On a clear day, the view from the top will take in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Ocean – providing you’ve a head for heights. Plans for a mile-high tower in the Saudi Arabian desert have been unveiled by the billionaire owner of London’s Savoy Hotel. At 5,250ft, the £5billion project, masterminded by two British engineering consultancies, will be twice as high as its nearest rivals, skyscrapers under construction in Dubai and Kuwait, and almost seven times as high as the Canary Wharf tower in London’s Docklands. It is being planned for a new city near the Red Sea port of Jeddah. Behind the scheme is 51-year-old Prince al-Walid bin Talal, who bought the Savoy for £1.25billion in 2005. The plan gives the Middle East a clear lead over Asian countries and the U.S., who have vied in the past to construct the world’s tallest buildings. None of the other skyscrapers under construction, including New York’s Freedom Tower on the World Trade Centre site, will exceed 2,296ft. Experts say the technical challenges are enormous. Much of the lifting will be carried out by helicopters, which will also be used as commuter transport for builders.
The tower will have to be capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures, with its top baking in the desert sun by day but dropping to well below freezing at night.
I don’t care how big it is, the damn thing is just plain F ugly. Beyond fishy, I’m leaning towards an April Fools joke on this one.
Man! How deep are they going to have to dig for the foundation? For the sake of stability, I think they should make the base very, VERY wide, ending up with a pyramidal shape.
As for someone implying that oxygen would have to be pumped to the upper floors, well, people breathe okay in Denver (the Mile-High City), so I don’t think so.
zorkor:
I think you’ve got a misconception that the average America has a conception of what a ‘Muslim’ is or where the middle east is… if you don’t believe me, stand on any street corner, pose as a reporter, and ask them what the difference is between a Hindu and a Muslim. Then pull out a map and ask them to point to the UAE on a map…. don’t overestimate the intelligence of the ‘man on the streets’ in any country (or overstate their involvement in their governments foreign policy.
Sounds like you’ve got some anger issues my friend. Maybe it’d be worth spending a year or two in the Syria, don’t hold back, every time you have an opinion, just say it aloud or post it on the internet. I’ll sure you’ll the strong economies of totalitarian states after a few months….
…. or maybe go to Saudi Arabia and pretend to be a Christian, just to see what it’d be like to be a minority in a different country, start up a website called the Christian Council of Saudi Arabia and complain every time you think that your rights as a Christian are being trampled on….
or if that doesn’t float boat, take a trip to China, get a nice job there, and tell them you want a jug of water and a mat to pray on ….
-Ben.
Hey ben dude,
Why are you trying to tell me what to do? Would you like me to tell you what to do in the states?
How about stay on the streets and shout “hail Hitler”
or deny that any Jewish holocast happened
or say that it was the cia behind the wtc incident
Then I will see how much you will get to enjoy your freedom.