Stakes are high in the skyscraper business. According to Lewis Mumford in The Culture of Cities (1938): "The very notion of a modern monument is a contradiction in terms: if it is a monument, it cannot be modern, and if it is modern, it cannot be a monument."
But what else to call these man-made monumental structures underway or finished in 2006.
- Current world-record holder (for height not size) at a comparatively paltry 508 meters (1,667 feet), the Taipei 101 Tower is about to be surpassed by a host of current projects. The Burj Dubai, planned to be ready in 2009 will reach half-a-mile into the sky, and host Armani hotels, commercial and residential properties. A paragon of capitalism this building unashamedly speaks to perceptions of success in this culture of consumption and self-interest: "Burj Dubai will be known by many names. But only a privileged group of people will call it home. There are a select few who possess the vision, resources, and the opportunity to live in the world's tallest building . If you have that opportunity, you are assured not just unparalleled luxury, but a place in history."
- Doctors versed in cures for altitude sickness and oxygen bars will be available to first-class passengers from July 2006 on the world's highest railway in China. Coach travelers will naturally fend for themselves. The 1,100km (680 mile) of track passes over the haunting Tanggula Pass at 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) through the peaks and valleys of the Himalayas and connects Qinghai with the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. There is plenty of hand-wringing going on worldwide on the implications for Tibetan people. Clear the tracks, the Iron Horse is arriving from on high.
- Over 7,000 workers will live on a converted ferry moored alongside the artificial Palm Islands, the latest larger than Manhattann. The locals and other soon-to-be residents like footballers David Beckham and Michael Owen don't want the roads clogged up with commuters at rush hour. The development in the shape of a palm leaf is the latest project of Shaikh Mohammed. He's a great man. Just asked your local unbiased newspaper. Apparently there is a clash of the titans occurring in our midst as Singapore and Dubai jostle for the world title of most dangerous place to drop a candy wrapper. Just ask the Lutherans.
OK. Maybe we should stop asking and start answering for ourselves. The jackhammers of global growth are pounding away. If you can't hear them just keep your eyes pealed for a billion-dollar ($$) artificial island, half-mile tall building or tracked stairway to heaven near you. Or just lay back and forget about it all sipping on fresh-fruit juice in your room atop the Burj Dubai and wonder if Armani or Versaci should do the design of your place while hollering out at the slightest provocation... "Let them drink freshly squeezed juice!" That is ... if you have the money. The moola.
And if you do have that kind of cash have I got a project for you. We're going to rebuild Atlantis see, but with a twist. It's all going to be one huge bloody underwater casino and you can only teleport to it, which costs a fair bundle of course. But trust me. Atlantis City. It's going to be one hell of a monument to something.
Labels: science
