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Billionaire Buildings

Status â€˘ Signatures â€˘ Signs

presented by

UltraTech Concrete

Billionaire Buildings

Status â€˘ Signatures â€˘ Signs

Billionaire Buildings

Status â€˘ Signatures â€˘ Signs

Billionaire Buildings

Status â€˘ Signatures â€˘ Signs

Billionaire Buildings

Status â€˘ Signatures â€˘ Signs

Billionaire Buildings

Status â€˘ Signatures â€˘ Signs

Foreword Dear Friends,

Industrial revolution brought upon the age of New Empires. The empires of billionaire tycoons! It was the race to the top and every entrepreneur was invited. In this a ‘building’ became the symbolic landmark of achievement on the 20th century skyline. It epitomised in its

For us at UltraTech, buildings are mirrors of the societies’ cultural ethos, in time and space. They are significant examples of the societies’ ambitions and a mark of the current vocational expertise. A vocation that aims to find the perfect balance between artistic freedom and functional viability. They ultimately become symbols of joint visions between a patron and an architecture team.

faith to build them. In this salutation we hope to share the inspiration with our designers and engineers, which has always driven us to keep innovating and help innovate.

Over the coming 100+ pages we hope to capture the dreams and ambitions of some of the world finest buildings that demonstrate extreme creativity at an extreme cost. And in doing so have succeeded in establishing — Status, Signature and in the case of some that are on the charts, a ‘Sign’ of the time to come.

Mr. O. P. Puranmalka Group Executive President

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‘Billionaire Buildings’ finds its root in the desire to salute those ambitious men and women who dared to dream and those who had the

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built grandeur or in many cases its sky-rise, a symbol of ‘status’ and a ‘signature’ of achievements.

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experience life.”

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“Wealth is the ability to fully

- Henry David Thoreau quotes (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862)

“Wealth is not a matter of intelligence

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it’s a matter of inspiration.”

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- Jim Rohn quotes (American Speaker and Author. He is famous for motivational audio programs for Business and Life.)

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Section

1 Status

Section

A BILLION DREAMS

Section

3 Signs

A BILLION AMBITIONS

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2 Signatures

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ONE AMONG A BILLION

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Status

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Al Burj

BURJ AL ARAB

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

EUREKA TOWER

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTRE

JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS HOTEL

MILLENNIUM DOME

Palm Jumeirah

PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS

10.

QUEENSLAND NUMBER ONE

11.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

12.

TAIPEI 101

13.

TURNING TORSO

he desire to build big is nothing new. Big

Even lesser known regional cities with a burning ambition to make

buildings have been used to show off power

their mark, view big, gutsy, and distinctively designed skyscrapers

and wealth; to honour leaders or religious

as potential game-changers — and are willing to offer serious incentives to get them. That’s pretty much what city leaders in

competition among owners, families, architects, and builders.

the South Korean port city of Busan hope to accomplish with the

In the early 20th century, corporations built skyscrapers for the

planned 560m (1,837ft) Millennium Tower World Business Center.

promotional value to increase name recognition.

Whether the Millennium Tower in Busan (a city also hoping to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games) results in a huge economic lift is uncertain. But plenty of cities in Asia are definitely willing to roll

record-busting, flat-out tallest skyscraper on the planet is fast and

the dice, and that’s sweet news for international architectural firms

furious. And the obsession to build mega-structures in nosebleed

and general contractors alike.

territory is particularly acute in much of economically dynamic Asia and the oil-rich Middle East. The frenzy of high-powered

These super-structures are about more than just civic pride.

construction projects promises to transform 21st century skyscraper

Well-executed skyscrapers can be a real economic-development

architecture in a big way. Currently, eight of the world’s tallest 10

driver. Consider the 452m (1,483ft) Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala

skyscrapers are in the region. And the present reigning champ

Lumpur, built in 1998, which was the world’s tallest until it was

among skyscrapers globally is Taiwan’s Taipei 101, a structure that

eclipsed by Taipei 101 just six years later. The Petronas Towers

climbs up 509m or 1,671ft. Of course, a super-sized building boom

may no longer be the tallest building in the world, but it changed

is now raging in parts of the Middle East such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi,

Malaysia and the perception of Kuala Lumpur worldwide. A world-

Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

class building can also raise the bar for other buildings in the city.

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The race among the world’s cities to build the ultimate

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beliefs; to stretch the limits of what’s possible; and even as simple

TALLEST AMONG ALL Al-Burj, the tallest skyscraper under construction in Dubai is being developed by Al Nakheel developers.

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The latest information available indicates that construction on

the tower was slated to begin later that year and that the final

height of the tower would be 1,200m, reduced from an initial height of 1,600m or just under one mile. To date very little has been revealed about the exact design but

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Nakheel keeps stressing that it will become one of the tallest towers in the world and will be a new icon for Dubai.

Al Burj

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The original design conceived by Pei Partnership Architects was to

of floorspace comprising

ultra-luxury apartments, restaurants, a large health club, and an observation deck. The building actually consisted of three separate towers built around a hollow interior and joined together by several sky bridges functioning as sky lobbies. On top of each sky bridge was a sky garden. One of the towers was shorter than the other two with a large outdoor pool on the roof, while the other two were topped with large spires.

According to officials at Al Nakheel, the tower was originally designed to be at least 700m tall and have more than 160 floors, © Nakheel Properties

but no specific figures have been disclosed.

“Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.” - Dag Hammarskjold

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have 631,000sqm

height of luxury The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Designed by British architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC, it stands at 321m as the tallest building used Status • Signatures • Signs

exclusively as a hotel on an artificial island 280m out from Jumeirah beach. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolise Dubai’s urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat. Burj Al Arab was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of

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Arabian vessel. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country. Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats. The hotel cost $650

million to build. Burj Al Arab characterises itself as the world’s only “7-star” property, a designation considered by travel professionals to be hyperbole. According to the Burj Al Arab’s official site, the hotel is a “5-star deluxe hotel”. It is the world’s tallest structure with

a membrane façade and the world’s tallest hotel. It was the first 5-star hotel to surpass 1,000ft in height.

BURJ AL ARAB

The Burj Al Arab features the tallest atrium lobby in the world, at 180m. While the exterior of the Burj Al Arab is expressed in terms of ultra-modern sculptural design, the interior guest space

is a compilation of lavish and luxurious architectural styles from both the east and the west. The hotel boasts different types of marble. © Courtesy: WS Atkins Plc

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8,000sqm of 22-carat gold leaf and 24,000sqm of 30

Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors 21

which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. It is one of the most

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expensive hotels in the world. The cost of staying in a suite begins at $1,000 per night and increases to over $15,000 per night; the Royal Suite is the most expensive, at $50,000 per night.

“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” Coco Chanel

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ultimate corporate address

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The Empire State Building is a 102-storey art deco skyscraper in New York City. It stood as the world’s tallest building

for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center’s North Tower was completed in 1972. It was designated as a National Historic

Landmark in 1986. The building was actually designed from the top down. The building’s opening coincided with the Great Depression in the United States, and as a result much of its office space went unrented.

The famous 1951 sale of The Empire State Building to Roger L. Stevens and his business partners was brokered by the prominent upper Manhattan real estate firm Charles F. Noyes & Company for a record $51 million. At the time, that was the highest price ever paid for a single structure in real estate history.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Unlike most of today’s high-rise buildings, the Empire at the 102nd floor, and including the 203ft pinnacle, its full height reaches 1453ft and 8-9/16th inches. Atop the tower is the 203ft pinnacle, much of which is covered by broadcast antennas, with a lightning rod at the very top. The Empire State Building is

The building has 6,500 windows and 73 elevators. There are 1,860 steps from street level to the 102nd floor.

The building houses

1,000 businesses, and has its own zip code.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

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the first building to have more than 100 floors.

“For a tree to become tall it must grow tough roots among the rocks.”

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State Building features a classic façade. It rises to 1,250ft

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EUREKA TOWER

iconic skyline Eureka Tower has become a stunning architectural icon not

only because of its height that touches Melbourne’s skyline, but also because of its uniqueness in using latest technology and eco-friendly design. This tallest residential building in the world is standing 253.5m in height with 92-storeys above ground plus one basement level. Billionaire Buildings

The glass for facade was specially designed to reflect heat in the summer but retain heat in the winter. The top eleven floors

of the Tower have gold-coated glass as façade. A total of 25

5,000 tonnes of structural steel and 110,000 tonnes of concrete

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were used in the construction.

tallest in Melbourne. Eureka Tower creates a truly

elegant and unique structure that enhances Melbourne’s reputation as a stylish and cosmopolitan city, presenting an inspiring vision for those seeking the benefits of metropolitan living.

“It’s a huge challenge, a huge responsibility to be iconic.” © Eureka Tower Pty Ltd.

- Daniel Craig

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grandeur technology

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTRE

International Finance Centre (IFC) is an integrated commercial development which is

highly prominent on Hong Kong’s

waterfront skyline and is one of the top 10 tallest buildings in the world — it was the third highest when initially completed. It consists of two skyscrapers, the IFC mall and the 40 storey Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. The tower designed

telecommunications. The complex by César Pelli, is 415m and has 88 storeys and 22 high-ceiling trading floors. It should be noted that, however, the 88 storeys do not comprise of an actual number of 88 storeys. Some of the ‘taboo floors’ like 14 and 24,

Cantanese respectively are omitted.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” © Cesar Pelli & Associates

Arthur C. Clarke

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which sounds like ‘definitely die’ and ‘easy to die’ in

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to accommodate financial firms is equipped with state-of-the-art

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JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS HOTEL

corporate statement Soaring high above the central business and commercial district, Jumeirah Emirates Towers is a dramatic backdrop to Dubai’s skyline and a visible statement of the region’s growing corporate

success. Two equilateral triangles are architectural icons one of their kind in Dubai. The Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, also

referred to as Emirates Tower Two, is a 56-floor five-star business hotel in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Connected with 54-floor Emirates Office Tower by a retail boulevard, the two towers form the Emirates Towers complex.

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It ranks as the 29th tallest building in the world. It is the world’s 3rd tallest all-hotel building. A sleek architectural masterpiece of steel and glass, Jumeirah Emirates Towers redefines the business hotel category, seamlessly combining form with function, high technology with unparalleled luxury and elegance with efficiency.

“Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.” Wilfred Peterson

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millennium marquee

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Arthur C. Clarke

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The Millennium Dome

is the largest domed structure in the

world. Externally, it appears as a large white marquee with 100m high yellow support towers, one for each month of the year, or each hour of the clock face, representing the role-played by Greenwich Mean Time. It has become one of United Kingdom’s most

recognisable landmarks. The architect was Richard Rogers and the contractor was Sir Robert McAlpine.

The entire roof structure weighs less than the

air contained within the building. Although referred to as a dome it is not strictly one as it is not self-supporting, but is a mast-supported, dome-shaped cable network.

MILLENNIUM DOME

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Palm Jumeirah

eighth wonder of the world The Palm Jumeirah, one of three islands called the Palm Island is a self-declared Eighth Wonder of the World. The Island will increase Dubai’s shoreline by a total of 520 km. The Palm Jumeirah, in the shape of a palm tree has been created using 94 million cubicm of sand and 7 million tonnes of rock. Sand was poured onto the 10.5m-deep seabed using dredgers. Above sea

known as ‘rainbowing,’ in which the sand fill was sprayed over © Nakheel Properties

the surface of the rising island. Total cost of construction reached $12.3 billion. Maintaining the Island is also a costly expenditure. In early October 2007, the Palm Jumeirah had already become the

“Dreams are illustrations... and those who make these illustrations come true create wonder” © Nakheel Properties

Marsha Norman

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world’s largest man-made island.

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level, 3m of the reclamation was achieved by a dredging technique

monumental identity

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The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were the

world’s tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004. Due to a lack of steel and the huge cost of importing it, the towers were constructed on a cheaper radical design of super high-strength reinforced concrete. Although other buildings such as

the Sears Tower have higher occupied floors, a higher antenna, and a

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higher roof, the Petronas Twin Towers’ spires are classified

as architectural details and rise to 452m (1,483ft), giving it the greatest structural height. Taking advantage of the rules governing building measurements has generated controversy over the towers’ claim to the title.

In both engineering and design, the Petronas Towers succeed at acknowledging Malaysia’s past and future, embracing the country’s heritage while proclaiming its modernisation. © Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects

PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS

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“One of the most wonderful things in nature is a glance of the eye; it transcends speech; it is the bodily symbol of identity”

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Ralph Waldo Emerson

panaromic urban inspiration

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Rated second after the Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Queensland Number One (Q1) with its 323m height is said to be the tourism hub of the Gold Coast in Australia. With its stunning glass-encased structure, this tallest residential tower is the

most striking urban designed building.

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This truly inspirational architecture was designed by Atelier SDG. The building is supported by 22 piles, two metres in diameter, that extend 40m into the ground then further move up to four metres into solid rock. It is 50m across its plan shape of concentric ellipses. The recent inclusion of the extended spire and modifications to the podium level commercial space has improved its layout.

Magnificient beach location, panaromic views from the surf to the hinterland and beyond, one hectare of tropical landscaped grounds around lagoons, waterfalls and resort facilities make this building unique with 80 levels of luxury

living. The

building is indeed an internationally recognised landmark © Atelier SDG

destination.

“Create a style... let it be unique and yet identifiable for others.” - Orson Welles

QUEENSLAND NUMBER ONE

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best-known icon

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Australia designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and Ove Arup & Partners, is one of the world’s most distinctive 20th century

buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world. The building and its surroundings are one of the best-known icons of Australia.

The Sydney Opera House is an expressionist modern design, with a series of large precast concrete ‘shells’, each taken from a hemisphere of the same radius, forming the roofs of the structure. It is 183m long and about 120m wide at its widest point. It is supported on 588 concrete piers sunk up to 25m below sea level. Its power

supply is equivalent for a town of 25,000 people. The building’s interior is composed of pink granite quarried in Tarana and wood and brush box plywood supplied from Wauchope in northern New South Wales.

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

The Sydney Opera House, located in Sydney, New South Wales,

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“Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.”

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culture and heritage icon

Taipei 101, designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners, is one of the world’s

tallest completed skyscrapers located in Taipei, Taiwan.

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The building stands as an icon of Taipei and Taiwan as a whole. Its postmodern style combines tradition and modernity in ways that make it Asian and international both at once. Its safety features enable it to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. The name of the tower reflects its location in Taipei’s 101- business district and its floor count.

TAIPEI 101

At Taipei 101 a traditional predicament has been

addressed with a traditional solution — yet the result looks modern. Taipei 101 merges ancient motifs and ideas with modern techniques and materials. As a landmark it renews the symbolism of all tall Billionaire Buildings

towers as cosmic centers. Its interplaying symbols convey images of optimism, abundance, and awareness of the cycles of time.

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“A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril” Winston Churchill

TURNING TORSO

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notions of a nation

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HSB Turning Torso, Malmo is a skyscraper designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It reaches a height of 190m (623ft) with 54 storeys. Upon completion, it was the tallest

building in Scandinavia, the tallest residential building in the EU and the second tallest in Europe, after the 264m high Triumph-Palace in Moscow. The 86m high Kronprinsen was the tallest building in Malmö before Turning Torso.

“The strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of its homes” Confucius

One reason for the building of Turning Torso was to re-establish a recognizable skyline for Malmö since the removal of the Kockums Crane in 2002, which was located less than a kilometre from Turning Torso. The local politicians deemed it important for the inhabitants to have a symbol for Malmö.

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BMW WELT

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Centre Georges Pompidou

Chrysler Building

Chongqing World Trade Center

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM BILBAO

mercedes benz museum

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Signatures

NEW YORK TIMES BUILDING

Oriental Pearl TOWER

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

10.

SEAGRAM BUILDING

11.

SEARS TOWER

12.

SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER

13.

Swiss Re (30 St Mary Axe)

14.

THE GENERAL MOTORS BUILDING

15.

Time Warner Center

t probably began with the Guggenheim Museum

Santiago Calatrava – this Spanish architect is famous for his

in Bilbao. American architect Frank O. Gehry

elegant bridges across the world, and now also for the stadiums for

designed an incredible building from curving pieces

the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

of metal. The building put the Spanish city on the map. Now

Renzo Piano – this Italian architect designed the Pompidou

people come from all over the world, not just to visit the museum,

Centre in Paris (together with Norman Foster), and has

or the city of Bilbao, but just to see the building.

recently built a new Auditorium for music in Rome, a church dedicated to Padre Pio in Puglia in southern Italy and the

Since the success of this building, many other cities have tried

Kansai airport in Osaka.

putting up incredible buildings in an attempt to make themselves There are also younger architects, like the British Future Systems

buildings.

group who built the Selfridges department store in Birmingham. Nicknamed the “Blob”, this looks like something out of a science

In the hunt for signature buildings, a few architects have become

fiction film. Their next project is an underground station in Naples

very famous.

with the sculptor Anish Kapoor.

also designed the Experience Music Project in Seattle and the DG

Such incredible architecture is now largely possible due to

bank in the centre of Berlin.

computer programmes which make it possible to design and

Daniel Libeskind – this architect became famous for his Jewish

construct buildings which, even only 20 years ago, would have

Museum in Berlin and the Imperial War Museum North in

remained the pure fantasy of artists and architects.

Manchester. His project of a memorial tower to mark the site of the Twin Towers in New York was the winner of that competition

Is it all looking bright for brave new architecture? Well – there are

in 2003.

problems. Calatrava’s buildings in Greece have reportedly left the

Norman Foster – this British architect has recently built the

Greek government with huge debts still to pay, and while Foster’s

Millennium and the Swiss Re building in London. People have

gherkin building in London has transformed the city’s skyline, it is

called this building the “gherkin” because of its shape. It has

still half empty. One critic says the gherkin has been an aesthetic

changed London’s skyline.

triumph but a commercial flop.

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Frank O. Gehry – as well as the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Gehry has

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become more well-known. These buildings are called ‘signature’

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experience branding

BMW Welt

“A brand is a living entity - and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures” BMW Welt is a multi-functional customer experience

and exhibition facility of the BMW Group, located in Munich, Germany. In direct proximity to the BMW Headquarters,

distribution center for BMW cars; and offer an event forum and a conference center.

Designed by architects Coop Himmelb(l)au for BMW Group, the facility was constructed from August 2003 through Summer 2007. Designed with an 800 KWatt solar plant on its roof, the building does not have the boredom of a hall.

BMW Welt focuses on strengthening the dialogue with customers and visitors by showing the complete range of BMW vehicles, and providing vehicle distribution. © Coop Himmelb(L)AU

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it is designed to: present the current products of BMW; be a

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- Michael Eisner, CEO Disney

Centre Georges Pompidou

style statement Centre Pompidou is one of the most spectacular buildings of Paris. It was designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rodgers to bring

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art and culture to the man on the street.

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Its 1977 factory style architecture violently contrasts with the surrounding houses of Paris’ oldest district near Notre-Dame cathedral. You like Le Centre Pompidou or you don’t, but

you will not forget it with its glass facade, its external stairs and the red, blue and green external pipes on the rear facade. In a unique location under one roof, the Centre Pompidou houses one of the most important museums in the world, featuring the leading collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe, a vast public reference library with facilities for over 2,000 readers, general documentation on 20th century art, a cinema and performance halls, a music research institute, educational activity areas, bookshops, a restaurant and a café.

“Style is a simple way of saying complicated things” Jean Cocteau

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signature landmark

The 77-floor beauty with its automobile-inspired Art Deco

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features and exotic crown is a fixture of the New York City skyline. The building’s stainless steel apex (seven stacked curves covered with triangular windows) makes the Chrysler

Building

one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. And the details aren’t all in the top. The polished

chromium

nickel of the building gleams even when it’s cloudy; decorative gargoyles roost on the 59th floor, eagles on the 61st. There are elements on the exterior of the building modelled after those that adorned the 1926 Chrysler. Though not as tall as the Empire State Building (1,453ft), the Chrysler Building (1,046ft) proves

that bigger isn’t always better when it

comes to iconic style. © Indian Architect & Builder Archives

Chrysler Building

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Philip Johnson

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“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.” © Indian Architect & Builder Archives

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defining skyline

The Chongqing World Trade Center is a 283.1m tall skyscraper located in Chongqing, China. The building was completed in 2005

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after 3 years of construction beginning in 2002. The building has 60 floors which can all be accessed by 12 elevators. There are also 2 underground floors used a car park.

The Chongqing World Trade Center is currently the 45th tallest existing skyscraper in the world when measured up to the spire and the tallest building in Western China. The building is 262m tall when the spire is removed.

Chongqing World Trade Center

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Jonathan Swift

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“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”

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style of Deconstructivism

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

“The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao looks like a great adventure.”

the other organic life (and, in particular, fish-like) forms that occur

art museum located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The curves

commonly in Gehry’s designs, as well as the river Nervión upon

on the building have been designed to appear random. The

which the museum sits. The building is uniquely a product

architect has been quoted as saying that “the randomness of the

of the period’s technology.

American architect Frank Gehry and opened to the public in 1997,

It is also important to note that while the museum is a spectacular

it was immediately vaulted to prominence as one of

monument from the river, at street level it is quite modest and

the world’s most spectacular buildings in the style of

does not overwhelm its traditional surroundings.

Deconstructivism. Almost immediately after its opening, the Guggenheim Bilbao became Sited as it is in a port town, it is intended to resemble a ship. Its

a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the globe. It

brilliantly reflective titanium panels resemble fish scales, echoing

was widely credited with “putting Bilbao on the map”.

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The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a modern and contemporary

curves are designed to catch the light”. Designed by Canadian/

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Eduardo Chillida

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smart geometry

Mercedes-Benz Museum

“The technologies which have had the most profound effects on human life are usually simple.” The Mercedes-Benz Museum is an automotive museum housed

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Freeman Dyson

in Stuttgart, Germany. The building, designed by UN Studio, is based on a unique

cloverleaf concept using three

triangular atrium. The building’s height and “double helix” interiors were designed to maximise space, providing 16,500sqm of exhibition space on a footprint of just 4,800sqm. The museum contains more than 160 vehicles, some dating back to the very earliest days of the motor engine.

The Museum’s sophisticated geometry synthesizes structural and programmatic organisations resulting in © UN Studio

a new landmark building celebrating a legendary car.

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overlapping circles with the centre removed to form a

towering modernism

The New York Times Building is a skyscraper on the west side of Status • Signatures • Signs

Midtown Manhattan that was completed in 2007. Its chief tenant

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is The New York Times Company. The construction was a joint venture of The Times Company, Forest City Ratner Companies - the Cleveland-based real estate firm constructing redeveloping the Brooklyn Atlantic rail yards, and ING Real Estate.

The 80,000sqft site was assembled, and it was leased to the New York Times Company and Forest City Ratner for $85.6 million over 99 years (considerably below market value). Additionally, the New York Times Company received $26.1 million in tax breaks.

The tower was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and FXFOWLE Architects, with Gensler providing interior design. The tower rises 748ft from the street to its roof, with the exterior curtain wall extending 92ft higher to 840ft, and a mast rising to 1,046ft.

NEW YORK TIMES BUILDING

Brian Appleyard

the glass curtain wall on the east, west and south facades. The rod spacing increases from the base to the top, providing greater transparency as the building rises.

The design incorporates many features for increased energy efficiency. The building’s most original feature is a scrim of horizontal ceramic rods that diffuses sunlight and lends the exterior a clean, uniform appearance.

A towering composition of glass and steel clad in a veil of ceramic rods, it delivers on Modernism’s age-old promise to drag us — in this case, The Times — out of the Dark Ages.

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1-5/8 inches (41.3mm) ceramic rods mounted on the exterior of Billionaire Buildings

“Modernism may be seen as an attempt to reconstruct the world in the absence of God.”

The steel-framed building, cruciform in plan, utilises a screen of

Oriental Pearl TOWER

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ultra modern concept

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in Pudong Park in Lujiazui, Shanghai. This 468m high tower is the world’s third tallest

TV and radio tower surpassed in height only by towers in

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Toronto, Canada and Moscow, Russia. However, even more alluring than its height is the tower’s unique architectural

design that makes It one of the most attractive places. It is amazing that this ultra-modern tower combines ancient concepts such as the spherical pearls, with 21st century technology, commerce, recreation, educational and conference facilities. It is a TV and radio tower that services the Shanghai area with more than nine television channels and upwards of 10 FM radio channels. Truly, ‘oriental pearl’ is the most suitable name for this tower. © Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd.

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“moderism rules today’s world”

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historic landmark Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st Streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center Status • Signatures • Signs

of Midtown Manhattan, spanning between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It was the largest private building project ever

undertaken in modern times. If Tishman Speyer ever sold Rockefeller Center and its collection

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of 12 buildings, which make up more than six million squareft, it would easily smash Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village’s $5.4 billion record-breaking sale. One broker estimated that it would go for about $1,400 per square foot—bringing the entire complex in at more than $8 billion.

“a historic landmark talks for the nation’s past as well as future.”

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

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SEAGRAM BUILDING

masterpiece of corporate modernism

Andre Gide

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“Art begins with resistance - at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.” The Seagram Building is a skyscraper in New York City, located

at 375 Park Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Street in Midtown

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Manhattan. It was designed by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, in collaboration with the American Philip Johnson and was completed in 1958. It is 515ft tall with 38 storeys. It stands

as one of the finest examples of the functionalist aesthetic and a masterpiece of corporate modernism. This structure, and the International Style in which it was built,

had enormous influences on American architecture. One of the style’s characteristic traits was to express or articulate the

materials and lavish interior decoration including bronze,

structure of buildings externally. On completion, the construction

travertine, and marble. The interior was designed to assure

costs of Seagram made it to the list of world’s most expensive

cohesion with the external features, repeated in the glass and

skyscraper at the time. This was due to the use of expensive

bronze furnishings and decorative scheme.

SEARS TOWER

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structural wonder

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The Sears Tower is a skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. It has been

main roof as 109 and the mechanical penthouse roof as 110. The

the tallest

distance to the roof is 1,451ft (442m), measured from the east

building in the United States since 1973,

surpassing the World Trade Center. Commissioned by Sears,

entrance. In February 1982, two television antennas were added

Roebuck and Company, it was designed by chief architect Bruce

to the structure, increasing its total height to 1,705ft (520m). The

Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan of Skidmore, Owings

western antenna was later extended to 1,730ft (527m) on June 5,

and Merrill.

2000 to improve reception of local NBC station WMAQ-TV.

Construction commenced in August 1970 and the building reached

Sears Tower has gone through several owners in the years since

its originally anticipated maximum height on May 3, 1973. When

but Sears has retained the naming rights for the building. It is

completed, the Sears Tower had overtaken the roof

now a multi-tenant office building with more than 100 different

of the World Trade Center in New York City as the

companies in residence, including major law firms, insurance

world’s tallest building. The tower has 108 storeys as counted

companies and financial services firms.

by standard methods, though the building owners count the

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“Structural engineering is involuntary praise for a masterpiece.” Edward Young

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broad-shouldered building

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The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Shanghai, China which when completed

will be the world’s third tallest building. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the 101-storey tower’s

most

distinctive feature in the design of the building is an aperture at the peak. The circular aperture, 150ft in diameter, originally was meant to reduce the stresses of wind pressure, but also served well as a subtext for the design, since Chinese mythology represents the earth with a square and the sky with a circle.

The skyscraper’s roof height has been set at 492m, and when completed in early 2008 is expected to temporarily have the highest roof in the world. Before construction resumed on the roof, tower height was scheduled to be 510m so the building would hold the title of the world’s tallest building over the Taipei 101, but the height limit was imposed.

SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER

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- Roland Barthes

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“The skyscraper establishes the block, the block creates the street, the street offers itself to man.”

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architecturally significant

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30 St Mary Axe is a building in London’s main financial district, the City of London. It is widely known by the nickname “The Gherkin”, and occasionally as a variant on The Swiss Re Tower, after its previous owner and principal occupier. It is 180m tall, making

it the second-tallest building in the City of London, after Tower 42, and the sixth-tallest in London as a whole. The building’s name is its address — St Mary Axe being the street it is on.

The building was designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Lord Norman Foster and ex-partner Ken Shuttleworth and Arup engineers. The building uses energy-saving methods which allow it to use half the power a similar tower would typically consume.

Despite its overall curved glass shape, there is only one piece of curved glass on the building — the lens-shaped

Swiss Re (30 St Mary Axe)

“Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.” © Nigel Young, Foster & Partners

cap at the very top. The primary occupant of the building is Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, who had the building commissioned as the head office for their UK operation.

it can be seen from the M11 motorway some 20 miles away.

In September 2006, the building was put up for sale with a price tag of GB£600 million. Potential buyers included British Land, Land Securities, Prudential, ING and the Abu Dhabi royal family. On 21

February 2007, IVG Immobilien AG and UK investment firm Evans Randall completed their joint purchase of the building for GB£630 million (approx. $1.26 billion).

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The building is visible from a long distance: for instance, from the north,

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

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THE GENERAL MOTORS BUILDING

billion dollar building

“Architecture is a social act and the material theater of human activity.” Spiro Kostof Billionaire Buildings

The General Motors Building, at 767 Fifth Avenue, is the most valuable building in the world. It’s across the street from the Plaza

Hotel, and it sits at the foot of Central Park that was formerly

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the site of the Savoy Hotel. At 1.9 million square feet it is huge and charges mind-blowing rents. It has retail space on both Fifth Avenue—the cubed Apple store—and Madison Avenue. The G.M. Building made every list. If it ever went on the market, it

would set the all-time record for a single building. The building is one of the few structures in Manhattan that occupies a full city block. The building size has 1,905,103 sqft of rentable area on a plot measuring 200 x 420 (84,350 sqft) . The façade is an expression of unbroken verticality in “glistening white Georgia marble” and sheets of glass. © Indian Architect & Builder Archives

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vertical experience

Time Warner Center

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“Architecture is an experience that everyone should experience.” Henry Ford rise to a height of 750ft and culminate in luminous glass and steel

motivation from the programmatic requirements as well as the

crowns. The towers house the headquarters for AOL Time

unique context of its surroundings. The twin residential towers

Warner in the lower floors, a Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and

lining Central Park West - the Century, the Majestic, the San Remo,

One Central Park luxury condominiums, located from the fifty-

and the El Dorado have an indirect design connection with the

second to the eightieth floors.

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The design innovation of AOL Time Warner Center derives its

Time Centre. The idea was conceptualised in 2001, but it was the

first major building, which came in to existence after

The plan is defined by an overlap of three of Manhattan’s most

the 9/11 incident.

significant urban constituents - the City Grid, Broadway, and Central Park. This is what truly makes Time Warner Centre

The building rises from a stone and glass base containing the retail and

stand out in the Manhattan’s most talked about street and gives

studio components. Two glass trapezoidal towers set atop the podium

competition to Donald Trump’s building across the street.

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Signs 1.

CHICAGO SPIRE

CENTRAL CHINESE TELEVISION HEADQUATERS

Guggenheim hermitage museum

THE RUSSIA TOWER

UNION SQUARE PHASE 7

Rose Tower

Any attempt to predict the future is inevitably fraught with

changing way that people lived. Whether it was

uncertainty. But, in some ways, we can have a profound effect on

the Modernist towers of glass, the Frank Lloyd

what will happen. Ultimately, what matters much more than any

Wright inspired ranch houses, or the post-modern McMansions,

discernible trend in technology or politics, is the set of values that

these buildings were built to be lived in and around — and showed

we bring to the struggle to forge a better tomorrow.

a respect for function over artistry. In broad terms, we can approach the future with optimism and the belief that we can make the world a better place to live in. Or we

in architecture are afoot. One thing all the architects agree on is

can gloomily accept that we are at the mercy of the forces largely

that practically anything is possible now — if you can trace it with

out of our control which are changing our lives at such a rate that

a stylus, you can build it. So what does the triumph of form over

we are nothing but flotsam on the surface of a gigantic torrent.

function, the globalisation of design, and radical new technologies,

This section is optimistic and all the work shown in it suggests

mean for who we are and how we live?

different approaches to the future.

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Now, as the world heads on into the 22nd century, big changes

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rchitecture of the 21st century reflected the

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Signs –• One Status Signatures Among•Billions Signs

giant “drill bit”

82 01

CHICAGO SPIRE

The Chicago Spire is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Chicago, Illinois. At 2,000ft and with 150

world when completed in 2011. It will stand taller than Chicago’s Sears Tower and New York’s upcoming Freedom

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floors, the building is likely to be the second tallest in the

“Architecture begins where engineering ends.” Walter Gropius

Tower, as well as Toronto’s CN Tower, thereby becoming

North America’s tallest free-standing structure and the

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world’s tallest all-residential building. The Chicago Spire will further transform the already changing Chicago skyline. Plans for the tower include 1,193 condominiums

The Spire will surpass Chicago’s own Sears Tower, currently

with each of the building’s 150 storeys rotating exactly 2.44

at 1,450ft tall, and New York’s upcoming Freedom Tower,

degrees from the one below for a total 360 degree rotation.

planned to be 1,776ft tall, to become North America’s tallest

In February 2008, prices

tower. The current design also will surpass the height of the

for the condominiums were

announced as ranging from “$750,000 to $40 million”.

CN Tower in Toronto to become North America’s tallest freestanding structure. The Chicago Spire would also surpass the

The building has been labeled as a giant “drill bit” by the public

Q1 in Queensland, the Eureka Tower in Melbourne, and the

and others in the media have likened it to a ‘tall twisting tree’

Princess Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to become the

and a ‘blade of grass’.

world’s tallest all-residential building.

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unconventional architecture

CENTRAL CHINESE TELEVISION HEADQUATERS

broadcasting, studios and program production. Although the

300 towers to be constructed in Beijing’s new Central Business

building is 230m tall it is not a traditional tower, but

District. On the 10-hectare site in the new Central Business

a continuous loop of horizontal and vertical sections

District in Beijing, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

that establish an urban site rather than point to the sky. The

proposal consolidates the program in an iconic configuration of

irregular grid on the building’s facade is an expression of the forces

two high-rise buildings.

travelling throughout its structure.

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CCTV’s new 550,000sqm headquarters, will be among the first of

The construction of the building is considered to be a

area of about 400,000sqm, combines administration with news,

structural challenge, especially because it is in a seismic zone.

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The new CCTV headquarters, at a height of 230m and a floor

“Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins.” Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

fluidity, velocity and lightness The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum’s sculptural volume is designed along Zaha Hadid’s characteristic conceptual terms of fluidity, velocity and lightness. The

building appears like a

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mystical floating object that seemingly defies gravity.

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Curvilinear lines echo the elongated contours of the building, offering an enigmatic presence that contrasts with the vertical skyline of Vilnius’ business district. It is a manifestation of the city’s new cultural significance.

The Museum’s design points towards a future architectural language. A glossy metallic building envelope registers the underlying main programmatic units which are articulated as inlays within the compact overall form. The sub volumes are expressed through folds and protrusions in the facades modulation, creating multiple ways of reading the building as a whole that is constituted by its integral parts. These parts reflect the various institutions and bodies that are combined within the museum, such as the Hermitage, the Guggenheim as well as the city of Vilnius. In the interior, a canyon like air space allows for architecturally refined communication and circulation spaces mirroring the Fluxus spirit of informality and vivacity surrounding art.

Guggenheim Hermitage Museum

The exterior spaces are modulated landscape formations creating several imprints or plinths upon which various activities and performances can take place. Large stairs at the promenade might function as an external auditorium space for summer screening etc. The surrounding landscape is a continuation of the internal Billionaire Buildings

landscape connecting museum lobby with its surrounding on several levels. The aim is again an intensification of

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unique architecture

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The Russia Tower is a supertall skyscraper, designed by Foster + Partners, currently under construction in the Moscow International Business Center of Moscow, Russia. Upon

reaching its final

height of 612.2m, it will be the tallest building in Europe and the second tallest in the world, after the Burj Dubai. Additionally, it will be the tallest building in the world with a natural ventilation system. © Foster & Partners

Tower of Russia — is a striking new addition to the dynamic highrise skyline of Moscow City. With

its unique form, this new

landmark will be visible from the heart of Moscow. The building continues the practice’s investigation into the nature of the tower, taking structural, functional, environmental and urban logic to a new dimension. The mixed-use project — incorporating apartments, hotel, office and leisure space — will have an ‘energy cycle’ that will pioneer sustainable architecture and reinforce the economic and social vitality of Moscow City. © Foster & Partners

THE RUSSIA TOWER

Richard Mille

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“Unique design, hightech materials and ultrainnovative architecture — that’s how you can define today’s architecture.”

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UNION SQUARE PHASE 7

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a veritcal city

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Union Square Phase 7 is a new office and residential building

conceived as a transportation hub connecting Hong Kong to Chep

being developed as part of the Union Square project, built

Lap Kok airport and a new urban center.

on top of Kowloon Station. Upon completion by 2010, the

skyscraper will become Hong Kong’s tallest building

The design is a square 474m tower with 108 floors and

and will have the fourth highest roof in the world,

270,000sqm of office space, retail areas, serviced apartments,

after the Burj Dubai complex, Chicago Spire, and Shanghai

hotel space and car parking facilities. A

World Financial Center.

itself, the tower will be one of the tallest structures in the

vertical city all by

world upon completion. The site is at the southern tip of the West Kowloon reclamation

area overlooking Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. The Tower is the

The tower was designed by the American architectural firm Kohn

final stage of construction of the Kowloon Station Development,

Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in association with Wong & Ouyang

known as the Union Square complex. The development was

(HK) Ltd.

Jay Chiat

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“The intellectual architecture means focusing on doing great work.”

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luxury at its best

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The Rose Tower is a 333m (1,093ft), 72-storey skyscraper on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Originally, the tower was to be 380m (1,247ft) high, but its projected height was reduced in further design modification. Construction began in 2004. On 24 October 2006, the building reached its full height with the addition of the spire. The

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tower will be the world’s

tallest hotel when it opens in 2008. This hotel, known as ‘Rose Rotana Suites,’ will surpass both the 321m (1,053ft) Burj Al Arab, and the 330m (1,083ft) Ryungyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, which is still under construction.

Rose Tower

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Architecture exhibits the greatest extent of the difference from nature which may exist in works of art. It involves all the powers of design, and is sculpture and painting

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inclusively. It shows the greatness of man, and should at the same time teach him humility. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Architecture, of all the arts, is the one which acts the

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most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul.

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- Ernest Dimnet

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ULTRATECH SPECIALTY CONCRETE

Product

Features

Advantages

Applications

Fibrecon

• Produced by using different fibres like polyester, polypropylene glass, steel, etc. • Prevents plastic shrinkage cracks in concrete in green stage

• Increase in the homogeneity of concrete and arresting of segregation. • Impermeable and more durable since micro cracks are arrested

Used in concrete roads and pavement overlays, thin RCC elements like staircases, slabs, flooring panels, etc. exposed to aggressive environment

Freeflow

Produced by using high reactive silica and latest 4th generation acrylic based super plasticizers and viscosity modifying agents leading to self compacting and free flowing concrete

• Saves time and resources as no compaction is required to be done. • Lends greater freedom in designing complicated and durable structures

• Used to implement large size underground works like raft slabs, machine foundations, footings, etc. • Heavily reinforced thin RCC sections. • RCC members with intricate and complicated shape and size, etc.

Stainless

Produced by using high quality corrosion inhibiting agents that provide a protective coating to the steel reinforcement and prevents corrosion of the steel

• Assured protection against corrosion of steel. • Improves durability and service life of the structure.

• Used in RCC structures in marine construction, jetties, dockyards, etc. • Terrace slabs, toilet slabs • Foundation for bridges across rivers and sea coasts • All underground RCC works • Effluent and sewage treatment plants

Billionaire Buildings

Features

Advantages

Applications

Thermocon

Produced by using chilled water/ice flakes and other ingredients that bring down the temperature of concrete at the time of production and placing

Controls the internal temperature of concrete members and thermal tensile cracks

Used in mass concrete works with large dimension e.g. dams, bridges, piers, girders,raft slabs, pile foundations and pile caps, etc.

Billionaire Buildings

Product

Optimal use of multiple blends of cementitious materials and 4th generation super plasticizers resulting in refinement of micro pore structure and very high strength development

Very durable and long lasting structures

• Used in hi-tech structures like long span bridges, high rise towers, etc. • Civil works in aggressive environment like marine works, etc.

Colourcon

Produced by using variety of high quality UV resistant pigments to meet innovative designs of Architects

• Highly aesthetic and colourful designs are possible for elevational treatment in high end projects • Various options can be explored by the Architects as per their vision and imagination

• Used in innovative projects involving high end aesthetic designs and colourful elevations • Walkways in gardens, apartments, car parks, amusement parks, shopping malls, etc. • Pavements and textured flooring

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Hypercon

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