BOB DOUGHTY: Sometimes measurements can lead to debates and disputes. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat decided in nineteen ninety-six to include the height of the spires of the Petronas Towers. This led to its surpassing the height of the Sears Tower in Chicago by about ten meters. Many people felt this was unfair, because the Sears Tower’s tall antenna was not included in the official height measurement.
As a result, the Council now considers other height categories, such as highest occupied floor and highest antenna. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is not only the world’s tallest building architecturally. It is also the tallest building when measuring height to tip, and highest occupied floors. But this record will probably not last for long. Builders in Dubai and China have already started plans for surpassing the Burj Khalifa’s height.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: So far, we have discussed the
reality
of skyscrapers. But what would tall buildings look like if your imagination was the only limit? A building design magazine called eVolo has been published for about two years. A group of architecture students at Columbia University in New York started eVolo. The magazine also holds a yearly skyscraper competition for the best ideas for redefining the role of skyscrapers.
BOB DOUGHTY: Carlo Aiello is the editor of the magazine. He says that skyscrapers are clearly popular around the world because they provide a huge amount of shelter and use less land space. But he says they also act as representations of a country’s wealth and geopolitical power. He wanted the eVolo skyscraper competition to be less about the height of the buildings, and more about supporting environmental and community responsibility. The aim of the award is also to bring attention to the ideas of young designers.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25