The Greatest Skyscrapers Never Built | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Architects and developers propose impressive skyscrapers that never come to fruition due to economic crashes, community concerns, and global financial crises.

Key Insights

• 🌐 Economic crashes and global financial crises have resulted in the cancellation of various ambitious skyscraper projects around the world.
• 🥺 Community concerns over scale and disputes with planning authorities can also lead to the rejection or discontinuation of skyscraper projects.
• 🏛️ Skyscraper designs often incorporate unique features and materials to create visually striking buildings.
• 🥺 The redesign and repurposing of abandoned or halted skyscraper projects can still lead to the creation of notable structures.
• 🌍 The desire to compete for the title of the world's tallest building has driven developers to propose groundbreaking designs.

Transcript

vying to create the next engineering icon architects and developers around the world are continuously proposing skyline defying structures that would transform their surrounding city escapes for every new skyscraper successfully constructed there are countless design proposals that fall just short of becoming reality once celebrated by their backer... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the unique design feature of John Neville's sand fin skyscraper in Paris?

The sand fin skyscraper would have featured a cylindrical structure that transitioned from black granite at the base to translucent glass at the top, creating a visual effect of dissipating into the sky.

Q: Why was Melbourne's Grow No Tower project ruled out of tender?

The project faced community concerns over its scale and disputes between the developer and planning authorities regarding responsibility for surrounding civil works.

Q: Why was construction on London's Pinnacle Tower halted in 2009?

The global financial crisis led to an uncertain economic outlook, causing construction to stop. The site sat idle for years and was eventually redesigned as 22 Bishopsgate, set to complete in 2020.

Q: What unique feature did Santiago Calatrava's proposed tower in Chicago have?

Calatrava's design featured a spiraling glass tower with each floor rotated 2.4 degrees from the one below, both creating a striking building form and minimizing the impact of wind loads.

Q: Why was the Russia Tower in Moscow cancelled?

The tower, originally proposed in 1994, faced changes in design and location, as well as global financial crises. With decreased demand for office space and the financial crisis growing, the project was officially cancelled in 2009.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Neville's 450-meter-tall sand fin skyscraper, proposed in Paris in the 1980s, featured a cylindrical structure with an aesthetic transition from black granite at the base to translucent glass at the top, but was cancelled due to the economic crash of the early 1990s.

• Melbourne's attempt to build a 678-meter tower, known as the Grow No Tower, to rival Sydney's Opera House, faced setbacks and community concerns before ultimately being ruled out of tender in 2001.

• The Pinnacle Tower in London, a twisting glass skyscraper designed to be the tallest tower in Europe, had its construction halted in 2009 due to the global financial crisis, but was redesigned and is set to complete in 2020 as 22 Bishopsgate.

• A spiraling glass tower in Chicago, designed by Santiago Calatrava, was planned to have each floor rotated 2.4 degrees from the one below to minimize wind impact, but the project was abandoned due to the 2008 global financial crisis.

• The Russia Tower in Moscow, planned to be over a kilometer tall and house 25,000 people, was redesigned multiple times before being officially cancelled in 2009 due to the financial crisis.