Sunday, June 29, 2008

A new rotating tower planned for Dubai!


"The Dynamic Tower offers infinite design possibilities, as each floor rotates independently at different speeds, resulting in a unique and ever evolving shape that introduces a fourth dimension to architecture, Time."

8 comments:

Greybishop said...

Assuming that the Emirates wealth is sufficient to accomplish this, it'll be quite the thing to see.

Logistically and architecturally it's a scarily daunting idea. Pipes for plumbing, wiring, duct work and more all have to accomodate a rotating structure.

My first thought was "No way does this ever get off the ground", but then I remembered just how much money is floating around in Dubai...

Sawsee said...

Hey GB!

I assume the central core will be stationary, housing all the mechanical & electrical elements. If not, there will be a lot of very tangled wires and mangled plumbing after a few revolutions...

Greybishop said...

Yeah, there would have to be a stationary tower within the tower to make it all work. Still a logistical nightmare. The mechanical maintenance alone! Hundreds of constantly running high torque, low rev motors (hopefully quiet ones!) and the wear and tear on the materials makes it daunting in scope, to say the least!

It'll be a helluva thing to see when it's done!

Lady-in-Gray said...

It's quite clear that these people have more money than they know what to do with....

I can't help but wonder, though, why they don't use it to help others instead of building "monuments" to themselves...
:-(

Greybishop said...

That is the million dollar question, Lady.

I'm sure they'd be happy to spend a couple million dollars to research the answer.

When I lived in Dubai, the minimum wage ran about $2.85 Canadian. Per DAY.

The Emiraties have the money, the south Asians (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) do the work. They are generally treated well, but the safety standards (by North American standards at least) are sometimes incredibly lax.

In a way, these monuments to themselves (I love the way you put that) do help, sort of. The workers might not be making much money, but compared to what they make at home, it's a fortune and most of these immigrant workers send the lions share of the money they do earn back to their families. It's not a great system, but it does help to a degree. Most of the Asian and south Asian people I met who were doing the low end jobs for the low end pay were happy just to have work and be able to help support their families.

It would be nice to think that for evey dollar spent on a massive project like this, some money would go towards helping those in the worst need. I'd say that's not likely...

Sawsee said...

Yes, "monuments to themselves" is a great line and very true.

As GB states, the mechanical maintenance would be a nightmare!

What is going to become of these 'affluent' areas once their black gold is gone?

LOSTbean said...

"And as a part of your employee health benefits, an unending supply of Dramamine for the duration of your employment with us."

xoxo,
The HR Department

Sawsee said...

LB! lol!

Yes, and employees will be encouraged to wait an hour after leaving the building before operating their vehicle or any other heavy equipment.