The picture that you see below is a not so common picture of a service road in Dubai. What makes it special is that it is located just opposite to the Dubai Mall and the entire street caters to the high-end business and commerce of the city.
So as long as the skyward push continues, the only thing we can hope for is that an efficient design is made considering both form and structure, that considers sustainability objectives so that it is less taxing on the quality of the environment.
I ended up with this picture one day when I had been there for a job interview. I had taken the metro and had reached the destination some 30 minutes ahead of time. With so much spare time in hand, I wasn't willing to go to the office and wait for my turn quietly. Instead, I decided to just have a look around the place. It turned out to be worth it.
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| Service road next to Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai |
So while I was sauntering around the office, trying to take some quick snaps with my mobile, there it was…between other tall buildings: an architectural marvel of our times, a building that I am never tired of admiring - the Burj Khalifa: standing tall and looking as marvelous as always. I don't know what is it that makes me like the building so much, its architecture, its height, its location, its interiors or just everything about it.
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| The Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai |
Apart from holding the world record for being the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa holds six other World records:
-Tallest freestanding structure in the world
-Highest number of stories in the world
-Highest occupied floor in the world
-Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
-Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
-Tallest service elevator in the world.
Let me not bore you with the facts...there are more such dizzying facts that could make your head reel in wonder and awe.
All this facts and more, made me wonder about the phenomena of building skyscrapers...the architectural race of building the tallest building in the world.
The desire to reach for the sky while celebrating wealth, power and respect to God, probably led to the pyramids of Egypt, the spires of the medieval age cathedrals, the tall Gopurams of our very own Indian temples, and to the skyscrapers we see today around the world. Technology and ambition of the Architects was probably another factor that aided this skyward push.
Will there be an endpoint as to how tall a building can be made? Eventually, there'll be some country which would boast of the tallest building height achieved in the world that would put an end to the race. But I don't think so...Technology and human instinct to conquer and reach new heights will probably never put an end to this race.
The desire to reach for the sky while celebrating wealth, power and respect to God, probably led to the pyramids of Egypt, the spires of the medieval age cathedrals, the tall Gopurams of our very own Indian temples, and to the skyscrapers we see today around the world. Technology and ambition of the Architects was probably another factor that aided this skyward push.
Will there be an endpoint as to how tall a building can be made? Eventually, there'll be some country which would boast of the tallest building height achieved in the world that would put an end to the race. But I don't think so...Technology and human instinct to conquer and reach new heights will probably never put an end to this race.
So as long as the skyward push continues, the only thing we can hope for is that an efficient design is made considering both form and structure, that considers sustainability objectives so that it is less taxing on the quality of the environment.
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