Makkah Royal Clock Tower

      The Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, is a building complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia owned by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Canada. The complex holds several world records, such as the tallest hotel in the world, the tallest clock tower in the world, theworld's largest clock face and the building with the world's largest floor area. The complex's hotel tower has become the second tallest building in the world in 2012, surpassed only by Dubai's Burj Khalifa. The building complex is meters away from the world's largest mosque and Islam's most sacred site, the Masjid al Haram. The developer and contractor of the complex is the Saudi Binladin Group, the Kingdom's largest construction company.

         It was built at the same place as the former Ajyad Fortress, an old fort of the Ottoman epoch dating from the 18th century and which was destroyed in2002 by the Saudi government in order to begin the building work, sparking global outcry.

              The tallest tower in the complex stands as the tallest building in Saudi Arabia, and the tallest hotel in the world, with a height of 601 metres (1,972 feet). Currently it is the second tallest building in the world, surpassing Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan. The structure had surpassed Dubai International Airport having the largest floor area of any structure in the world with 1,500,000 m2 (16,150,000 sq ft) of floorspace. It also surpassed the Emirates Park Towers in Dubai as the world's tallest hotel.

                The site of the complex is located across the street to the south from an entrance to the Masjid al Haram mosque, which houses the Kaaba. To accommodate worshipers visiting the Kaaba, the Abraj Al-Bait Towers has a large prayer room capable of holding more than 10,000 people. The tallest tower in the complex also contains a five-star hotel to help provide lodging for the millions of pilgrims that travel to Mecca annually to participate in theHajj.

                In addition, the Abraj Al-Bait Towers has a five-story shopping mall (the Abraj Al Bait Mall) and a parking garage capable of holding over a thousand vehicles. Residential towers house permanent residents while two heliports and a conference center are to accommodate business travelers. In total, up to 100,000 people could be housed inside the towers.[citation needed] The project uses clock faces for each side of the hotel tower. The highest residential floor stands at 450 metres (1,480 feet), just below the clocks. The clock faces are 43 × 43 m (141 × 141 ft), the largest in the world. The roof of the clocks is 530 metres (1,740 feet) above the ground, making them the world's most elevated architectural clocks. A 71-metre-tall spire (233 ft) has been added on top of the clock giving it a total height of 601 metres (1,972 feet), which makes it the second tallest building in the world, surpassing Taipei 101 in Taiwan. The tower also includes an Islamic Museum and a Lunar Observation Center which will also be used to sight the moon during the Holy Months.

The building was planned to be 485 meters tall in 2006. In 2009, it was published that the final height will be 601 meters. The complex was built by theSaudi Binladin Group, Saudi Arabia's largest construction company. The clock tower was designed by the German company Premiere Composite Technologies, and the clock by the Swiss engineering firm Straintec. According to the Saudi Ministry of Religious Endowments, the project cost 

 

The clock

               The hotel tower is topped by a four-faced clock, visible from more than 50 kilometres (31 miles) away, and is the largest clock in the world. The clock house and the spire are 200 meters high, The clock dwarfs London's Big Ben, once the largest four-faced clock in the world, and the previous title holder, the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The clock's face is also bigger than the previous record holder, the Cevahir Mall clock in Istanbul, which has a 36-metre (118-foot) face with 3-metre-high (9.8-foot) digits set in the transparent roof of the shopping complex.

                Each of the clock's four faces is 46 m (151 ft) in diameter and is illuminated by 2 million LED lights, with four oriented edges, just above the clock alongside huge Arabic script reading: “God is the Greatest” on the north and south faces and on the west and east the Koran. Four golden domes on pillars on all the corners are also present. Another 21,000 white and green colored lights, the same as the Saudi Flag, fitted at the top of the clock, will flash to signal Islam's five-times daily prayers, and will be visible as far as 29 km (18 mi) away. On special occasions such as new year, 16 bands of vertical lights will shoot some 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) up into the sky. The clock's four faces will be covered with 98 million pieces of glass mosaics. The Saudi coat of arms is displayed at the center of each clock behind the dials. The minute hand is 22 m (72 ft) long, while the hour hand is 17 m (56 ft) long.

              An observatory deck is at the base of the clock. Elevators will take visitors up to a observation balcony just beneath the clock faces.

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CN Tower

CN Tower (Canada National Tower) is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Toronto CN Tower is visited by 2 million people every year. Built in 1976 the tallest building on the planet is a source of pride to all Canadians. The CN Tower was build for more practical reason - the expanding of downtown and the building of skyscrapers started to cause telecommunication problems. The CN tower solved these problems. It is soaring 553 meters (1815 feet) in the sky and has 2 observation decks, 360 rotating restaurant, the Horizons Café and probably the most important of all, the Glass Floor. The Glass floor was specially designed and you will have the most bizarre experience if you dare to step on it. The world will be literary at your feet! The glass is replaced every year and is very safe. Nobody has ever fallen down. It has been said that 14 hippos can sit on it and it will not break, so don’t worry about it. It is located on the lower observation deck at 1,122 feet. The Look out is located on the lower observation deck at 346m (1,136 feet) and one of the 6 high speed elevators takes you there for only 58 seconds.The Sky Pod is the smaller observatory located at 447 meters (1465 feet) and is the World's highest man-made observatory. The view from there is magnificent (on a clear day you can see . On a windy day you can experience a movement because the tower was designed to be flexible and wind resistant. The 360 Restaurant makes one full rotation for 72 minutes. I recommend visiting the restaurant in the evening. The view is spectacular.Every year in October an Annual stair climb in support of the United Way is conducted. The participants climb 1776 steps to the top of CN Tower.How to get to CN Tower : Subway Yonge-University-Spadina to Union Station Opening Hours : Daily form 9am -10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 9am - 10.30 pm

 

1. The CN Tower at 553.33 meters (1,815 ft., 5 inches) was once the tallest building, tower, and freestanding structure, but as of 2010 retains the title of world's tallest tower.
   
   
2. Construction on the CN Tower began on February 6, 1973 and wrapped up about 40 months later in June 1976.
   
   
3. 1,537 workers toiled five days a week, 24 hours a day to build the CN Tower.
   
   
4. The CN Tower was built at an original cost of $63 million.
   
   
5. On April 2, 1975, onlookers gazed up in amazement as a giant Erickson Air-crane Silorsky helicopter placed the final piece of the CN Tower's antenna into place, officially making it the world's tallest building.
   
   
6. The CN Tower was built to withstand an earthquake of 8.5 on the Richter scale (the Kobe earthquake in 1995 was 7.2 on the Richter scale). The upper reaches of the CN Tower were built to withstand winds up to 418 km/h (260 mph).
   
   
7. In 1995, the CN Tower is designated a Wonder of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
   
   
8. Lightning strikes the CN Tower an average of 75 times per year. Long copper strips run down the CN Tower to grounding rods buried below ground to prevent damage.
   
   
9. The CN Tower dims unnecessary exterior lights during bird migration seasons to prevent bird injuries.
   
   
10. The CN Tower is an incredible 2.79 cm (1.1 inches) within plumb, or, true vertical.
    
    
11. Six glass-faced elevators travel at 22 km/hour (15 miles/hour) to reach the observation deck in 58 seconds.
    
    
12. On a clear day, visitors to the CN Tower's observation deck can see over 160 kilometers (100 miles) -- that's all the way to Niagara Falls and across Lake Ontario to New York State.
    
    
13. The CN Tower has a hollow 1200' hexagonal core providing stability and flexibility to the full height tower.
    
    
14. The CN Tower's Glass Floor was the first of its kind when it was opened in June 1994. It is 23.8 square meters (256 sq. ft.) of solid glass and 5 times stronger than the required weight-bearing standard for commercial floors. If 14 large hippos could fit in the elevator and get up to the Observation Deck, the Glass Floor could withstand their weight.
    
    
15. The 360 Restaurant makes a complete rotation every 72 minutes giving diners a changing view of Toronto more than 1,000 feet below.

The original plan for the tower envisioned a tripod consisting of three independent cylindrical "pillars" linked at various heights by structural bridges. Had it been built, this design would have been considerably shorter, with the metal antenna located roughly where the concrete section between the main level and the Sky Pod lies today. As the design effort continued, it evolved into the current design with a single continuous hexagonal core to the Sky Pod, with three support legs blended into the hexagon below the main level, forming a large Y-shape structure at the ground level.

The idea for the main level in its current form evolved around this time, but the Sky Pod was not part of the plans until some time later. One engineer in particular felt that visitors would feel the higher observation deck would be worth paying extra for, and the costs in terms of construction were not prohibitive. It was also some time around this point that it was realized that the tower could become the world's tallest structure, and plans were changed to incorporate subtle modifications throughout the structure to this end.

 In August 1974, construction of the main level commenced. Using 45 hydraulic jacks attached to cables strung from a temporary steel crown anchored to the top of the tower, twelve giant steel and wooden bracket forms were slowly raised, ultimately taking about a week to crawl up to their final position. These forms were used to create the brackets that support the main level, as well as a base for the construction of the main level itself. The Sky Pod was built of concrete poured into a wooden frame attached to rebar at the lower level deck, and then reinforced with a large steel compression band around the outside.

Getting to the CN Tower on Foot from Downtown Toronto:

Despite being a hard-to-miss landmark, the actual entrance to the CN Tower can be a little confusing, especially for those with strollers or who need wheelchair access.

At the foot of John Street on the south side of Front Street is a set of stairs that takes you to the entrance of the CN Tower. To the right of those stairs is a wide ramp that leads to both the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower entrance.

For those who need wheelchair access, halfway up the ramp on the left are glass doors that lead to an elevator that takes you down to the CN Tower entrance. These doors are not well marked, so keep your eyes peeled.

Getting to the CN Tower by Subway:

By subway, get off at Union Station, exit at Front Street and head west.

Getting to the CN Tower by VIA Train or Go Train:

Via trains - coming in from other Canadian cities - and Go trains arriving from more local places, like Hamilton - arrive at Union Station, a 5-min walk to the CN Tower.

Getting to the CN Tower by Car from Outside Toronto:

From the South or West: Follow the QEW into Toronto, where it turns into the Gardiner Expressway. Exit onto Spadina Ave. North and turn right onto Bremner Blvd.

From the East: Take Highway 401 into Toronto and exit onto the Don Valley Parkway Southbound. As you approach Downtown, this will turn into the Gardiner Expressway. Exit at Spadina Ave. North and turn right onto Bremner Blvd.

From the North: Take Highway 400 into Toronto, exiting onto Highway 401 West. Continue until you reach Highway 427 southbound. Follow Highway 427 to downtown via the QEW/Gardiner Expressway. Exit onto Spadina Ave. North and turn right onto Bremner Blvd.

Parking near the CN Tower:

Parking in downtown Toronto, like in most big cities, is frustrating and expensive. That said, public parking lots are well-marked and plentiful around the CN Tower. If you're willing to walk 10 mins, you'll find parking prices drop significantly west of Spadina.

Visiting the CN Tower with Kids:

• Admission to CN Tower for children under 3 is free.
• CN Tower is a bustling place with lots of walking -- or waiting in line. Bringing a stroller for younger children is a good idea. Parents can take children in their strollers to all parts of the CN Tower, including the highest observation point -- Sky Pod -- and the fine-dining 360 Restaurant.
• Change stations and family washrooms are available throughout the CN Tower.
• Highchairs are available at 360 Restaurant and Horizons.

CN Tower Admission (as of 2010):

Total Tower Experience:

• Look Out + Glass Floor + Skypod + Movie + Motion Simulator Ride (Must be 107 centimetres, or 42 inches, to ride)
• Express Elevation
• All Ages: Cdn$32.99

Observation Experience:

• Look Out + Glass Floor + Skypod
• $20.99 - $26.99
  
• Look Out + Glass Floor Only:
• $14.99 - $21.99

Attractions Experience:

• Look Out + Glass Floor + Motion Simulator Ride or Movie
• $20.99 - $26.99
  If you plan on visiting other Toronto attractions, consider city pass. Admission to CN Tower and five other popular Toronto attractions is included in one price, saving visitors about $40.

CN Tower Hours:

• CN Tower is open every day except December 25th.
• The tower is open every day from 9am - 11pm..

Food Available at the CN Tower:

Marketplace is a fully licensed family eating area on the ground level with fast food and snacks.

A kiosk on the Look Out level offers nice sandwiches for $7, drinks, ice cream and other snacks.

Horizons is the less formal dining establishment on the Look Out level of the CN Tower. Nevertheless, it's a lot better quality than you'd expect for a tourist attraction restaurant. Far from cafeteria dining, Horizons has all window seating on the Look Out of the CN Tower and a sizeable menu including appetizers and full entrées such as quesadillas, panini, salads, chicken, and a nice selection of beers and wine.

The CN Tower restaurant, 360, is more than just a spectacular view. The recipient of several culinary awards, 360 also features an extraordinary wine list of more than 550 international and Canadian wines. Diners at 360 do not pay regular admission price and get preferential elevator service to the restaurant more than 350 metres (1,150 ft) above.

Sears Tower

Sears Tower

SKYDECK CHICAGO ATTRACTIONS

Whether it is daring to stand out on The Ledge or learning about the Windy City, visitors get a “one stop Chicago” experience on their journey to 103.

• New museum-quality exhibits highlight the iconic tower, and celebrate Chicago’s rich history and culture through captivating visuals.
• Video screens give visitors a sense of what it would be like if theystood on The Ledge, 103 floors above Chicago staples like Wrigley Field, Cloud Gate at Millennium Park or North Avenue Beach.
• New multi-media elevators give visitors one of the fastest rides in the world, while referencing points of interest that match the ascending height.
• A new theater presentation, Reaching for the Sky, tells the story of how the the building and Chicago’s well-known landmarks set architectural standards after the Great Chicago Fire and beyond.
• The Ledge provides unobstructed views of miniature-looking people, taxis and bridges from glass floors 1,353 feet over Wacker Drive and the Chicago River.

 Past & Future 

The Tower Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) is a 110 story building in the heart of Chicago’s downtown. Willis Tower is not only one of the tallest buildings in the world, it is also a magnificent icon, impossible to miss within Chicago’s skyline.

In 1969, Sears Roebuck and Company was the largest retailer in the world, with about 350,000 employees. They decided they needed one large office space for their many employees. Architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill were commissioned to design what would become one of the largest office buildings in the world. Fazlur Khan, the structural engineer, designed the “bundled tube” design that handled both wind and gravity.

In August, 1970 ground was broken for the beginning of construction.  Taking three years to complete, Sears Tower was finished in May 1973. The builders used enough concrete to make an eight- lane highway five miles long. Within the building, there are 25 miles of plumbing, 1500 miles of electric wiring , 80 miles of elevator cable, 796 restroom faucets, and more than 145,000 light fixtures.  The last beam put in place was signed by 12,000 construction workers, Sears employees and Chicagoans.

In 1988, Sears Roebuck and Company sold and moved out of the building, but the Sears Tower name remained until 2009 when the building was renamed after the Willis Group, a London- based global insurance broker.

Skydeck Chicago is the observation deck on the 103rd floor of the building. Approximately 1.3 million tourists visit Skydeck Chicago every year. On a clear day, you can see over 50 miles in each direction and see four states. The elevators within the building are among some of the fastest in the world, operating as fast as 1,600 feet per minute. In 2009, Skydeck Chicago opened its newest attraction, The Ledge, 4 glass boxes that extend 4.3 feet outside the Tower and stand 1,353 feet above Wacker Drive. With glass on the ceiling, floor, and all sides, it is truly, an unforgettable experience.

Interior

The Greening of Willis Tower

Willis Tower has accomplished the following in the greening of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere:

• Partnered with Smith & Gill architectural firm and mechanical engineering firm Environmental Systems Design to identify increased sustainability in building operations and energy savings.
• Contracted with Leonardo Academy to pursue LEED-EB certification.
• Instituted an aggressive building wide recycling program for paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, electronics, and construction waste. Increased building recycling rate from an average of 10 tons per month in 2007 to more than 56 tons per month in 2009.
• Installed low flow water fixtures on building toilets, urinals and faucets, conserving more than 10,000,000 gallons of water annually.
• Installed high-efficiency lighting systems with improved controls to reduce the building’s energy consumption.
• Retrofitted building restroom lighting has been with low energy ballasts, bulbs, and occupancy sensors.
• Shading windows to reduce cooling needs during warm months and heat loss through the windows during colder months.
• Reducing the environmental impact of commuters by providing bike-to-work facilities and hybrid vehicle incentives.
• Implemented a "green" cleaning program to reduce the use of harmful chemicals, improve indoor air quality, and reduce waste.
• Installed a mock-up of world's tallest "green roof" on the 90th floor roof to test its ability to absorb storm water and reduce urban heat island effect.

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

There would be no Las Vegas as we know it without Hoover Dam. Certainly, the neon and glitz that we know and love would not exist. In fact, the growth of the entire Southwest can be tied directly to the electricity created by the dam.

Until Hoover Dam was built, much of the southwestern United States was plagued by two natural problems: parched, sandy terrain that lacked irrigation for most of the year and extensive flooding in spring and early summer, when the mighty Colorado River, fed by melting snow from its source in the Rocky Mountains, overflowed its banks and destroyed crops, lives, and property. On the positive side, raging unchecked over eons, the river's turbulent, rushing waters carved the Grand Canyon.

In 1928, prodded by the seven states through which the river runs during the course of its 1,400-mile journey to the Gulf of California, Congress authorized construction of a dam at Boulder Canyon (later moved to Black Canyon). The Senate's declaration of intention states, "A mighty river, now a source of destruction, is to be curbed and put to work in the interests of society." Construction began in 1931. Because of its vast scope and the unprecedented problems posed in its realization, the project generated significant advances in many areas of machinery production, engineering, and construction. An army of more than 5,200 laborers was assembled, and work proceeded 24 hours a day. Completed in 1936, 2 years ahead of schedule and $15 million under budget (it is, no doubt, a Wonder of the Modern Fiscal World), the dam stopped the annual floods and conserved water for irrigation, industry, and domestic uses. Equally important, it became one of the world's major electrical-generating plants, providing low-cost, pollution-free hydroelectric power to a score of surrounding communities. Hoover Dam's $165-million cost has been repaid with interest by the sale of inexpensive power to a number of California cities and the states of Arizona and Nevada. The dam is a government project that paid for itself -- a feat almost as awe-inspiring as its engineering.

The dam itself is a massive curved wall, 660 feet thick at the bottom, tapering to 45 feet where a road crosses it at the top. It towers 726 feet above bedrock (about the height of a 60-story skyscraper) and acts as a plug between the canyon walls to hold back up to 9.2 trillion gallons of water in Lake Mead, the reservoir created by its construction. Four concrete intake towers on the lake side drop the water down about 600 feet to drive turbines and create power, after which the water spills out into the river and continues south.

All the architecture is on a grand scale, and the design has beautiful Art Deco elements, unusual in an engineering project. Note, for instance, the monumental 30-foot bronze sculpture, Winged Figures of the Republic, flanking a 142-foot flagpole at the Nevada entrance. According to its creator, Oskar Hansen, the sculpture symbolizes "the immutable calm of intellectual resolution, and the enormous power of trained physical strength, equally enthroned in placid triumph of scientific achievement."

Seven miles northwest of the dam on U.S. 93, you'll pass through Boulder City, which was built to house managerial and construction workers. Sweltering summer heat (many days it is 125°F/52°C) ruled out a campsite by the dam. The higher elevation of Boulder City offered lower temperatures. The city emerged within a single year, turning a desert wasteland into a community of 6,000. By 1934, it was Nevada's third-largest town.

 

Getting There 

 Drive east on Flamingo Road or Tropicana Avenue to U.S. 515 S, which automatically turns into I-93 S and takes you right to the dam. This involves a dramatic drive as you go through Boulder City and come over a rise, and Lake Mead suddenly appears spread out before you. It's a beautiful sight. At about this point, the road narrows to two lanes, and traffic can slow considerably. After the 2010 opening of a bypass bridge (dramatic on its own for its soaring height over the canyon), vehicles no longer pass directly over the bridge to get from Nevada to Arizona, but despite hopes that the bypass would make the commute better, it hasn't helped much. On a normal day, getting to the dam will take about an hour.

Go past the turnoff to Lake Mead to Nevada State Route 172, the well-marked Hoover Dam Access Road. As you near the dam, you'll see a five-story parking structure tucked into the canyon wall on your left. Park here ($7 charge) and take the elevators or stairs to the walkway leading to the visitor center.

If you would rather go on an organized tour, check out Gray Line (tel. 800/634-6579; www.grayline.com), which offers a half-day tour of the dam from $60 or a daylong tour that includes a paddleboat cruise of Lake Mead and a tour of the Ethel M Chocolate factory from $92.

Inside Photo 

Construction Photo

Dam Statistics - Hoover Facts

1. 1,244 feet wide (379 m)
2. 660 feet (203 m) thick at the base
3. 45 feet (13 m) thick at the top
4. $165 million dollars to build
5. 4.5 years to build
6. 4.4 million yards of concrete used for construction
7. March 1931 building began
8. September 30, 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the completed dam

Powerhouse

1. 17 generators
2. 4+ billion kilowatt hours produced each year
3. 10 acres of floor space

Power used by:

1. 56% California
2. 25% Nevada
3. 19% Arizona

Lake Mead

1. 6.5 years to fill (A slow filling process was required to lessen the pressure change on the dam and to help prevent small earthquakes due to land settlement.)
2. 589 feet (181 m) at the deepest point
3. 247 square miles in size
4. 110 miles (176 km) long
5. Named after Dr. Elwood Mead, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation (1924 - 1936)
6. Largest man made reservoir in the United States

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition, Gustave Eiffel's was unanimously chosen. However it was not accepted by all at first, and a petition of 300 names - including those of Maupassant, Emile Zola, Charles Garnier (architect of the Opéra Garnier), and Dumas the Younger - protested its construction. At 300 meters (320.75 m including antenna), and 7,000 tons, it was the world's tallest building until 1930. Other statistics include:

1. 2.5 million rivets
2. 300 steel workers, and 2 years (1887-1889) to construct it.
3. Sway of at most 12 cm in high winds.
4. Height varies up to 15 cm depending on temperature.
5. 15,000 iron pieces (excluding rivets). 40 tons of paint. 1652 steps to the top.

In 1889, Gustave Eiffel began to fit the peak of the tower as an observation station to measure the speed of wind. He also encouraged several scientific experiments including Foucault's giant pendulum, a mercury barometer and the first experiment of radio transmission. In 1898, Eugene Ducretet at the Pantheon, received signals from the tower.

 After Gustave Eiffel experiments in the field of meterology, he begun to look at the effects of wind and air resistance, the science that would later be termed aerodynamics, which has become a large part of both military and commercial aviation as well as rocket technology. Gustave Eiffel imagined an automatic device sliding along a cable that was stretched between the ground and the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. 

  

Material

 The wrought iron structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tonnes, while the entire structure, including non-metal components, is approximately 10,000 tonnes. As a demonstration of the economy of design, if the 7,300 tonnes of the metal structure were melted down it would fill the 125-metre-square base to a depth of only 6 cm (2.36 in), assuming the density of the metal to be 7.8 tonnes per cubic metre. Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 18 cm (7.1 in) because of thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun.

Interior

Wind considerations

At the time the tower was built many people were shocked by its daring shape. Eiffel was criticised for the design and accused of trying to create something artistic, or inartistic according to the viewer, without regard to engineering. Eiffel and his engineers, however, as experienced bridge builders, understood the importance of wind forces and knew that if they were going to build the tallest structure in the world they had to be certain it would withstand the wind. In an interview reported in the newspaper Le Temps, Eiffel said:

Now to what phenomenon did I give primary concern in designing the Tower? It was wind resistance. Well then! I hold that the curvature of the monument's four outer edges, which is as mathematical calculation dictated it should be  will give a great impression of strength and beauty, for it will reveal to the eyes of the observer the boldness of the design as a whole.

 Researchers have found that Eiffel used empirical and graphical methods accounting for the effects of wind rather than a specific mathematical formula. Careful examination of the tower shows a basically exponential shape; actually two different exponentials, the lower section overdesigned to ensure resistance to wind forces. Several mathematical explanations have been proposed over the years for the success of the design; the most recent is described as a nonlinear integral equation based on counterbalancing the wind pressure on any point on the tower with the tension between the construction elements at that point.As a demonstration of the tower's effectiveness in wind resistance, it sways only 6–7 cm (2–3 in) in the wind.

Maintenance

Maintenance of the tower includes applying 50 to 60 tonnes of paint every seven years to protect it from rust. The height of the Eiffel Tower varies by 15 cm due to temperature.

Economics

The American TV show Pricing the Priceless speculates that in 2011 the tower would cost about $480,000,000 to build, that the land under the tower is worth $350,000,000, and that the scrap value of the tower is worth $3,500,000. The TV show estimates the tower makes a profit of about $29,000,000 per year, though it is unlikely that the Eiffel Tower is managed so as to maximize profit.

It costs $5,300,000 to repaint the tower, which is done once every seven years. The electric bill is $400,000 per year for 7.5 million kilowatt-hours.

The Tokey Tower in Japan is a very similar structure of very similar size. It was finished in 1958 at a final cost of ¥2.8 billion ($8.4 million in 1958).

Construction

Work on the foundations started in January 1887. Those for the east and south legs were straightforward, each leg resting on four 2 m (6.6 ft) concrete slabs, one for each of the principal girders of each leg but the other two, being closer to the river Seine were more complicated: each slab needed two piles installed by using compressed-air caissons 15 m (49 ft) long and 6 m (20 ft) in diameter driven to a depth of 22 m (72 ft) to support the concrete slabs, which were 6 m (20 ft) thick. Each of these slabs supported a block built of limestone each with an inclined top to bear a supporting shoe for the ironwork. Each shoe was anchored into the stonework by a pair of bolts 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 7.5 m (25 ft) long. The foundations were complete by 30 June and the erection of the ironwork began. The very visible work on-site was complemented by the enormous amount of exacting preparatory work that was entailed: the drawing office produced 1,700 general drawings and 3,629 detailed drawings of the 18,038 different parts needed: the The task of drawing the components was complicated by the complex angles involved in the design and the degree of precision required: the position of rivet holes was specified to within 0.1 mm (0.04 in) and angles worked out to one second of arc. The finished components, some already riveted together into sub-assemblies, arrived on horse-drawn carts from the factory in the nearby Parisian suburb of  were first bolted together, the bolts being replaced by rivets as construction progressed. No drilling or shaping was done on site: if any part did not fit it was sent back to the factory for alteration. In all there were 18,038 pieces of wrought iron using two and a half million rivets.

At first the legs were constructed as cantilivers but about halfway to the first level construction was paused in order to construct a substantial timber scaffold. This caused a renewal of the concerns about the structural soundness of the project, and senstional headlines such as "Eiffel Suicide!" and "Gustave Eiffel has gone mad: he has been confined in an Asylum" appeared in the popular press. At this stage a small "creeper" crane was installed in each leg, designed to move up the tower as construction progressed and making use of the guides for the elevators which were to be fitted in each leg. The critical stage of joining the four legs at the first level was complete by March 1888. Although the metalwork had been prepared with the utmost precision, provision had been made to carry out small adjustments in order to precisly align the legs: hydraulic jackwere fitted to the shoes at the base of each leg, each capable of exerting a force of 800 tonnes, and in addition the legs had been intentionally constructed at a slightly steeper angle than necessary, being supported by sand boxes on the scaffold.

No more than three hundred workers were employed on site, and because Eiffel took safety precautions, including the use of movable stagings, guard-rails and screens, only one man died during construction.

Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The advantages of having a way which join the Atlantic and the Pacific was thought by Carlos V, King of  Spain, in the year 1534, who ordered the first topographic works in order to build a canal, but this constructuion was too difficult for the times. In the year 1882, a company started working in the channel, but 5 years later they had to stop due to some epidemics, the weather of Panama and embezzlement, so sold their rights to The United States of America with a cost of $40 million. In 1904, the construction was restarted. It lasted 10 years, with 75,000 employees and a final budget of $400 million. They had deal with a lot of problems like deseases, landslides due to the geological complexity and the management and organization of the biggest work ever seen. The Panama Canal was inaugurated in 1914, and sice then 850,000 ships have travelled through it.

Panama Canal has a length of 80Km between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. In order to cross the mountains, the canal is made up by some lokcs which allow the raising of the level of water and go down again up to the see. There are three groups of locks, which are called with the names of the villages where they were built. The elevation and the descent of the ships is made thanks to water from Gatum Lake.

Since the Panama Canal is running, only once was closed due to a landslide in 1915 and 7 months were needed to open again. Each vessel need 197 million of litres of fresh water and operate 24 hours per day and 365 days per year.

The average price is $40,000 per vessel, and 12,000 ships use the Panama Channel each year.

The canal helps to Panama generating employment, payment of salaries, the purchase of commodities and sevices to local suppliers, develop the tourist sector…

Vessels are bigger and bigger, and the Panama Canal needs to improve its instalations in order to be competitive in the present time. Some improvements will be:
- The widening of Corte Culebra.
- Modernization of locks machinery.
- The purchase of new tugboats.
- Enhance the computer system.

Making these improvements, Panamax and Postpanamax will be able to transport their goods in perfect conditions of security, decreasing the cost that involve surround South America.

Lock size

The size of the locks determines the maximum size of a ship that can pass through them. Because of the importance of the canal to international trade, many ships are built to the maximum size allowed. These are known as Panamax vessels. A Panamax cargo ship typically has a DWT of 65,000–80,000 tonnes, but its actual cargo is restricted to about 52,500 tonnes because of the 41.2 feet (12.6 m) draft restrictions within the canal. The longest ship ever to transit the canal was the San Juan Prospector (now Marcona Prospector), an ore-bulk-oil carrier that is 973 ft (296.57 m) long, with a beam of 106 ft (32.31 m).
Initially the locks at Gatun had been designed to be 28.5 meters (94 ft) wide. In 1908, the United States Navy requested that width be increased to at least 36 meters (118 ft), which would allow the passage of U.S. naval ships. Eventually a compromise was made and the locks were built 33.53 meters (110.0 ft) wide. Each lock is 320 meters (1,050 ft) long with the walls ranging in thickness from 15 meters (49 ft) at the base to 3 meters (9.8 ft) at the top. The central wall between the parallel locks at Gatún is 18 meters (59 ft) thick and stands in excess of 24 meters (79 ft) high. The steel lock gates measure an average of 2 meters (6.6 ft) thick, 19.5 meters (64 ft) wide and 20 meters (66 ft) high. It is the size of the locks, specifically the Pedro Miguel Locks, along with the height of the Bridge of the Americas at Balboa, that determine the Panamax metric and limit the size of ships that may use the canal.
The 2006 Third lock lane project will create larger locks, allowing bigger ships to transit through deeper and wider channels. The allowed dimensions of ships will increase by 25% in length, 51% in beam, and 26% in draft, as defined by New Panamax metrics

Twin towers

Twin towers

Here are some interesting facts about the Petronas Towers:

- combined the towers have 1,000,000m2 of floor space;
- at the 41st and 42nd level a skybridge connects the two towers 170m/558f above the ground.
This bridge is 58.4m/192f long, weighs 750 tons and is open for the public since the end of 2000.
The entrance is free (closed on Monday!), but only a limited amount of timed tickets (800) is given out each day.
Chances are you will have to wait in line quite a while, before you get such a free ticket;
and you're only allowed on the bridge for a mere 10 minutes. Worth it?
Maybe, but instead a visit to the observatory of Menara Kuala Lumpur is much more interesting,
though there is an entrance fee there (of RM15);
- the towers have 32.000 windows;
- the building costs were US $ 1,2 billion;
- the towers were designed to symbolise strength and grace using geometric principles typified in Islamic architecture;
- without pinnacle the buildings are 'only' 378m/1,240f tall;
- the towers are part of the 100-acre KLCC Development.
Other components of the development include the Suria KLCC, a six-story, 93,000 square feet shopping centre
(with 270 specialty shops, cinema's and a food arcade), Menara Maxis, Menara Esso, the 20-hectare KLCC Park,
a 6,000 capacity Surau, the District Cooling Centres to provide air conditioning
and infrastructure works within the vicinity.
The whole complex was built on a former horse-racing track;
- the towers' complex includes an art gallery, an 840-seat concert hall, and an underground parking lot;
the main occupant of the buildings is Petronas, the national oil-company;
- though completed in 1998, the buildings were officially opened on August 28th, 1999;
- each tower contains 80,000 m3 of concrete in strengths up to Grade 80, almost 11,000 tonnes of reinforcement,
and 7,500 tonnes of structural steel beams and trusses.
- when standing in front of the building and looking towards the entrance,
like seen on the picture above on the left (kl015), tower 2 is the building on the left,
and tower 1 is the building on the right.

The Petronas Towers feature a diamond-faceted facade consisting of 83,500 square meters of stainless steel extrusions. In addition, a 33,000-panel curtain wall cladding system resides within the towers. While the stainless steel element of the towers entices the illustrious sun, highlighting the magnificent towers, they are composed of 55,000 square meters of 20.38 mm laminated glass to reduce heat by reflecting harmful UV rays.

On the top of each tower is a pinnacle standing 73.5 meters tall. The pinnacles were more than just the finishing touches to the height of the towers, each taking over 19 weeks to construct and both being assembled outside the country. One was constructed in Japan and the other in Korea. Each pinnacle is composed of 50 unique parts making up the main components: the spire, mast ball and ring ball. Together these parts weigh 176 tons. While the pinnacles may seem to be an aesthetic feature of the towers to enhance their presence and height, they also play function to aircraft warning lights and are an essential element to the overall Islamic minaret design that the towers embody.

The interiors of the towers highlight the Malaysian cultural inspiration to the design through traditional aspects such as fabric and carvings typical of the culture, specifically evident in the foyer of the entrance halls in the towers.

The construction of the Petronas Towers turned out to be a multinational effort. The structural design engineers worked out of New York City, while the wind-tunnel consultants and elevator design engineers were from Canada. In order to meet local safety construction codes, the towers had to be able to withstand 65 mph winds. In order to assure this requirement would be fulfilled the engineers tested the towers twice within a wind tunnel, first by computer simulation and second by building an actual model of the towers.

The inspiration of architect César Pelli is rooted in the tradition of the culture and the Islamic symbols including the geometric eight-pointed star floor design, the inspiration is mainly from Malaysia’s own ambition and aspiration. As evident in Pelli hoping the skybridge would symbolize a gateway to the future.

Interior

Burj khalifa

Burj khalifa

Construction Photo

Tom Cruise Stunt

Burj Khalifa - previously called the Burj Dubai Our good ole city of Dubai is known for setting the standard and breaking records in terms of construction and architecture, and it is not surprising that the city houses the tallest building in the world as of 2010.

The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper, is the magnificent centerpiece of Downtown Dubai as you can see it.

 The Burj graces the city’s skyline and is surrounded by entertainment centers, shopping destinations, and various first-class hotels in Dubai.It is the tallest among all the Dubai towers.

The construction of the building began on September 21, 2004, and was completed on October 1, 2009.

The building was officially opened on January 4, 2010.
The Burj is a part of the 490-acre flagship development named Downtown Burj Khalifa or Downtown Dubai, located at the “First Interchange” along Sheikh Zayed Road, adjacent to Dubai’s main business district.

The primary contractor for the construction of the building was Samsung C&T of South Korea, who also built the Petronas Twin Towers and the Taipei 101. The Burj is more than just the world’s tallest building.

It is a living wonder, a spectacular work of art, and an incomparable accomplishment of engineering. As of 2010, the Burj has no equal in terms of concept and execution. Kish and I witnessed the construction of this gigantic structure throughout before its official launch.

This wondrous structure is an unparalleled example of global collaboration, an emblematic symbol of progress, and a sign of the new, vibrant, and thriving Middle East.

In less than 30 years, the city transformed from being a regional center to a global city.

The Burj embodies this success which is not brought about by oil reserves, but by ingenious and innovative human talent.
Dubai is notorious for this!

The building is over 800 meters and more than 160 stories tall, and holds the following world records as of 2010: tallest skyscraper to top of spire, tallest structure ever built, tallest extant structure, tallest freestanding structure, building with most floors, world's highest elevator installation, situated inside a rod at the very top of the building, world's fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h, highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building and any construction), the first world's tallest structure in history to include residential space, and the highest outdoor observation deck in the world.

Here is a picture from the peak of the Burj Khalifa taken by a construction worker during its build-out. The tower is so high, you can actually see the surface of the earth as it curves round. 

While it is unmatched in every aspect, it is the exceptional design of Burj Khalifa that really sets it apart. The architecture features a triple-lobed footprint, which is inspired by the Hymenocallis flower. The tower consists of three elements arranged around a central core.

The modular, Y-shaped structure, with setbacks along each of its three wings provides a naturally stable arrangement for the structure and provides good floor plates. Twenty-six helical levels reduce the cross section of the tower incrementally as it spirals skyward.

The central core surfaces at the top and concludes in a sculpted spire. A Y-shaped floor plan extends views of the Arabian Gulf. Viewed from the base or the air, Burj Khalifa is reminiscent of the onion domes widespread in Islamic architecture. Don’t mean to get all Shakesperean on you, but this structure truly amazes me.

Over 40 wind tunnel tests were conducted on Burj Khalifa to test the effects the wind would have on the tower and its occupants. These ranged from initial tests to validate the wind climate of Dubai, to large structural analysis models and facade pressure tests, to micro-climate analysis of the effects at terraces and around the tower base. Even the temporary conditions during construction were tested with the tower cranes to ensure safety at all times.

Concourse level to level 8 and level 38 and 39 will feature the Armani Hotel Dubai, decorated by couture designer, Giorgio Armani. Levels 9 to 16 will exclusively house plush one and two bedroom Armani Residences. Based on how much the construction plans and dates had changed, I wouldn’t be surprised if these tentative plans shift around as well.

Floors 45 through 108 contain private ultra-luxury residences. The Corporate Suites occupy most of the remaining floors, except for level 122 which is a restaurant and level 124, the tower's public observatory.

The Burj Khalifa was formerly known as Burj Dubai, and was renamed during the opening ceremony in honor of the current President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan. The reason? Rumor is that Dubai didn’t have the money to finish the construction amidst the global economic crisis that hit in 2008. Abu Dhabi came to the rescue to ensure completion of the project.

When you visit Dubai, The Burj Khalifa is one city structure that is impossible to miss. Definitely highly recommended!