Dubai is the poster boy for evil societies built largely on theft, greed, and narcissism. I salivate at the thought of it's inevitable implosion and collapse.
I mean the Arabian Peninsula. Extreme heat, extreme temperature changes between day and night, winds, humidity from the Gulf, blowing sand, etc. It seems to me that's a place where engineering quality would be primary.
A building can be suitably designed but it is up to the contractors and supervising engineers & architects to make sure its built to plan. The UAE suffers by not having its own building codes. In general they have adopted British codes and used extensive consulting in their projects but when it comes down to cutting and screwing I doubt there is much consistency between projects or even within a project. Money can't replace competence.
You go to Dubai for the weather, water, resorts and shopping, not for a big building. The big building is to be a symbol for Dubai, the way the Empire State Building is for New York. They've built a mass transit system, freeways, housing, offices, a medical school with Cornell, etc. They're trying to become a global player in finance for West Asia. Quick, name the finance center for that region now. There isn't one of consequence. That's the play for them. Right now they're the only Gulf country planning for a future when the oil runs out. The real estate dip is temporary.
I get that. But does a symbolic building have to look so ludicrously out of place? I mean, giant tits are a symbol for Dolly Parton, but you have to admit they look a little absurd on her. *shrug* I just think if you want to convince people you are the financial hub of a region you build symbolic buildings that make financial sense. Three well-designed buildings half the height would've probably been cheaper, more efficient, more fitting with the landscape, and still be iconic (provided the architecture is interesting).
Why is tiny Dubai making dumb investments? Hmm, the government is easily controlled by outsiders. The West has big intelligence agencies and Dubai leaders have been educated at Western colleges. The money is invested in the West, or paid to Western builders. It's all in the favor of Europe and the U.S., to the long-term detriment of the 3rd-world country. This colonial exploitation of natural resources must be a new phenomenon.
... and now people are jumping off it.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2010/jan/08/base-jump-burj-khalifa
Elevators can be scary, but there's a reason the fundamental design hasn't changed in almost a century--they got it right.
