Dubai is doing it again

Quote: Ayecarumba

Is Dubai seismically solid? New York and Chicago have the advantage of solid bedrock to build on, and no real active tectonic faults to worry about, but when you are in a desert full of sand, do you have to bury pilings to keep the building from sinking under its own weight?

I applaud the skyscraper salespeople in Los Angeles. I don't know how they got that through. They're in denial, believing that things are going to be okay when, not if, the "Big One" hits.

Consider the salesperson who sold an 800' skyscraper in earthquake prone Mexico City.

Quote: AZDuffman

My thought is the tall, tall buildings whacked up with office, residential, and retail probably are best reserved for crowded Asian cities.

Well you are correct, of course, that the USA building a dozen buildings over 940' in the last decade is fairly insignificant compared to the competition in the Middle East and Asia where every city is trying to get on the map. Also remember that it has been illegal to build anything over 2000' for a half a century in America. the height restriction was made when the 2063' KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, Trail County, North Dakota, was completed in 1963. It was felt that some limit should be declared or aviation would be at risk.

But it looked like in the 1990's that the skyscraper was completely dead in America. Relatively speaking they are making a resurgence (especially in NYC).

Of course, the other significant fact is the tallest 50 residential buildings in the world have all been completed since 9-11. Lake Point Tower (645' ,70 floors, 1.3 million sq ft ) started construction in Chicago in 1965 and reigned as the tallest residential building in the world for about a quarter of a century.


2018 1121 Comcast Technology Center* Philadelphia
2018 1079 3 World Trade Center* New York City
2017 1099 Wilshire Grand Center* Los Angeles
2014 1776 One World Trade Center New York City
2014 1396 432 Park Avenue New York City
2014 1005 One57 New York City
2013 977 Four World Trade Center New York City
2009 1389 Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago
2009 1200 Bank of America Tower New York City
2007 1046 The New York Times Building New York City
2007 975 Comcast Center Philadelphia
....
1992 1023 Bank of America Plaza Atlanta
1991 947 Key Tower Cleveland
1990 995 Two Prudential Plaza Chicago
1990 961 311 South Wacker Drive Chicago
1989 1018 U.S. Bank Tower Los Angeles
1989 1007 Franklin Center Chicago
1985 967 Columbia Center Seattle
1983 992 Wells Fargo Plaza Houston
1982 1002 JPMorgan Chase Tower Houston
...
1974 1451 Willis Tower[A] Chicago
1973 1136 Aon Center Chicago
1969 1127 John Hancock Center Chicago
1932 952 70 Pine Street New York City
1931 1250 Empire State Building[A] New York City
1930 1046 Chrysler Building[A] New York City

Quote: Pacomartin

Well you are correct, of course, that the USA building a dozen buildings over 940' in the last decade is fairly insignificant compared to the competition in the Middle East and Asia where every city is trying to get on the map. Also remember that it has been illegal to build anything over 2000' for a half a century in America. the height restriction was made when the 2063' KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, Trail County, North Dakota, was completed in 1963. It was felt that some limit should be declared or aviation would be at risk.

But it looked like in the 1990's that the skyscraper was completely dead in America. Relatively speaking they are making a resurgence (especially in NYC).

Well, city life came back in that time. Pittsburgh has build a few tall buildings, height limited to protect the beautiful skyline, they don't want something out of place. But about 8 years ago, PNC started buying up a block, then evicted everyone, now a very nice skyscraper is there. It had been 20 years since a real one was built, then someone noticed there was a shortage of Class A office space in town. The city likes about 15-20 empty floors so they can recruit places to move. To do so you need office space right away. By 2010 the "relief valve" of empty space was no more, so construction started to happen.

Now word is another plot of land is being bought up. But nothing is getting beyond 35-40 floors. No need.

Quote:

Of course, the other significant fact is the tallest 50 residential buildings in the world have all been completed since 9-11. Lake Point Tower (645' ,70 floors, 1.3 million sq ft ) started construction in Chicago in 1965 and reigned as the tallest residential building in the world for about a quarter of a century.

I saw some of this trend as early as the late-1990s. People did not want the McMansion and all the yard work that went with it. The commute. The killer HVAC bills. All of it. If you plan on no kids, and more and more are, why not live urban? Walk to the nice, little cafes or entertainment. Something going on in town and you are right there. A throwback to early-1960s NYC it feels like.

A walk around town here and you wonder who is buying/renting all these spaces? B and C office space is all going residential.

Quote: AZDuffman

I saw some of this trend as early as the late-1990s. People did not want the McMansion and all the yard work that went with it. The commute. The killer HVAC bills. All of it. If you plan on no kids, and more and more are, why not live urban? Walk to the nice, little cafes or entertainment. Something going on in town and you are right there. A throwback to early-1960s NYC it feels like.

The first office building to reach 700' was built between 1905-1909


It took a long time to build a residential building to that height. The Lake Point tower in Chicago was 70 floors, 900 apartments, and was built from 1965-1968, but is only 645' tall.

A 1400 sq ft Lakeview 2 bedroom condo goes
for about $800K. Nice neighborhood too. Good
views are expensive. People who have never seen
Lake MI don't realize it's the same as any ocean
view in the world.

Earthquakes in Dubai?
Los Angeles liquifaction?

What about that Millenium Condominium Tower in San Francisco that is listing and has everyone calling lawyers and trying to sell out.

Quote: Fleastiff

What about that Millenium Condominium Tower in San Francisco that is listing and has everyone calling lawyers and trying to sell out.

An examination in 2016 showed the building had sunk 16 inches with a two-inch tilt at the base and an approximate six-inch tilt at the top of the towers.

The foundation of the structure is a concrete slab built on 60–90 feet deep concrete friction piles into mud fill and sand, which is a poor ground type for supporting large structures. A number of other buildings in this part of San Francisco required use of end-bearing piles, which load directly onto bedrock, rather than friction piles. If end-bearing piles were used for the Millennium Tower, they would have needed to be approximately 200 feet (60m) deep to bear onto bedrock, up to three times longer than the existing friction piling solution used.


An earthquake in Dubai? Wow!

Quote: Pacomartin

and an approximate six-inch tilt at the top of the towers.

Ever been in a room where the floor
was 6" higher on one side? That's
the upper floors of this building.
Unsellable. You would feel like you
were walking uphill. Anything you
drop rolls to the lower side.

Quote: Evenbob

Ever been in a room where the floor
was 6" higher on one side? That's
the upper floors of this building.
Unsellable. You would feel like you
were walking uphill. Anything you
drop rolls to the lower side.

.23 degrees out of level, hardly noticeable. the equivelent of a 15' wide room being 3/4" out of level. That is not at all uncommon in a 20 year old house.

Quote: cs94

.23 degrees out of level, hardly noticeable. the equivalent of a 15' wide room being 3/4" out of level. That is not at all uncommon in a 20 year old house.

Unit 18F, sold on Sept. 8, 2016 for $2.3 million which is $500,000 more than its last sale in May 2012. As that sale was 5 weeks after the story broke, there are some people unconcerned.