What’s in a Building?
November 18, 2007 by Scott Powell
The world’s tallest building is under construction…in the Middle East.
After recently watching an interesting documentary about Dubai (in the United Arab Emirates) on 60 minutes, I briefly became fascinated with that city. The documentary called it “the largest construction site on the planet”–already boasting a phenomenal indoor ski slope, and man-made island groupings in the shape of “the World”. (They have no environmental regulations there, so they exploit the earth with stunning results!)
“The World” Real-Estate Development Project in Dubai
And the Burj Dubai is under construction there as well. This amazing tower reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Illinois” tower. (When completed it will be twice as tall as the Empire State Building!!)
Artist Rendering of the “Burj Dubai” and Dubai Skyline
Then I thought of the World Trade Center, and I became somewhat depressed. (I don’t hate the latest design, but by comparison to the Burj Dubai, the “Freedom Tower” is, quite frankly, stubby.)
I think what is so upsetting about the Burj Dubai is that it is so heroic a structure and it’s in the Middle East–where no wealth would exist today without Western aid and technology–and where, despite the transmission of heroic values to that region, the West (and especially the United States) is villified. Meanwhile, America, which fueled the industrial leap that made the wealth of Dubai possible, has largely lost its heroic sense of life, and little of significance seems to be under construction here (with one exception, see below). Viewed in full historical context, Dubai–and the Burj Dubai above all–is a historic-aesthetic monstrosity!
Honestly, there’s a part of me that hopes that, somehow, Providence will intervene, and the combination of oil pumping and Persian Gulf dredging will cause an unanticipated seismic event, bringing the thing down.
Meanwhile, I take some architectural solace in the continued growth of the Chicago skyline. The Trump Chicago (decent, but should be taller), and the Chicago Spire (takes getting used to, but it grows on you!) promise to add some inspiration into our architectural landscape.
The Chicago Spire (Click the link for the video intro to “elevate” your spirits.)
Honestly , i think wishing for a earthquake is a little extreme & kooky. Is this jealousy? Okay, Dubai is a religious sheikdom of some sort ,whose main source of prosperity is oil revenue, and the consistent ideological base of their culture is an enemy of the very premises that allow for the existence of material values, but if Muslim society’s are ever going to move beyond their current status quo of value destroying nihilism, what manner and form should it take? Could it be that Hoping for the collapse of a major architectural achievement by an American firm because of where it is located is misguided?
Re: the substantive point
What form should progress take in the Middle East?
For starters, justice for the West and especially the United States, which includes unmitigated support for the uprooting of terrorism, the adoption of secular constitutional governments, and the restoration of Western property. Skyscrapers won’t change that region one bit, when the fundamental culture is rotten.
Re: my little rant
I love the Burj Dubai, and I hate it. Am I jealous that the people of Dubai will get to look at it day in day out, when I would get so much inspiration from it? Yes!
The Burj Dubai looks very much like Frank Lloyd Wright’s mile-high “Illinois” skyscraper proposal. Google it and you can see the similarity.
I’ve had a print of Wright’s drawing of his building hanging on my study wall for ten+ years now. I love the building, and would love to see a version of it built. Seeing the very similar Burj Dubai being built by a Muslim state, I share your mixed feelings.
However, the lesson for America is simple. Get up off our knees. When we have learned how to stand tall and proud, our buildings will reflect that pride.
When that happens, we can look for examples of the tallest and best new buildings, perhaps not so much in Dubai, Taiwan or Indonesia, but in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and across this country.
A country’s buildings reflect its spirit. Observe closely the skyline of America’s oldest and largest cities such as New York and Boston, and you can see humility enforced by law. The buildings are capped off, hunched over, and forced to meekly blend in with their surroundings. It is as if a burgeoning giant was penned in, struggling to burst free, his limbs tied down by the Lilliputian strands of an envious, fearful mob.
When Americans re-discover their spirit, our buildings will be set free. When that happens, watch out world!
Upon reflection i more fully sympathize with your sentiments; not only is the mid easts dominating agenda in contradiction to the spirit embodied in such a building, it literally is not a homegrown achievement , but is necessarily a product of another more rational culture, a despised west; and it’s purpose is to serve the glory of a emir and his kingdom. It truly doesn’t belong there.
“What form should progress take in ….?” (emphasis added)
The past-tense indicative form of this question–in what forms did progress actually appear in the past–is, to me, one of the most intriguing questions of the study of history.
For example, when the scientists of the 1600s and 1700s–men such as Boyle, Linnaeus, and Newton–made their advances, what sort of man was each as a “whole”? Did he tend to be more advanced than his contemporaries in other areas of his life besides science, or was he a mixed bag of progress, convention, and regress? More broadly, what did progress look like when it came in particular areas of culture?
The corollary, of course, is: What will progress look like if it comes in our own lifetime?
Someday, in the years ahead, that might make a fascinating topic for a history course.
Actually, the potential for actual progress and its different expressions will be broached in the upcoming “Islamist Entanglement”–starts Feb.8!