Shape-Shifting Skyscraper Plan

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In summary: There is an often unseen dark side to Dubai. They say the city's economic miracle would not be possible without armies of poorly paid construction workers from the Indian subcontinent, most of whom are forced to give up their passports upon arrival in the U.A.E. Some workers say they haven't been home in years and that their salary has been withheld to pay back...
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  • #37


I read in the article that the floors will be turned by wind turbines that are between each floor. Wouldn't it be great is such wind turbines were put to useful work instead? Reather than a huge turbine on the roof, dozens of smaller turbines adding to the generation of electricity close to the points of use. That's something worth pursuing.
 
  • #38


Chi Meson said:
I read in the article that the floors will be turned by wind turbines that are between each floor. Wouldn't it be great is such wind turbines were put to useful work instead? Reather than a huge turbine on the roof, dozens of smaller turbines adding to the generation of electricity close to the points of use. That's something worth pursuing.

The early versions I read about said those turbines would also provide power for the residents, not just turning the building. I think that may be the most useful long-term aspect of this project, if it really happens. If people can see first hand that this huge, moving building has its own wind-generated power supply, perhaps incorporating that into future, less "showy" buildings would be an easier sell. This one seems more like the billboard for advertising the "green" technology.
 
  • #39


With all the spinning turbines and rotating floors, I wonder if there will be issues with noise and/or vibration.

I've been in a rotating restaurant that had a somewhat disconcerting bounce-vibration in the floor. When I'm 20 stories off the ground, I like having the feel of terra firma under my feet!
 
  • #40


lisab said:
When I'm 20 stories off the ground, I like having the feel of terra firma under my feet!
In these buildings the floor is usually cantilevered off the central core anyway so no real difference. Assuming there is an elevator shaft the central core is not going to be rotating
The fun bit is going to be hooking up services, especially water and sewage, if the floor doesn't rotate at the centre.
 
  • #41


I would imagine the buyers of apartments that face Mecca at call to prayer 6 times per day will have to pay a big premium.:devil:
 
  • #42


Chi Meson said:
If I design a building, and build it in Dubai, then I can say that Americans can design a building. That is how it works. Fisher didn't take his design to Dubai because "Dubai has the technology to build it and America doesn't." Some guy in Dubai has the cash, that's all.

Technology is the "smarts" as well as the machinery. I'm not flag-waving here saying "we're number one" or anything stupid like that. Especially considering that many nationalities are probably represented in the designing phase of every technological advancement. But I think it is incorrect to say that the US is far behind in "technology." That's too broad a statement to be true. Understanding what can be done with current materials and methods is what lead to the breakthrough design of this building. If American technology was so far behind the rest of the world, then this building could not have been designed because the materials could not have been understood.

This really isn't too hard. Japan has electronics that we don't = we are behind Japan. I don't care if the Military has them or that we can build them. That doesn't matter in the slightest. The public doesn't see it therefore we don't have it.

Just like if I were to give you some food, but instead put it in the fridge and lock it shut. Do you have the food? No, because you can't eat it. It's just there and that's pointless.


"We could but we just don't want to." isn't an excuse.
 
  • #43


mgb_phys said:
The fun bit is going to be hooking up services, especially water and sewage, if the floor doesn't rotate at the centre.

I was just thinking about how they do that. Electrical connections would be "simple" but what about those fluid and "effluent" pipes? One thought is that each floor has its own clean water cistern and waste/grey water holder. At one point on the circular route there might be valves that refill or release the specific fluids.

Interesting problem.
 
  • #44


WarPhalange said:
Japan has electronics that we don't = we are behind Japan.

That statement I can agree with. Your original statement, I still do not.
 
  • #45


That is my original statement.
 
  • #46


Chi Meson said:
I read in the article that the floors will be turned by wind turbines that are between each floor. Wouldn't it be great is such wind turbines were put to useful work instead? Reather than a huge turbine on the roof, dozens of smaller turbines adding to the generation of electricity close to the points of use. That's something worth pursuing.

Wouldn't the sound of these wind turbines be deafening?

And what about the sound of the motors etc which rotate the parts of the building?
 
  • #47


DaveC426913 said:
I doubt that superstars who buy $40 million summer getaway homes in the Middle East feel the need for a warm & fuzzy static view out their front window. :rolleyes:

Well, I suppose I'm not a "superstar" because I enjoy feeling properly oriented. It's got nothing to do with warmth and/or fuzziness, either. It's got to do with having traveled constantly for a decade of my life and it taking me a very long time of sleeping in different hotel rooms to adjust to the concept of not knowing where I am. I swore they should make hotel rooms standardised so I'd always know which direction the bathroom was when I woke at 3:00 a.m.

I don't enjoy feeling disoriented. Maybe if I were a "superstar" I wouldn't have that issue.:wink:
 
  • #48


WarPhalange said:
That is my original statement.

Japan has an advanced infrastructure and market for electronic gadgets. But electronics and Japan have nothing to do with this building that is planned to be built in Dubai, nor why it is not first being built in the US. I also don't agree that the statement "Japan has better cell phones and better cars" (although quite true) equates with "US is pretty far behind" [everyone else?] in technology. I have a broader interpretation of that word than you.

So I think we can see each other's point of view; let's get out of the way of the OP.
 
  • #49


Why is everyone so bothered that its not being built in the US first?
 
  • #50


Kurdt said:
Why is everyone so bothered that its not being built in the US first?

Personally, I'm not. This design is currently planned to be built second in Moscow, then third in the US. By that time they'll have worked out the bugs, and the costs will be less. We'll also know if the damn thing doesn't work by then. This building is radically new in design and building methods. Who wants to keep the first one of anything like that?

US architecture and structural engineering is responsible for many of the signature buildings around the world. This is a much better way for the world to see us.
 
  • #51


US architecture and structural engineering is responsible for many of the signature buildings around the world. This is a much better way for the world to see us.

Quite agree, I hope the stupid wealthy Arabs could get that in their heads.
 
  • #52


I was under the impression the architect was Italian. :confused:
 
  • #53


Kurdt said:
Why is everyone so bothered that its not being built in the US first?
Because much of America, due to their insular culture and media focus, are convinced that they're the greatest nation in the world?
 
  • #54
Kurdt said:
I was under the impression the architect was Italian. :confused:

YOW! Totally correct, he is Italian. His company, Dynamic Group, is based in New York, so I made an erroneous assumption. I guess I should have recognized that classic Italian name :redface:

So, an Italian architect's American company is going to build revolutionary towers in Dubai, Moscow, and New York... The whole nationality thing is absurd isn't it?
 
  • #55


AhmedEzz said:
Quite agree, I hope the stupid wealthy Arabs could get that in their heads.

Dubai has a lot of wealth, that's for sure, and they are using that wealth to create the most amazing, modern city on Earth. I don't think that's stupid.
 
  • #56


How about investing their money in something that is really worth it? universities, schools, cultural education, research & development, finding alternatives to oil, etc... they are so stupid they can't even look for 50 years ahead.
 
  • #57


Hey, we RE-elected Bush. We got as much stupid as anyone else.

Dubai has established itself as hub of commerce that goes beyond oil. This is a city that will last. Their public education has gone from zero to, well, something in only ten years. Back to the OP, here's a video on the tower with popup info. Get this: YOU CAN PARK YOUR CAR IN YOUR APARTMENT! (EDIT: Ignore the last popup which says "courtesy of Americans paying $4/gallon for gasoline.")


I totally love this building!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #58


AhmedEzz said:
How about investing their money in something that is really worth it? universities, schools, cultural education, research & development, finding alternatives to oil, etc... they are so stupid they can't even look for 50 years ahead.
I don't understand your viewpoint. Do you not understand capitalism? This is a profit-making venture. The city/country will reap money from it, (not just local buyers, but from the usual international attention and tourism).

Are you next going to suggest Royal Cruise Lines shouldn't build cruise ships?
 
  • #59


DaveC426913 said:
Are you next going to suggest Royal Cruise Lines shouldn't build cruise ships?

I think he's saying Royal Cruise Lines should have a ship level for math tutoring and reading lessons :tongue2:
 
  • #60


There's nothing wrong with American technology. The local bar spins around plenty. I found that if I put one hand on the bar and wrap my arm around my wife, I can keep the whole thing stable. Beat that Dubai.
 
  • #61


jimmysnyder said:
There's nothing wrong with American technology. The local bar spins around plenty. I found that if I put one hand on the bar and wrap my arm around my wife, I can keep the whole thing stable. Beat that Dubai.

:rofl: I've been to that bar. Freakin weird how the bathroom moves around too. How does that plumbing work?
 
  • #62


Chi Meson said:
How does that plumbing work?
Not so hot after some idiot parked his car in it.
 
  • #63


DaveC426913 said:
I don't understand your viewpoint. Do you not understand capitalism? This is a profit-making venture. The city/country will reap money from it, (not just local buyers, but from the usual international attention and tourism).

That's precisely what I see when I look at this too; they are building a tourism economy. When the oil wells run dry, they will have tourism to support them. A building like this is way of parting the filthy rich of the world from some of their money. Think of the ingenuity of it...no longer are they limited to charging a premium for apartments on one side of the building with the good view, they can charge a premium for ALL of the apartments that all get that good view for some part of the day. It's the same reason countries or cities compete for things like the tallest building, strangest building, most distinctive building in the skyline, etc., it's to bring in tourists to gawk at the building, pay to stay in local hotels and eat in local restaurants, buy trinkets from the gift shop, have cruise ships dock at their ports to allow more tourists to do the same, improve the cash flow for the local pickpockets who will then spend more in local shops, etc.
 
  • #64


DaveC426913 said:
I don't understand your viewpoint. Do you not understand capitalism? This is a profit-making venture. The city/country will reap money from it, (not just local buyers, but from the usual international attention and tourism).

Are you next going to suggest Royal Cruise Lines shouldn't build cruise ships?

I wasn't reffering to that building in particular. I was saying that oil money could be spent elsewhere; in a more beneficial way.
 
  • #65


AhmedEzz said:
I wasn't reffering to that building in particular. I was saying that oil money could be spent elsewhere; in a more beneficial way.

It does make a certain amount of sense.

I think it's aim is to be Monaco with sunshine. Monaco is just a sleepy little fishing village on the south coast of France, but by a series of historical accidents it is now the rich things playground and has been for 100years. The local population aren't doing bad out of it!
 
  • #66


Does Dubai allow alcohol or gambling?
 
  • #67


I think yes, but I'm not sure. Egypt does and I hear that Dubai is more liberal than Egypt so it would make sense.
 
  • #68


How much daily fluctuation in temperature is there in a place like Dubai? I know it gets goshawful hot during the day; does it stay hot all night, or drop down to chilly temps then? I'm wondering what added impact there will be of thermal expansion of the building with all this motion going on? Maybe Dubai is a place with consistent enough temperatures that that's less of an issue than other places?

I'm thinking beyond that to whether this is a design that, if it is feasible in Dubai, would be equally feasible in other locations. In a city like NYC, where there are already so many buildings, would the wind turbines between floors even work? Can updrafts move them as well as an off-shore breeze would? Would the seasonal and daily temperature fluctuations be too much of a stress on such a design?
 
  • #69


Nights are chilly in winters and tolerably warm in summers.
 
<h2>1. What is a shape-shifting skyscraper plan?</h2><p>A shape-shifting skyscraper plan is a concept in architecture where a building is designed to change its shape or form in response to different environmental factors such as wind, sunlight, or temperature. This allows the building to be more energy-efficient and adaptable to its surroundings.</p><h2>2. How does a shape-shifting skyscraper work?</h2><p>A shape-shifting skyscraper typically uses advanced technologies such as sensors, motors, and computer systems to detect changes in the environment and adjust its shape accordingly. For example, the building may have movable panels or shades that can open or close to regulate temperature and light.</p><h2>3. What are the benefits of a shape-shifting skyscraper?</h2><p>One of the main benefits of a shape-shifting skyscraper is its energy efficiency. By adapting to its surroundings, the building can reduce its energy consumption and lower its carbon footprint. Additionally, the building's shape-shifting capabilities can also provide a more comfortable and functional environment for its occupants.</p><h2>4. Are there any shape-shifting skyscrapers currently in existence?</h2><p>Yes, there are a few shape-shifting skyscrapers that have been built or are currently under construction. One example is the Dynamic Tower in Dubai, which will have rotating floors that allow residents to change their view. Another example is the Tower of the Sun in South Korea, which has solar panels that can move and tilt to capture more sunlight.</p><h2>5. What are the potential challenges or drawbacks of a shape-shifting skyscraper?</h2><p>One potential challenge of a shape-shifting skyscraper is the cost and complexity of the technology required to make it work. Maintenance and repairs may also be more complicated and expensive. Additionally, there may be concerns about the safety and stability of the building if it is constantly changing shape. Proper testing and regulations would need to be in place to address these issues.</p>

1. What is a shape-shifting skyscraper plan?

A shape-shifting skyscraper plan is a concept in architecture where a building is designed to change its shape or form in response to different environmental factors such as wind, sunlight, or temperature. This allows the building to be more energy-efficient and adaptable to its surroundings.

2. How does a shape-shifting skyscraper work?

A shape-shifting skyscraper typically uses advanced technologies such as sensors, motors, and computer systems to detect changes in the environment and adjust its shape accordingly. For example, the building may have movable panels or shades that can open or close to regulate temperature and light.

3. What are the benefits of a shape-shifting skyscraper?

One of the main benefits of a shape-shifting skyscraper is its energy efficiency. By adapting to its surroundings, the building can reduce its energy consumption and lower its carbon footprint. Additionally, the building's shape-shifting capabilities can also provide a more comfortable and functional environment for its occupants.

4. Are there any shape-shifting skyscrapers currently in existence?

Yes, there are a few shape-shifting skyscrapers that have been built or are currently under construction. One example is the Dynamic Tower in Dubai, which will have rotating floors that allow residents to change their view. Another example is the Tower of the Sun in South Korea, which has solar panels that can move and tilt to capture more sunlight.

5. What are the potential challenges or drawbacks of a shape-shifting skyscraper?

One potential challenge of a shape-shifting skyscraper is the cost and complexity of the technology required to make it work. Maintenance and repairs may also be more complicated and expensive. Additionally, there may be concerns about the safety and stability of the building if it is constantly changing shape. Proper testing and regulations would need to be in place to address these issues.

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