of Paris. It has been open for tourist since 1889 and it was the tallest building in the world from 1889 to 1930.
The Washington Monument is both the world’s tallest stone structure. It is also 555 feet tall, and it was also the world’s tallest building when construction was finished in 1884.
The improvement of the skyscraper structures starts from 10 floor stories to high as 150 floor stories high. The Reliance Building Chicago, USA, in 1895, 15 stories high used the semi-rigid steel frame. The semi-rigid steel frame was held together with steel beams and connected by rivets. (Bennett, P.42) The 60 stories high First Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, USA in 1974 employed the steel belt truss with framed shear truss. This structure used the horizontal trusses at the upper and lower stories to enhance the framed shear truss. (Bennett, P.44) The Sears Tower, Chicago, USA, in 1974, 110 stories high used the Bundled tube. The bundled tubes were made up of a cluster of connected frame tubes, reinforced by steel beams at each story to increase the strength of the structure. Various tubes terminated at different level to further strengthen the bundled tubes at the center. (Bennett, P.44) The future structure was the Superframe, which can reaches at least 150 stories high. It used the concept of the Eiffel Tower with framed tubes connected by horizontal trusses. (Bennett, P.45) It was the innovation of the structural design that enables skyscrapers to reach new height. These methods include the use of
The construction was difficult to design so many years ago because there was no surface bedrock. Engineers were also concerned with both high wind speeds and earthquakes. They did not have regulations that were required to follow regarding these problems. Instead architects and engineers chose designs
On February 10, 2004 mayor of London Ken Livingstone introduced the London Plan, the first proactive strategy in over thirty years to deal specifically with the planning and development of London. Since an increase in London's population by 800,000 is expected by the year 2020 , the mayor has suggested the construction of high-rise buildings as the method most likely to enable London to grow in a controlled and steady manner and maintain its status as a world city. A key part of the plan, the mayor's proposal for high-density towers throughout the city, has heightened the debate between urban planners and heritage groups as to whether the construction of tall
Pratt, J., & Castaneda, C. (1999). Builders: Herman and George R. Brown. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.
Due to the design complexity of the Glasgow tower, construction could not start until a variety of wind tunnel test were completed. Mean hourly wind speeds along the river basin were used to measure the aerodynamic effects of the tower. Computational fluid dynamics programming was used to test the final design of the tower components. The project management team also did a good job in selecting the contractors from a pool over 70 international companies; the
Although these problems were corrected and the idea of building a skyscraper became a feasible task, there were many conditions that had to be taken into account, that did not need consideration when building a structure less than 40 stories tall. Four story buildings are supported by their own walls; however a new method needed to be created for skyscrapers since the previous building method would not provide enough support. Metal skeletal frames made of columns and beams were then developed to provide the support and strength needed for the skyscrapers. As the buildings grew taller, their structural design was made lighter and stiffer. Also, as the buildings grew taller, wind became an important issue. Normally, the force that acts on the skyscraper pushes directly downward towards the ground that would then counter balance that push. However, when an additional force acts on it, such as wind, the forces would act differently on the skyscraper. With a lateral force acting on the building, the steel columns of the frame on the windy side would stretch apart slightly while the columns on the other side would compress. Therefore, the skeletal frame built had to be made so that the structure would be free to move slightly with the wind and, at the same time, remain sturdy.
Moreover, in the far distant future the elevator can also potentially be used to rid the earth of toxic waste by removing it from our planet. Once again, hypothetically, this has the potential to give large corporations all the “space” they need to build massive