IAMCC/Research
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IAMCC/Academy |
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IAMCC/Consulting |
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The skyscrapers in future
A standard image in the
construction of urban landscapes is this corporate skyline shot. This
scene features an imposing phalanx of corporate towers that looks rather
like a postcard shot - panoramic, inspiring, professionally framed. As a
symbol for corporate capital, this imagery makes sense insofar as scenes
like this represent an enormous concentration of corporate Capital and
condensation of Space.
But unlike postcards which
identify their images, this corporate urban center has been fully
abstracted from place. We know little about the time and space coordinates
of these spaces. This is how it is with most skyscraper images - they no
longer possess any ground. Their foundation is in our consciousness, but
not in our field of vision. To be sure, a recognizable building shape
periodically appears that allows viewers to identify New York City (the
Chrysler Building), or San Francisco (the Transamerica Building). But this
only reinforces the way in which the signifiers of global cities have been
abstracted from geographical location. Decontextualized, skylines can
function as icons that now work their magic as Myth - second-order
signifiers that have been hollowed out of relations.
Basic
Definition
For the purposes of
Research, a high-rise building is defined as a building 35 meters
or greater in height, which is divided at regular intervals into
occupiable levels. To be considered a skyscraper an edifice must be based
on solid ground, and fabricated along its full height through deliberate
processes (as opposed to naturally-occurring formations).
A skyscraper is
distinguished from other tall man-made structures by the following
guidelines:
- It must be divided into
multiple levels of at least 2 meters height;
- If it has fewer than 12
such internal levels, then the highest undivided portion must not
exceed 50% of the total height;
- Indistinct divisions of
levels such as stairways shall not be considered floors for purposes
of eligibility in this definition.
Any method of structural
support which is consistent with this definition is allowable, whether
masonry, concrete, or metal frame. In the few cases where such a building
is not structurally self-supporting (e.g. resting on a slope or braced
against a cliff), it may still be considered a skyscraper but is not
eligible for any height records unless the record stipulates inclusions of
this type.
Minimum
Height
The cutoff between high-rise and low-rise buildings in Skyscrapers.com
is 35 meters. This height was chosen based on an original 12-floor cutoff,
used for the following reasons: 1) Twelve floors is normally the minimum
height needed to achieve the physical presence which earns the name "highrise";
2) The twelve-floor limit represents a compromise between ambition and
manageability for a worldwide database.
Since height information on
smaller buildings is usually not readily available, the twelve-floor limit
is still used in most areas covered by Skyscrapers.com. A building of
fewer floors may only be included as a high-rise when its exact height is
known. In most cases, a city is considered to have a satisfactory listing
of high-rise buildings when all twelve-floor buildings are counted.
Several low-rise buildings
can be accessed through the database used by Skyscrapers.com. These are
not counted in high-rise related statistics, and are being reserved for
access through future database tools.
Single
vs. Multiple Building
In most cases there is no trouble deciding what constitutes a separate
building. Only when they are linked in unusual ways is there a logical
difficulty. The following rules have been adopted by Research to
set a uniform standard:
- Any two towers which are
separated for at least 2/3 of each tower's height are considered
separate buildings UNLESS the connection(s) form an unmistakable
architectural unity, such as an arch-shaped building (examples: Genex
Tower, Dusit
Dubai, Umeda
Sky Building). Skybridges are generally not sufficient to unify
two separate towers.
- Any structures which
adjoin each other for more than 1/3 of any of their heights should be
considered 1 building UNLESS:
- they were built as
separate structures and neither one can be considered an addition
to the other; this means that the interiors are not integrated at
any level, including the ground floor or basement; or
- the structures are
separated at ground level and connected for most of their heights
but are normally considered separate buildings; or
- an addition to a
building forms a significant architectural disjunction.
- An addition on top of an
existing building is never counted as a separate building from the one
underneath unless it overhangs the lower building from another base.
More informations: INFO
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