Tallest buildings in the world - Articles - Zimbio

Canada mulls selling CN Tower to balance books

Fri, 15 Nov 2008 15:21:48 GMT

posted by cfives5

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canada could slap a For Sale sign on Toronto’s needle-like CN Tower and other national assets as a way to ease pressure on the federal budget in the midst of the financial crisis, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Thursday.

Flaherty mentioned the landmark, until recently billed as the world’s tallest free-standing structure, as one property that could be auctioned off so that Ottawa can remain in the black.

When asked by reporters if the building was on the block, he quipped: “Do you want to buy it?”

He declined to name a price.

Asset sales are one way of cutting a deficit or helping to generate a small surplus, he said.

“If that review shows that there are some assets that should be sold, then we’ll go ahead.”

Canada has routinely posted annual budget surpluses since the 1990s, the only G7 industrialized nation to do so, but Flaherty has warned that the country could dip into the red as the world grapples with the financial meltdown.

Many Canadians would be surprised to learn that the government owns the CN Tower and numerous other assets on their behalf, Flaherty said.

The 553 meter (1,814 foot) tower, easily the dominant feature on the Toronto skyline, was the tallest structure until last year, when it was surpassed by the Burj Dubai.

Ottawa owns a variety of landmark properties across the country through Canada Lands Co., as well as other assets, including mortgage insurer Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp and an interest in the Hibernia oil project off the Newfoundland coast.

Flaherty ruled out selling national television and radio network Canadian Broadcasting Corp, which accounts for about C$1 billion ($820 million) of the federal budget every year.

Empire State Building

Sun, 10 Nov 2008 05:52:14 GMT

posted by moonviper

The Empire State Building is a 102-story art deco skyscraper in New York City, New York at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. 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 holds the record for the longest time as the tallest building in the world (41 years), a record most experts agree no existing or future building will ever break.[citation needed] Following the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State Building again became the tallest building in New York City.
The Empire State Building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and confirmed by the New York City Board of Estimate.It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. In 2007, it was ranked number one on the List of America’s Favorite Architecture according to the AIA. The building is owned by Harold Helmsley’s company and managed by its management/leasing division Helmsley-Spear.

History of the building

The present site of the Empire State Building was first developed as the John Thomson Farm in the late 18th century. At the time, a stream ran across the site, emptying into Sunfish Pond, located a block away. The block was occupied by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the late 19th century, and was frequented by The Four Hundred, the social elite of New York.
Design and Construction

The Empire State Building was designed by Gregory Johnson and his architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, which produced the building drawings in just two weeks, possibly using its earlier design for the R.J. Reynolds Tower in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as a basis. The building was actually designed from the top down. The general contractors were Starrett Brothers and Eken, and the project was financed by John J. Raskob. The construction company was chaired by Alfred E. Smith, a former Governor of New York.

Excavation of the site began on January 22, 1930, and construction on the building itself started symbolically on March 17-St.Patrick’s Day-per Al Smith’s influence as Empire State, Inc. president. The project involved 3,400 workers, mostly immigrants from Europe, along with hundreds of Mohawk iron workers, mainly from the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal. According to official accounts, five workers died during the construction. Governor Smith’s grandchildren cut the ribbon on March 1st, 1931.

The construction was part of an intense competition in New York for the title of the world’s tallest building. Two other projects fighting for the title, 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building, were still under construction when work began on the Empire State Building. Both would hold the title for less than a year, as the Empire State Building had surpassed them upon its completion, just 410 days after construction commenced. The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931 in dramatic fashion, when United States President Herbert Hoover turned on the building’s lights with the push of a button from Washington, D.C. Ironically, the first use of tower lights atop the Empire State Building, the following year, was for the purpose of signalling the victory of Franklin D. Roosevelt over Hoover in the presidential election of November 1932.

Observation decks
The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. The 86th floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public. It was closed in 1999, but reopened in November 2005. Completely enclosed and much smaller; it may be closed on high-traffic days.
Broadcast stations
New York City is the largest media market in the United States. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, nearly all of the city’s commercial broadcast stations (both television and FM radio) have transmitted from the top of the Empire State Building, although a few FM stations are located at the nearby Condй Nast Building. Most New York City AM stations broadcast from just across the river in New Jersey.

For New York City Tours visit CitySightsNY.

Tallest towers in the world

Tue, 27 Feb 2008 02:00:31 GMT

posted by fcolton

By Vipin Agnihotri

India is far from leading in this category, but we thought you may want to know about the tallest towers in the world. Not only we will give you the information regarding tallest towers but also pictures. Take a look.

Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan:

Building height: 508 meters

Floors: 101

Taiwan's national landmark is the world's tallest building. Next year, it will be surpassed by the Burj Dubai, which is already more than 600 meters tall and may grow to as high as 900 meters when finished.

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Building height: 452 meters

Floors: 88

The Petronas Twin Towers are 88 stories tall with 78 elevators each. It is worth mentioning that towers are connected on the 41st and 42nd floors by a sky bridge, which was designed as a safety corridor in case of fire.

Sears Tower, Chicago, U.S:

Building Height: 442 meters

Floors: 108

The Sears Tower has been the tallest building in the U.S. for over three decades. It was completed in 1974 for $150 million. The tower has 104 elevators and sky lobbies on the 33rd/34th and 66th/67th floors.

Jinmao Building, Shanghai, China:

Building height: 421 meters high

Floors: 88

At this moment of time, Jinmao Tower is the tallest building in China. However, soon it will be surpassed by the 492-meter-high Shanghai World Financial Center, which will open next door this year. Jinmao Tower has 61 elevators and was built with aluminum cross bracing to guard against typhoon winds.

DAMIR visits Canada's CN TOWER, TALLEST BUILDING

Fri, 11 Aug 2007 20:45:00 GMT

posted by damirworld
Today was a wild adventure visiting Canada's CN Tower. and I'm so excited, let me tell you a little bit about this day.....it was like walking in the sky, you can see airplanes fly by right beside you and you feel like you are King Kong escaping the city. Leaving the hustle of the traffic below and stepping out of the big city life in less than one minute. Its like you are Superman able to scale the tallest building in one bound.

In only 58 seconds, traveling up in the glass-fronted elevator you can see an unbelievable view as you race up at 22 kilometers (15 miles) per hour. Pressed up against the glass window your city gaze expands peripherally and opens up straight ahead in all directions in less than a minute. Expect line-ups at the front entrance. Ya, I was listening to Akon's mp3s on my ipod waiting 1 hour for the elevator up, but its well worth the wait. Thats right, you are one of approximately 2 million people who go up to Canada's CN tower every year; a symbol of pride and structural achievement. Faster than a speeding bullet to the top, so to speak, a symbol of accomplishment, speed and strength representing success. We are living in the Modern World, and this Wonder of the World gives you the greatest city view that stretches out from the inner city-suburbs to its skyline, that doesn't compare.

Visit Canada's 1 Destination * Built on a strong foundation, its safe to say Canada's CN Tower is my favorite place and spaces of all travels!

CN Tower

Visit Damirs Music Page

Canada Toronto Height 553.33m ( DAMIR on the Glass Floor 1,122' feet looking down )

Watch the video DAMIR jumping on the glass floor!

http://damirworld.blogspot.com/2007_08_05_archive.html

Tokyo Tower Japan Minato-ku, Tokyo Height 332.6m ( Tokyo Tower and sunrise from Daikanyama )

The Eiffel Tower France Paris Height 324m ( DAMIR in Paris at the Eiffel Tower )

And don't confuse the spelling and name with CNN Tower, when its ( CN ) Canadian National Tower. Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's CN Tower DAMIR has left the building!

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SOON TO BE TALLEST NORTH AMERICAN FREE STANDING STRUCTURE!!!Chicago Spire

Tue, 2 Apr 2008 06:23:05 GMT

posted by baf131

The Chicago Spire is a super tall skyscraper under construction in Chicago, Illinois. The skyscraper will stand taller than Chicago's Sears Tower and New York's upcoming Freedom Tower, as well as Toronto's CN Tower, thereby becoming North America's tallest free-standing structure and the world's tallest all-residential building. The building was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and is being developed by Garrett Kelleher of Shelbourne Development Group, Inc. The Chicago Spire is scheduled to be complete some time in 2011 with 150 floors.
You can get more info at... www.thechicagospire.com and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Spire