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buildings
Italian architect David Fisher is building his first skyscraper, the Dynamic Tower, and it happens to be one of the most ambitious construction plans since the Pyramid of Khufu. Every floor of the 80-story self-powered building rotates according to voice command, and nearly the entire structure of the $700 million building is pre-fabbed. I caught up with the architect in New York, and he blew my mind again and again.
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Dynamic Tower Skyscraper: Every Floor Self-Rotates, Powered by Wind and Sun
Italian architect David Fisher is building his first skyscraper, the Dynamic Tower, and it happens to be one of the most ambitious construction plans since the Pyramid of Khufu. Every floor of the 80-story self-powered building rotates according to voice command, and nearly the entire structure of the $700 million building is pre-fabbed. I caught up with the architect in New York, and he blew my mind again and again.
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10:30 PM on Tue Jun 24 2008
By Benny Goldman
62,568 views,
112 comments
Latest by GadgetPlay: @Ghinn: "a system in place to repel or otherwise make it impossible for birds to perch there" It's called "chicken wire." @Kharnellius: "Just to go pick up the kids you're going to have to wait something like 20-30 min just to get more »
dubai opera house
I'm just wondering if British architect Zaha Hadid is a Battlestar Galactica fan. It seems so, as her design for the Dubai Opera House is reminiscent of those croissant-shaped fighters that zing through space, facing down Starbuck et al. The development will go up on an island in Dubai Creek, and as well as hosting an auditorium with room for 2,500 people to hear fat ladies singing, it will house an 800-seat playhouse, arts gallery, performing arts school and six-star themed hotel. [Dezeen]
Zaha Hadid's Dubai Opera House Design Makes Me See Cylon Raiders
I'm just wondering if British architect Zaha Hadid is a Battlestar Galactica fan. It seems so, as her design for the Dubai Opera House is reminiscent of those croissant-shaped fighters that zing through space, facing down Starbuck et al. The development will go up on an island in Dubai Creek, and as well as hosting an auditorium with room for 2,500 people to hear fat ladies singing, it will house an 800-seat playhouse, arts gallery, performing arts school and six-star themed hotel. [Dezeen]
The Inevitable Future of Mankind
For some, it’s more police. For others, it’s better traffic management. For Riverhead Resorts, though, what Long Island needs more than anything else is a 35-story man-made ski resort. As you could easily imagine, a few (read: lots and lots) of people aren’t too happy about the two billion dollar proposal, but the concept is stunning.
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Long Island To Get 35-Story Indoor Ski Resort, Doubles as Villain's Lair
For some, it’s more police. For others, it’s better traffic management. For Riverhead Resorts, though, what Long Island needs more than anything else is a 35-story man-made ski resort. As you could easily imagine, a few (read: lots and lots) of people aren’t too happy about the two billion dollar proposal, but the concept is stunning.
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skyscrapers
Burj Dubai Becomes World's Tallest Man-Made Structure Today
As of today, the Burj Dubai skyscraper in the Middle East stands at 650 meters, and here's a diagram found on the SkyscraperCity forums, comparing it to all the other towers. The construction has finally surpassed the current tallest man-made structure, the Warsawa radio mast in Poland, which stands at 646 meters. Only another 169 meters to go before the tip of the aircraft beacon is up, then. Clicky for bigger. [SkyscraperCity—thanks, Brian]
fuzzywuzzymodo
One "Horsepower" Vehicle is a Slap in the Muzzle
Once upon a time horses were the kings of the open trail. The best horses were treated like royalty and their riders were worshiped for their skill. Unfortunately, those days are over. The Naturmobil pictured here was was built by Abdolhadi Mirhejazi of Dubai and it is powered by a single horse walking on a treadmill, encased in a plastic prison like some sort of common hamster. When the horse gets tired, a battery kicks in to power the vehicle along with the lights and the electrical system.
5:00 PM on Mon May 5 2008
By Sean Fallon
9,187 views,
26 comments
Latest by med: @nutbastard: lol Yeah I suppose it depends on whether we're talking about Clydesdales or shetlands. Motivation is clearly a factor here. more »
dubai
Dubai Taking More Cues From Failed Movies By Sinking Money Into Floating Islands in the Shape of Letters
Just when we thought Dubai couldn't make more absurd architectural decisions, they go and commission a Dutch dude to make floating islands in the shape of Arabic letters that spell out a part of a poem. This floater of an idea has been tried before, albeit on a smaller scale with cruise ship terminals, mosques and a beach. What's the point of this other than to push the insanity envelope even further? The ability to rise up or down depending on how sea levels are going in the next few decades (they're going up). [NPR]
showers
Emirates Air In-Flight Showers Cost $18,000 (Plus Enviro Guilt?)
Starting October 1, if you're flying first class from Dubai to New York on an Emirates Air A380, you'll have the option of grabbing a hot shower midflight. It'll cost you $18,000, but some showers are worth it, am I right? "No!" say those party poopers in the environmental lobby. More »
mobile air
Emirates the First Airline to Allow Inflight Calls from Passenger Cellphones
Dubai-based airline Emirates has claimed the first ever permitted mobile phone call from a commercial flight. The conversations took place aboard a Casablanca-bound Airbus A340 that had been kitted out with a system that stops cellphones from messing with the plane's electronics. By the end of the year its passengers will be able to clack away on their BlackBerries and use other data services, such as sending texts. Calls on night flights will not be allowed, and the crews will be allowed to prohibit yakking whenever they feel like it. The only stipulation is that cell users, who can only make calls when at cruising height keep their phones switched to silent—thank God—during flights. [BBC Online]
6:32 AM on Fri Mar 21 2008
By AddyDugdale
2,199 views,
16 comments
Latest by vote Obama: @UndeadOverlord: good airline. more »
dubai
From afar, Dubai is the most exciting place on earth, almost every day shaping up to be more like the utopic sci-fi fantasy city we had in our heads growing up. Its latest architectural stuntwork/masterpiece is the 1.5-billion-square-foot Waterfront City designed by Rem Koolhaas, an entire self-contained city resting atop an artificial island that mixes inspirations from ninth-century mosques to Koolhaas's own ideas about the THX 1138-esque generic city.
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Dubai Artificial Island City Mixes Mythic Past and Future With a Death Star 3D Neighborhood for Kicks
From afar, Dubai is the most exciting place on earth, almost every day shaping up to be more like the utopic sci-fi fantasy city we had in our heads growing up. Its latest architectural stuntwork/masterpiece is the 1.5-billion-square-foot Waterfront City designed by Rem Koolhaas, an entire self-contained city resting atop an artificial island that mixes inspirations from ninth-century mosques to Koolhaas's own ideas about the THX 1138-esque generic city.
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twisted architecture
Infinity Tower to Twist by 90º Over Dubai Marina
For the record, I would like to state that I'm really bored of these outsized erections popping up all over the Arabian Peninsula. This one is going up in the Dubai Marina. It's called the Infinity Tower (because that is how long it seems that we have been covering these giant penile substitutes that are currently littering the Middle East) and its USP is that it twists 90º. This is the blurb on the 1,000-foot, 80-story, twisted monstrosity. More »
dubai
Dubai Building World's Largest, Tallest, Most Futuregasmic Arch Bridge Next Month
Dubai is the Tetsuo of cities, expanding so fast it's on the verge of creating of its own universe. And architecture that looks like it's from the 22nd century only adds to the sheer grandeur of its growth—this bridge, envisioned by NY architecture firm Fxfowle, will be the largest and tallest arch bridge in the world, at one mile long and 670 feet tall. Construction starts next month and is due to wrap up in 2012 after running some $817 million dollars. World's first vacuum tube mass transit system will launch in Dubai shortly thereafter. [World Architecture News via io9]
sea saw
Five Undersea Cables Cut So Far
In this strange maritime epidemic, the number of undersea cables cut in incidents around the Middle East and South Asia now totals five, including Sea-Me-We 4 (in two places) and cables run by Flag Telecom located at Alexandria, the Dubai coast, and Bandar Abbas in Iran. (Insert not-so-funny-anymore Dick Cheney terror joke here.) [Khaleej Times via Slashdot]
robots
A Robotic Jurassic Park Coming to Dubai
When it comes to Dubai and attracting wealthy tourists, the word "restraint" is seldom used. Perhaps that is why it is not surprising that the locals are building a $1 billion theme park that will feature over 100 animatronic dinosaurs of 40 different species. Dubbed "Restless Planet," the park will attempt to provide an educational experience amid all of the Vegas-style spectacle. This will be done using history themed rides and robots/habitats that represent an accurate portrayal (based on current knowledge) of what life was like millions of years ago. More »
media
The World's Tallest Building Has a Hell of a View
Not so long ago, our own Addy Dugdale showed us the Burj Dubai, what will be the world's tallest building of any kind when finished. Discovery Channel show "Really Big Things" got a slightly better view as the first camera crew allowed on top the building. And what can we say? It's high up there at 137 stories. And only 2/3 of the building is done. And Dubai is freakin' insane. [thedubailife]
burj dubai
The Tallest Building in the World Looks Like a Stack of Pringles
On our blink-and-you'll-miss-it visit to the world's largest building site, aka Dubai, we stopped for a gawk at this, the Burj Dubai. Currently the tallest structure in the world, it stands at 156 stories and 585 meters high, but is expected to reach around 800 meters when finished. Designed by Adrian Smith, the tower continues the Armani-Samsung love-in, as the Italian designer is putting his name to a sexy hotel, while the Korean mega-corp is one of the three constructors on the skyscraper. But the cruelest cut of all is that Burj Dubai (burj means "tower" in Arabic) will be dwarfed by Kuwait's Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir, which will measure 1,001 meters (3,284 feet) when it is ready. But that's not expected to be until 2012 so, until then, size queens will be eyeing up Dubai. [Burj Dubai]
good credit
Diamond Card...Actually Made of Diamonds
Smart Card maker GK Power has been contracted by Dubai First Bank to produce 1,000 diamond-packing credit cards for their most affluent clients. While the deal cost the bank $175,000 just in materials, we're more interested in the conversation when some guy loses his card.More »
pseudo-steampunk
Steampunkish Stormtrooper, Boba Fett and Alien Look Almost Scarier Than the Originals
Just what you want to see when you're doing the shopping at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai &mdash three badass Steampunk nasties in the Al Jabber art gallery. Gallery below.
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