The Burj Dubai is expected to reach 818m. (Getty Images)



Hanging steel from the sky

by Jamie Stewart Saturday, 30 August 2008

The race to build the tallest says much about the values of modern society. If height equals power, and power equals domination, should building tall really be a source of pride? Jamie Stewart asks how it all began, and where it will all end.

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In 1910 Frank Woolworth commissioned the Woolworth Building, the new headquarters of the Woolworth Company, and the soon-to-be tallest building in the world.
The tower was raised on Broadway, New York City, where it dominated the skyline for decades. Opened in 1913, it stood at a height of 241m, and remained the tallest building in the world for 27 years.

Spectacular architectural projects certainly contribute to global exposure. They put cities on the map. - Monica Degen, lecturer, Brunel University, London
The title was finally handed over in 1930, following the culmination of a fascinating race for the skies between the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building, sponsored by developer George Ohrstrom, and the Chrysler Building, sponsored by motoring boss Walter Chrysler, both within Manhattan, New York City.

Construction began on both buildings in the late 1920s, each man vying with the other to fulfill his wish of building the tallest structure on Earth. As the decade drew to a close and both buildings neared completion, it was assumed that Ohstrom was to take the title, as the Bank building overtook the Chrysler and topped out at 283m.

The triumph, however, was short-lived. Chrysler surprised Ohstrom, and the world, by pulling a gigantic rabbit from his hat. Engineers had deviously constructed the 56m spire of the tower, in four sections, within the frame of the building. In October 1929, the sections of the spire were hoisted up through the trunk and secured in place within 90 minutes, capping the 319m structure.

The world had a new tallest building, Ohstrom had the dubious honour of going down in history as the man who was successfully snuck-up on by a 56m long piece of stainless steel, and Chrysler had his wish.

Power and prestige

To be able to claim ownership of the world's tallest building has long been a position of great prestige, not just for powerful and wealthy individuals, but for cities and societies the world over.

So if our aim as a race is to scrape the sky, just how high can the sky be pushed? Has recent history and the fractious nature of competition dented the idea that bigger is better? And most importantly, why do we harbour this will to build tall?

The race in New York in the 1920s offered a window into human nature and the competitive spirit that manifests itself in the pursuit of prosperity, and is most symbolic in the construction industry.

The race to build tall is no less a contest today as it was 100 years ago, only today, the scale has evolved with considerable momentum. The Burj Dubai nears the 700m mark, and is expected to stand around 818m when it opens in December 2009.

The height of the Burj Dubai is testament to the fact that previously, height limits on mega-tall towers were imposed through technological or economic limitations. Not because it could not be done, but because we had not yet found a way to make it viable.

The 391m Empire State Building was completed in 1931, while the Taipei 101, at 509m, was completed in 2003. Both have held the tallest building title. The rise in height was just 118m in 72 years. The Burj Dubai will claim the title by over 300 metres - half the height again of the second-place Taipei 101.

Beyond this, the planned Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir in Kuwait's City of Silk is set to reach 1001m. Dubai developer Nakheel, have long been linked with the Al Burj, a monster 1.4km tower. Though drawings have been released, no official announcement has been made - yet.

But to top them all, Saudi Arabian multi-billionaire Prince Al Walid bin Talal recently unveiled plans at the Savoy Hotel in London for a 1.6km tower, to be built in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Within 10 years, the construction industry's super exclusive mile-high club may finally be open for membership.

Tall targets

Over the past decade, the race to build tall has shifted emphatically from West to East. The completion of the Petronas Towers in 1996 marked the first time the tallest tower title had been held outside the US for over a century.



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