World's Tallest Buildings

[W. Gray]

1931 – Empire State Building, world's tallest building at 1,250 feet. The state of New York does not own the building. The name is similar to someone building a tall building in Kansas and naming it the Sunflower State Building. The 86th floor was hit dead on by a B-25 bomber in 1946. The top of the building was originally supposed to be a mooring mast for airships, such as the Hindenberg.

1973- World Trade Center twin towers at 1,355 feet became the tallest in the world.

1973- Sears Tower in Chicago at 1,451 feet became world's tallest.

1998 – Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at 1,483 feet became the world's tallest.

2004- Taipei 101 in Taiwan at 1,671 feet became world's tallest beating out the Shanghai World Financial Center at 1,614 feet, which opened this year and was never able to make a claim about world's tallest.

Under construction—Fox News reports the Burj Dubai building in the United Arab Emirates has reached 2,257 feet, 160 stories, and is getting close to half a mile high. The current height is more than 1,000 feet taller than the Empire State and 586 feet taller than the current record holder. The final height with antenna towers will put it over half a mile. Let's hope the sand holds out.

[sixdogsmom]

This makes me think of the Biblical tale of the Tower of Babylon.

[Rudy Taylor]

I worked as a TV announcer in 1967-68 for KWTV in Oklahoma City, and our tower was the tallest manmade structure in the world.

Within two years of that time, our station not only lost that status, there were two other stations in our own city that were taller than ours.

It was 1,572 ft. tall.  Seems pretty short in comparison to the buildings listed on this post.

[W. Gray]

I am sure the folks in Dubai went down into bedrock and then some. To support a half mile tall building, I am wondering just how far down they had to go. They have an over $4 billion budget.

**

There are two towers that hold up the suspension cables and the roadway on the 6,000 foot long Brooklyn Bridge.

The tower on the Brooklyn side was anchored to bed rock.

The tower on the New York side sits on sand.

This was the 1880s and the company was losing many workers from injuries digging down to bed rock in underwater compressed air filled wood chambers. The chief engineer finally decided the sand at the depth they were digging probably had not moved in thousands of years.

So, they laid the foundation stones for the almost 300 foot tall stone tower directly on the sand.

The workers injuries was the result of the bends. Some workers suffered for the rest of their life. In those days, an injured worker was let go. The company no longer had responsibility for him. However, there were many eager volunteers that would take his job at 10 to 20 cents an hour.

[dnalexander]

I am sure the folks in Dubai went down into bedrock and then some. To support a half mile tall building, I am wondering just how far down they had to go. They have an over $4 billion budget.

The primary structural system of Burj Dubai is reinforced concrete. Over 45,000 m3 (58,900 cu yd) of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes (120,000 ST/110,000 LT) were used to construct the concrete and steel foundation, which features 192 piles buried more than 50 m (164 ft) deep.

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=burjdubai-dubai-unitedarabemirates

David

[frawin]

I attended Tankship operations school in the World Trade center in the 1970s. Our group went to the top for a view and I can tell you for a boy from Howard Kansas that was an unbelievable experience. As I recall the Elevators in the lobby only went to 50 something floors up, then you got off and got on another bank of elevators to go up the next 50 or so floors to the top. It was an awesome experience just standing in front of the building and looking up to the top.

[W. Gray]

So, would you be willing to to the top of  half-mile Burj Dubai when it is finished.

I probably would, but I would have to think about it first.

When the wind is blowing, there is a sway factor built into those tall buildings

I sure would have thought they would have gone deeper than 164 feet, but one would suppose they know what they were doing.

[frawin]

Waldo, I would have to think about it. I am guessing that the best structual Engineers and Architects were used by Dubai, but I would still have reservations about the soundness. Like you I would have thought they would have gone much deeper to establish the structure base. I hated to work the topping out of an upright  silo when I was a kid, but finally got used to it but still never liked it.

[Diane Amberg]

I wonder who will be the first person to sky dive or soar off it. Whew!

[W. Gray]

Had not thought of that.

But whoever he might be, I suspect they will be dealt with more harshly than has been done in the past.

That French guy Alain Robert did not seem to get in much trouble when he scaled in Shanghai, and a hundred other places. He has a family including three kids. Makes one wonder where he gets his income by flying to anywhere and taking the time to study and climb a building.

I think, though, this guy may meet his fate much like the grizzly bear guy did in Alaska. He tempted fate once too often.