Tenders are expected for the 1,600 meter tall tower, as reported last week, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The estimated $10b project is believed to be realized by the UK's Hyder Consulting (developer) and Arup (engineering), with SA's Omrania as project architect and US-based Bechtel as construction manager. MEED
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Re: Mile high building proposed for Saudi Arabia
I have heard that the force of swaying due to winds and the earths rotation will put tremendous strain at the base. I believe to make concrete strong enough to hold the weight and height of such a tall structure would make this building inflexible and unable to bend to the forces exerted on it.
Also I predict that any concept to have the building designed to rotate so that the heat of the sun won't be unbearable on one side is not a realistic concept because again no moving structure could last under this weight.
Also the support buildings that are proposed (800 feet tall) will help most of the building but I predict it will not be wide enough or high enough to support the total 5250 feet. The connections of the bridges from the main building to the support buildings will require amazing engineering to bear such forces and be flexible at the same time. (hydraulics may work but not tried on a building this high to know what length of movement the hydraulics would need to move. If the estimate falls short even a little bit this system would fail.)
If this structure is to reach such a height so that it would require a pendulum to offset the winds forces (by the way this concept seems so impossible just because of the physics of this) is this going to swing inside the structure or outside? Inside would not allow for enough room to swing freely, and outside would expose it to the elements such as freezing temperatures at night and the heat of day. I feel if constant expanding and contracting of materials doesn't do it in then such things as ice jacking will cause cracking of the strongest materials.
The base must be able to go so far into bedrock that the engineering to hold back the sands while this foundation is laid I believe is greater than any thing man has tried yet. Even if the sea is on the side that the prevailing winds are traveling, are you expecting these winds not to shift during this phase of the construction.This alone is unthinkable!
Lastly materials light enough and strong enough for this building have not been tested and tried yet on a grand scale like this, what a $10 Billion GAMBLE! Is it not better to build a building that uses tried and true methods and materials, than to take so much risk?
The Prince should invest in something that will actually help his people. He will be happier and his people better off.
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