Can the experience of scaling Mount Everest be duplicated in an arid, desert market whose average annual high temperature exceeds 92 F?
Dubai is that market, and the improbable has been proposed, in the form of a 300-plus-meter-tall (984.3-foot) extreme sports tower, for which the firm 10 Design has been commissioned as the design architect. If approved, the tower would be located at Dubai’s Marina, and provide opportunities for climbing, rappelling, and BASE jumping.
News of the proposal was first reported by The Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
10 Design’s website says the waterfront site for the tower would be 106,169 sm. The tower itself would be created through an exterior hexagrid skin.
“The form morphs between two inverse triangles from the top to bottom, creating three platforms for jumping at the upper level and three open spaces at the ground for landing,” 10 Design stated. “The form is sculpted to create jumping platforms at 300 meters, 250 meters, and 200 meters. The ground floor is pushed out to create a large canopy.”
The proposed tower would attempt to reproduce the Mt. Everest experience with a series of base camps, locating a variety of extreme climbing, abseiling, and jumping activities, according to The Dubai Chronicle and other news outlets. The base and lower levels of the tower would offer training and simulation services as well as climbing walls and bungee jump towers for beginner visitors to help them up their abilities, according to the website GrindTV.com.
If this tower proposal goes forward, it might even feature ice-pick climbing, which would be a neat trick, given that Dubai’s average high temperature ranges from 75 F in January to 106 F in August.
Cost estimates and a completion date for this project were not available.
The unusually shaped tower would allow BASE jumps from 300, 250, and 200 meters above the ground. Image: 10 Design
The base and lower levels of the tower would offer instruction, simulation services, and climbing walls and bungee jump towers for beginners. Image: 10 Design
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Arup, SOM top BD+C's ranking of the country's largest mixed-use design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 Mixed-Use Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Structure Tone, Turner among the nation's busiest reconstruction contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 Reconstruction Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Populous selected to design 'crystalline skin' stadium for 2014 Winter Olympics
Russian officials have selected global architect Populous to design the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The 40,000-seat stadium will feature a crystalline skin that "engages with its surroundings by day and provides an iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night," said Populous senior principal John Barrow.
| Aug 11, 2010
Best AEC Firms of 2011/12
Later this year, we will launch Best AEC Firms 2012. We’re looking for firms that create truly positive workplaces for their AEC professionals and support staff. Keep an eye on this page for entry information. +
| Aug 11, 2010
Clark Group, Mortenson among nation's busiest state/local government contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 40 State/Local Government Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Portland Cement Association offers blast resistant design guide for reinforced concrete structures
Developed for designers and engineers, "Blast Resistant Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Structures" provides a practical treatment of the design of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures to resist the effects of blast loads. It explains the principles of blast-resistant design, and how to determine the kind and degree of resistance a structure needs as well as how to specify the required materials and details.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gensler, HOK, HDR among the nation's leading reconstruction design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 100 Reconstruction Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Gensler among eight teams named finalists in 'classroom of the future' design competition
Eight teams were recognized today as finalists of the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom. Finalists submitted designs ranging from an outdoor classroom for children in inner-city Chicago, learning spaces for the children of salt pan workers in India, safe spaces for youth in Bogota, Colombia and a bamboo classroom in the Himalayan mountains.
