Tag Archives: skyscrapers

NEW YORK CITY: 16 Year-Old Thwarts Security, Reaches Top Of 1 WTC Tower

So much for that “ring of steel” security perimeter around 1 World Trade Center. Via the New York Post: A New Jersey teen captivated by 1 World Trade Center sneaked out of his home in the dead of night, got past the wall of security — and a sleeping guard — making it all the way up to the spire, …

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1WTC Wins “Tallest” Ruling

One World Trade Center has been judged the tallest building in the western hemisphere by the “official” ruling body of such matters. Sorry, Chicago. The nonprofit Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat—the accepted arbiter on matters of skyscraper height—on Tuesday ruled that the spire atop One World Trade Center counts toward the official “architectural” height, making the new tower …

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Which Is The Tallest?

The “arbiters of world building heights” are meeting this weekend to decide if the almost-completed One World Trade Center will take the crown from Chicago’s Willis Tower as the tallest building in the western hemisphere. “Most of the time these decisions are not so controversial,” said Daniel Safarik, an architect and spokesman for the nonprofit Council on Tall Buildings and …

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Manhattan’s Coming Super-Skyscrapers

The astounding condo sales for the nearly completed One57 at the southern edge of Central Park has spurred the construction of three more super-skyscrapers, all of which will be even taller and will challenge national height records for residential buildings. Gizmodo has published a breakdown of the coming towers and the one in the center of the above image caught …

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London’s “Fryscraper” Melts Cars

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Photo Of The Day

That’s (sort of) the view from atop the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s 160-story Burj Khalifa. Gizmodo has the deets on how the photo was made. By the way, it can cost up to $100 to visit the observation deck.  Here are some of the records the building has set.

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Workers Dangle 45 Stories Over NYC

Two window washers are dangling just below the roof of the 45-story Hearst Tower in midtown Manhattan after their scaffolding failed. The men are tethered to the scaffolding and firefighters are working to remove windows and rescue the men from the inside. The streets below have been cleared and tens of thousands of office workers are reportedly watching the rescue …

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China Begins 220-Story Tower

China has begun construction on what will be the world’s tallest building, the 220-story Sky City.  Developers claim that the tower will go up in only seven months due to its prefabricated modular plan.  The Observer takes a dim view: Economically, the building makes absolutely no sense. It will feature over 11 million square feet (or is it 13 million? …

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Rising In NYC: 60-Story “Jenga” Tower

Super-skyscapers are rising all over Manhattan and the “Jenga” tower is the city’s latest hot building for jillionaires. Tribeca’s soon-to-be-tallest building, 56 Leonard, sold more than 70% of its 145 units in just 10 weeks — including one to a Frenchman who got so excited just from looking at renderings of the unevenly shaped structure that he bought a $6 …

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408-Foot Spire Tops Out One WTC

One WTC was topped out this morning. Construction workers bolted a 408-foot spire into place atop One World Trade Center on Friday, symbolically capping New York’s comeback after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. The spire brings the iconic building to a height of 1,776 feet — an allusion to the year the United States declared its independence. It also …

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NYC’s Toppling Crane Is Secured

For the moment, anyway. Via the Wall Street Journal: In the tethering operation over the weekend, construction workers used a hand crank to turn the entire cab and crane platform about 70 degrees counter-clockwise, maneuvering the boom below until it was tucked in close to the southern wall of the building. Riggers standing on the edge of unfinished concrete floors …

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Hi-Rise Crane Snaps In Manhattan

A crane has apparently snapped on the under-construction One57 building, which when completed at 90 stories will be the western hemisphere’s tallest residential skyscraper. Sometime this afternoon, the boom of a crane atop One57 snapped back and now hangs precariously from the cab of the crane. So far nothing has fallen from the structure. “Can’t talk now but we don’t …

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Afternoon View – Transamerica Building

As seen from my buddy Tom’s room at the Hyatt Embarcadero.

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Woolworth Building Goes Condo

Manhattan’s iconic Woolworth Building, which turns 100 next year, is going condo. A 2500 square-foot unit is expected to start at $7.5M. The world’s tallest building when it opened in 1913, the Woolworth Building was called the “Cathedral of Commerce,” its copper-domed tower soaring 792 feet into the skyline. Now, in a $68 million deal made final last week, the …

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China To Build 220-Story Tower

And they say they’re going to build it in just 90 days by using prefabricated parts partially assembled off-site. The building will be 10m taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the tallest manmade structure on earth. SkyCity One, with a rather imposing design, will contain 1,610,000m2 across 220 storeys, containing a mix of residential, commercial and retail space …

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Height Comparison

(Source)

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Afternoon View – The Beekman

The 76-story Frank Gehry-designed Beekman is almost finished in downtown Manhattan. It’s presently the ninth-tallest building in the city, however six much taller buildings will soon push the Beekman out of the top ten. It contains 903 “luxury” apartments, all rental. Hello recession. These pics embiggen nicely. (I’m quite pleased with the zoom on my new camera.)

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STOP! Mecca Time!

In Mecca, Saudi Arabia is building the world’s largest clock atop what will be the world’s second-tallest building. The structure is meant to help further Saudi Arabia’s goal to establish Mecca as the replacement for the global standard of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Bearing a striking resemblance to both St Stephen’s Tower, which houses the bell of Big Ben, and …

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90+ Story Apartment Building Planned For Manhattan Near Central Park

The ugly Trump World Tower will be deposed as New York City’s tallest residential building after a planned 1005 foot apartment building is completed in Manhattan’s near the southern end of Central Park. The tower, designed by the French architect Christian de Portzamparc, will rise 1,005 feet above 57th Street east of Seventh Avenue, feature striking views of Central Park …

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Burj Dubai Opens Today

More than twice as tall as the Empire State, the Burj Dubai officially opens today in a heavy cloak of security. Dubai is set to open the world’s tallest building Monday as the city seeks to revitalize its economy after a debt crisis in 2009 that forced the once-hot financial center to turn to neighboring Abu Dhabi for help. The …

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