July 26, 2007
Traveling to the world's tallest buildings - where do you go?
It's difficult to keep track of the world’s tallest building – the title seems to change almost every year as various cities compete with each other to claim the title – a sort of unofficial status symbol. I still have an old reference book called “The Book of Wonders” which lists the Empire State Building as being the world’s tallest building. And a recent episode of the CBS reality show “The Amazing Race” showed contestants racing to the foot of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – at the time the show was produced, the world’s tallest building.
Currently, the world’s tallest building is the Burj Dubai tower in Dubai, which has just taken the title from the Taipei 101 building in Taipei, Taiwan. At the moment it’s around 1680 feet tall – but apparently it’s going to be even higher, possibly around 2,275 feet. Its finished height is a closely guarded secret – possibly in case somebody tries to surpass it at the last minute. As of now the world’s tallest building is a rather unattractive skeleton of steel girders – the windows and exterior decoration have all yet to be added.
Dubai already boasts what is perhaps the best hotel in the world, the Burj el Arab hotel, the only 7-star hotel in the world. I suppose it must be quite a coup to have both the tallest building and the most expensive hotel! However, some reports suggest that the skyscraper is being constructed by Indian migrant workers who are slaving away in the sweltering heat and working for minimum wage – this rather detracts from the prestige a little bit.
London is also alarmingly obsessed with tall buildings. Future developments in London mean that the historic Tower of London may be so hemmed in by tall buildings that it may have its historical value threatened. Many visitors to London already feel that the view of the Tower is spoilt by nearby modern buildings. The United Nations is considering adding the 900 year old building to its Heritage in Danger list.
Londoners may learn to love their skyscrapers – most famous buildings were not well liked at the time they were built. The Eiffel Tower – for many years the world’s tallest structure - was originally intended to be a temporary structure to celebrate the world’s fair. At first, Parisians hated the tower, describing it as an “iron monster” and the “world’s largest lamppost”. It was only saved from demolition as it was considered perfect to use to support radio antennae.
Of course, now every trip to Paris lists the iron monster as a must-see attraction.
Guest entry by Mancunian
Posted by James Trotta at July 26, 2007 2:39 PM | TrackBack