Tall Building: Update
I'm way into big buildings. They do a lot more for a city's character and future than most people recognize. So, I think it's HAWTaction [hot ak-shuh
n] to keep tabs on new projects like the Tall Building Update, City of Silk, Shanghai Tower, Russia Tower, Anara Tower, Okhta Tower, Nakheel Harbour and Tower, Bahrain WTC, Honeycomb Skyscraper, Burj Dubai... in Dubai... in Pictures, CCTV and TVCC Towers, Tokyo Sky Tree, Burj Dubai (Revisited), Dancing Towers, Dynamic Tower, Dubai Towers, The Lighthouse (Paris), The Lighthouse (Dubai), Antilla, London's Super Tower, Eiffel Tower, Shuffle Tower, Full Moon, Caspian Bay, Chicago Spire, Chicago's Aqua Tower, Infinity Tower, Teardrop, Christmas Tree or the Burj Dubai.
A year ago, I couldn't get enough Tall Building posts out to you guys. Everyone was shooting up a tower of the highest architectural aesthetic and mind-boggling design. We saw buildings that rotated as they got taller, skyscrapers with no steel frame and absolute monsters of height. Well, it isn't a coincidence that as the global economy has dried up, the Tall Building industry's momentum has fallen off the charts.
Yesterday one of these Tall Buildings went up in flames, and I thought it appropriate to check in on our favorite series. The building that exploded with fire was part of the Media Park in Beijing, with the CCTV and TVCC Towers:
What burned down was the building on the left, the CCTV, home of a flagship Mandarin Oriental hotel. Here's a video of what that looked like.
n] to keep tabs on new projects like the Tall Building Update, City of Silk, Shanghai Tower, Russia Tower, Anara Tower, Okhta Tower, Nakheel Harbour and Tower, Bahrain WTC, Honeycomb Skyscraper, Burj Dubai... in Dubai... in Pictures, CCTV and TVCC Towers, Tokyo Sky Tree, Burj Dubai (Revisited), Dancing Towers, Dynamic Tower, Dubai Towers, The Lighthouse (Paris), The Lighthouse (Dubai), Antilla, London's Super Tower, Eiffel Tower, Shuffle Tower, Full Moon, Caspian Bay, Chicago Spire, Chicago's Aqua Tower, Infinity Tower, Teardrop, Christmas Tree or the Burj Dubai.A year ago, I couldn't get enough Tall Building posts out to you guys. Everyone was shooting up a tower of the highest architectural aesthetic and mind-boggling design. We saw buildings that rotated as they got taller, skyscrapers with no steel frame and absolute monsters of height. Well, it isn't a coincidence that as the global economy has dried up, the Tall Building industry's momentum has fallen off the charts.
Yesterday one of these Tall Buildings went up in flames, and I thought it appropriate to check in on our favorite series. The building that exploded with fire was part of the Media Park in Beijing, with the CCTV and TVCC Towers:
What burned down was the building on the left, the CCTV, home of a flagship Mandarin Oriental hotel. Here's a video of what that looked like.It's a hot mess, that situation. News reports are really being suppressed by the Chinese government, so the extent of the first isn't known, but it looks terrible. I understand why the Chinese are burying the story, too, because this complex is a symbol of Chinese progress... a spot in China's modern architectural collage they are trying to paint. (Or something.) Early reports indicate the fire started as a result of a fireworks show for the final night of the Chinese New Years' celebration. Holy moly. Maybe an update will squeak out of the tight Chinese filter soon.
In other news, Chicago Spire (Calatrava) was covered as one of the first Tall Building posts. This is what that building should look like:
Construction on that beautiful residential building has been halted indefinitely. Other projects that have been confirmed to have been halted are Russia Tower:
Anara Tower:
Nakheel Harbour and Tower has been delayed for a year (for now):
The Lighthouse (Dubai) has been delayed for over 18 months now:
Close to being canceled? The Okhta Tower:
As more and more delays are announced, what aren't announced? New projects. Balls. 'Tis a sad time for Tall Building posts. We'll keep scouring the web, though, trying to find tall architectural gems... I mean, anyone else miss this series? * tear *
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