1.
Deck (building)
–
In architecture, a deck is a flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to a floor, but typically constructed outdoors, often elevated from the ground, and usually connected to a building. The term is a generalization of decks as found on ships, wood or timber decking can be used in a number of ways, as part of garden landscaping, to extend living areas of houses, and as an alternative to stone based features such as patios. Decks are made from treated lumber, composite lumber, composite material, lumber may be Western red cedar, teak, mahogany, ipê and other hardwoods. Recycled planks may be high-density polyethylene, polystyrene and PET plastic as well as mixed plastics, artificial decking products are often called wood-plastic composites. These days, WPCs have more known by different brands like Trex, Azek. Historically, the used for decking were logged from old growth forests. These include Atlantic white cedar, redwood and Western red cedar, Atlantic City built the first coastal boardwalk in the United States, originally constructed of Atlantic white cedar. However, it was not long before the commercial logging of this tree, Atlantic City and New York City both switched to Western red cedar. By the 1960s, Western red cedar from the US was declining due to over-logging, more expensive Western red cedar was available from western Canada but by then, pressure treated pine had become available. But even with chemical treatments, pine decking is not as durable as cedars in an outdoor environment, thus, many municipalities and homeowners are turning to hardwoods. Decks are often built from pressure treated wood, pressure treated wood is long lasting and holds up to wet and icey weather conditions. Pressure treated wood however is treated with chemicals which have known to be toxic. Generally, hardwoods used for decking come from tropical forests, US tropical wood imports are rising, partly due to the demand for decking. Due to environmental and durability concerns, composite decking have appeared on the market, proponents of composite decking have touted this as a much needed development as this helps to curb logging of trees for new decks. However composite decking has been found to contain chemicals, cannot be refurbished. However newer more modern composites feature a cap or shell that prevents mold, residential decks may contain spaces for cooking, dining and seating. Cooking areas ideally should be situated near the door while out of the way from general foot traffic. Dining spaces will include patio tables, for a typical 6 person outdoor patio table building an area of 12 x 16 is ideal
2.
Shanghai World Financial Center
–
The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. It is a skyscraper, consisting of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the hotel component, comprising 174 rooms and suites occupying the 79th to the 93rd floors. It is now the third-highest hotel in the world after the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, on 14 September 2007, the skyscraper was topped out and is 492 metres, making it the 8th tallest building in the world and the fourth tallest structure in Mainland China. The SWFC opened to the public on 28 August 2008, with its observation deck opening on 30 August, the observation deck offers views from 474 m above ground level. The SWFC has been lauded for its design, and in 2008 it was named by architects as the years best completed skyscraper, in 2013, the SWFC was exceeded in height by the adjacent Shanghai Tower, which is Chinas tallest structure as of 2016. Together, the Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai Tower and Jin Mao Tower form the worlds first adjacent grouping of three supertall skyscrapers. The building of the tower was financed by multinational firms, including Chinese, Japanese. The American investment bank Morgan Stanley coordinated the towers financing for Mori Building, the towers foundation stone was laid on 27 August 1997. In the late 1990s, the Pierre de Smet Building Corporation suffered a shortage caused by the Asian financial crisis of 1997–98. On 13 February 2003, the Mori Group increased the height to 492 m and 101 stories, from the initial plans for a 460-metre. The new building used the foundations of the design. A fire broke out in the incomplete SWFC on 14 August 2007, the fire was first noticed on the 40th floor, around 16,30, and soon the smoke was clearly seen outside the building. By 17,45, the fire had been extinguished, the damage was reported to be slight, and nobody was injured in the accident. The cause of the remains unknown, but according to some sources the preliminary investigation suggested workers electric weldings caused the fire. The building reached its height of 492 m on 14 September 2007 after the installation of the final steel girder. The final cladding panels were installed in mid-June 2008, and elevator installation was finished in mid-July, the Shanghai World Financial Center was declared complete on 17 July 2008, and was officially opened on 28 August. On 30 August 2008, the towers floors were opened to the public
3.
Shanghai Tower
–
The Shanghai Tower is a 632-metre, 128-story megatall skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai. As of 2015, it is the worlds tallest building, by height to highest usable floor and it also has the worlds highest observation deck within a building or structure, and the worlds fastest elevators at a top speed of 20.5 m/s. It is the worlds second-tallest building by height to architectural top and its tiered construction, designed for high energy efficiency, provides nine separate zones divided between office, retail and leisure use. Construction work on the began in November 2008 and topped out on 3 August 2013. The exterior was completed in summer 2015, and work was considered complete in September 2015, although the building was originally scheduled to open to the public in November 2014, the actual public-use date slipped considerably. The observation deck was opened to visitors in July 2016, the period from July through September 2016 was termed a test run or commissioning period, planning models for the Lujiazui financial district dating back to 1993 show plans for a close group of three supertall skyscrapers. The first of these, the Jin Mao Tower, was completed in 1999, the Shanghai Tower is owned by Yeti Construction and Development, a consortium of state-owned development companies which includes Shanghai Chengtou Corp. Shanghai Lujiazui Finance & Trade Zone Development Co. and Shanghai Construction Group, funding for the towers construction was obtained from shareholders, bank loans and Shanghais municipal government. The tower had a construction cost of US$2.4 billion. The Shanghai Tower was designed by the American architectural firm Gensler, the tower takes the form of nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, totalling 127 floors, all enclosed by the inner layer of the glass façade. Between that and the layer, which twists as it rises. Each of these nine areas has its own atrium, featuring gardens, cafés, restaurants and retail space, both layers of the façade are transparent, and retail and event spaces are provided at the towers base. The tower is able to accommodate as many as 16,000 people on a daily basis, the Shanghai Tower joins the Jin Mao Tower and SWFC to form the worlds first adjacent grouping of three supertall buildings. The tower will also incorporate a museum, the towers sub-levels provide parking spaces for 1,800 vehicles. The vertical transportation system for Shanghai Tower was designed by an American consultant, access to the hotel is through a fifth sky lobby at levels 101/102. Each two-level sky lobby serves as a community center for that zone of the building, with such amenities as food and beverage and these three shuttle elevators are supplemented by three fireman’s elevators which will significantly increase the visitor throughput to the observation deck at peak usage periods. In September 2011, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced that it had won a bid to construct the Shanghai Towers elevator system, Mitsubishi supplied all of the towers 149 elevators, including three high-speed models capable of travelling at 1,080 metres per minute. When they were installed, they were the worlds fastest single-deck elevators, the building also broke the record for the worlds furthest-travelling single elevator, at 578.5 metres, surpassing the record held by the Burj Khalifa
4.
Skyscraper
–
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building having multiple floors. When the term was used in the 1880s it described a building of 10 to 20 floors. Mostly designed for office, commercial and residential uses, a skyscraper can also be called a high-rise, for buildings above a height of 300 m, the term supertall can be used, while skyscrapers reaching beyond 600 m are classified as megatall. One common feature of skyscrapers is having a steel framework that supports curtain walls and these curtain walls either bear on the framework below or are suspended from the framework above, rather than resting on load-bearing walls of conventional construction. Some early skyscrapers have a frame that enables the construction of load-bearing walls taller than of those made of reinforced concrete. Modern skyscrapers walls are not load-bearing, and most skyscrapers are characterized by surface areas of windows made possible by steel frames. However, skyscrapers can have curtain walls that mimic conventional walls with a surface area of windows. Modern skyscrapers often have a structure, and are designed to act like a hollow cylinder to resist wind, seismic. To appear more slender, allow less wind exposure, and transmit more daylight to the ground, many skyscrapers have a design with setbacks, a relatively big building may be considered a skyscraper if it protrudes well above its built environment and changes the overall skyline. The maximum height of structures has progressed historically with building methods and technologies, the Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world. High-rise buildings are considered shorter than skyscrapers, the first steel-frame skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois in 1885. Even the scholars making the argument find it to be purely academic and this definition was based on the steel skeleton—as opposed to constructions of load-bearing masonry, which passed their practical limit in 1891 with Chicagos Monadnock Building. What is the characteristic of the tall office building. The force and power of altitude must be in it, the glory and it must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exaltation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line. Some structural engineers define a highrise as any vertical construction for which wind is a significant load factor than earthquake or weight. Note that this criterion fits not only high-rises but some other tall structures, the word skyscraper often carries a connotation of pride and achievement. A loose convention of some in the United States and Europe draws the limit of a skyscraper at 150 m or 490 ft. The tallest building in ancient times was the 146 m Great Pyramid of Giza in ancient Egypt and it was not surpassed in height for thousands of years, the 14th century AD Lincoln Cathedral being conjectured by many to have exceeded it
5.
Observation tower
–
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least 20 metres tall and made stone, iron. Many modern towers are used as TV towers, restaurants. The towers first appeared in Germany at the end of the 18th century, Observation towers that are used as guard posts or observation posts over an extended period to overlook an area are commonly called watchtowers instead. Observation towers are an easily visible sight on the countryside, as they must rise over trees, older control rooms have often been likened to medieval chambers. The heavy use of stone, iron, and wood in their construction helps to create this illusion, modern towers frequently have observation decks or terraces with restaurants or on the roof of mountain stations of an aerial ropeway. Frequently observation towers are used also as location of services within the UHF/VHF range. In some cases this usage of the tower is at least as important as its use as an observation tower, such towers are usually called TV towers or telecommunication towers. Many towers are equipped with a tower restaurant and allow visitors access via elevators. Also common is the usage of water towers as observation towers, finally, some church towers may have observation decks, albeit often without an elevator. Many other buildings may have towers which allow for observation, in particular prior to World War I rambler associations, and some municipalities, built observation towers on numerous summits. Usually these towers were built of stone, however sometimes wood or iron was also used, at nearly all these towers access to the observation deck, usually at a height of between 5 and 40 metres, is only possible by way of stairs. Further uses were not intended at most of buildings, although some of these towers today now carry antennas for police/fire engine radios, portable radio or low power FM-. Older observation towers frequently have a pole at its top. Some of these towers are accessible, either free or with the payment of an admission fee. Others are accessible only at times, in most cases only with the payment of an admission fee. At these towers the platform is open, with some having a restaurant in the basement. There are also towers with a more extensive use, for example
6.
China
–
China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
7.
Ping An Finance Centre
–
Ping An International Finance Centre is a 115-storey megatall skyscraper in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. The building was commissioned by Ping An Insurance and designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and it was completed in 2016, thus becoming the 4th tallest building in the world. The building is located within the Central Business District of Shenzhen in Futian and its 18,931 square metre lot was purchased by Ping An Group via auction at a price of 1.6568 billion RMB on November 6,2007. Its foundation stone was laid on August 29,2009 and construction started in November the same year, on March 15,2013, the construction process was temporarily halted, due to the suspected use of concrete made with unprocessed sea sand, which could corrode the steel structure. Construction resumed on the building after sample testing, the building topped out on April 30,2015 and became the second tallest skyscraper in China at a height of 600 metres. The original plan was to add a 60-metre antenna atop the building to surpass the Shanghai Tower, however, in February 2015, it was decided that the antenna would not top the tower due to the possibility that it might obstruct flight paths. The building contains office, hotel and retail spaces, a conference centre, the two uppermost stories feature an observation deck. As its name suggests, it is also the headquarters of Ping An Insurance, the building has a total gross floor area of 378,600 square metres, plus a basement area of 90,000 square metres. The Ping An International Finance Centre is equipped with 33 double deck elevators, in January 2015, daredevil Malaysian photographer Keow Wee Loong climbed the incomplete building and released video footage and a photo taken from a crane at the towers top. On October 30,2016, at 1 AM it was climbed by Vennphang, a second building of the project, a 290-metre, 47-storey skyscraper known as the south tower, is in its foundation stage. Construction started in April 2014 and is expected to be completed by 2018, the complex will include a planned retail bridge connecting the two skyscrapers from levels 3 through 6
8.
United Arab Emirates
–
In 2013, the UAEs population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates. The country is a federation of seven emirates, and was established on 2 December 1971, the constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each emirate is governed by a monarch, together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs is selected as the President of the United Arab Emirates, Islam is the official religion of the UAE and Arabic is the official language. The UAEs oil reserves are the seventh-largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the worlds seventeenth-largest, Sheikh Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first President of the UAE, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and infrastructure. The UAEs economy is the most diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council, while its most populous city of Dubai is an important global city, nevertheless, the country remains principally reliant on its export of petroleum and natural gas. The UAE is criticised for its rights record, including the specific interpretations of Sharia used in its legal system. The UAEs rising international profile has led analysts to identify it as a regional. It appears the land of the Emirates has been occupied for thousands of years, there is no proof of contact with the outside world at that stage, although in time it developed with civilisations in Mesopotamia and Iran. This contact persisted and became wide-ranging, probably motivated by trade in copper from the Hajar Mountains, in ancient times, Al Hasa was part of Al Bahreyn and adjoined Greater Oman. Sassanid groups were present on the Batinah coast, in 637, Julfar was an important port that was used as a staging post for the Islamic invasion of the Sassanian Empire. The area of the Al Ain/Buraimi Oasis was known as Tuam and was an important trading post for camel routes between the coast and the Arabian interior. The earliest Christian site in the UAE was first discovered in the 1990s, a monastic complex on what is now known as Sir Bani Yas Island. Thought to be Nestorian and built in 600 AD, the church appears to have been abandoned peacefully in 750 AD and it forms a rare physical link to a legacy of Christianity which is thought to have spread across the peninsula from 50 to 350 AD following trade routes. Certainly, by the 5th century, Oman had a bishop named John – the last bishop of Oman being Etienne, in 676 AD. This led to a group of travelling to Medina, converting to Islam and subsequently driving a successful uprising against the unpopular Sassanids. Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, the new Islamic communities south of the Persian Gulf threatened to disintegrate, with insurrections against the Muslim leaders. The Caliph Abu Bakr sent an army from the capital Medina which completed its reconquest of the territory with the battle of Dibba in which 10,000 lives are thought to have been lost
9.
Dubai
–
Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the countrys legislature. The city of Dubai is located on the northern coastline. Dubai will host World Expo 2020, Dubai has emerged as a global city and business hub of the Middle East. It is also a transport hub for passengers and cargo. By the 1960s, Dubais economy was based on revenues from trade and, to an extent, oil exploration concessions. Oil revenue first started to flow in 1969, Dubais oil revenue helped accelerate the early development of the city, but its reserves are limited and production levels are low, today, less than 5% of the emirates revenue comes from oil. The emirates Western-style model of business drives its economy with the main revenues now coming from tourism, aviation, real estate, Dubai was recently named the best destination for Muslim travellers by Salam Standard. Dubai has recently attracted attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. The city has become iconic for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the worlds tallest building, Dubai has been criticised for human rights violations concerning the citys largely South Asian and Filipino workforce. As of 2012, Dubai was the 22nd most expensive city in the world, in 2014, Dubais hotel rooms were rated as the second most expensive in the world, after Geneva. Dubai was rated as one of the best places to live in the Middle East by U. S. global consulting firm Mercer, Many theories have been proposed as to the origin of the word Dubai. One theory suggests the word was used to describe the souq, another theory states that the name came from a word meaning money, as people from Dubai were commonly believed to be rich due to the thriving trading centre of the location. An Arabic proverb says Daba Dubai, meaning They came with a lot of money, according to Fedel Handhal, a scholar on the UAEs history and culture, the word Dubai may have come from the word daba, referring to the slow flow of Dubai Creek inland. The poet and scholar Ahmad Mohammad Obaid traces it to the same word, an inhabitant or native of the city is a Dubaian. Although stone tools have been found at archaeological sites, little is known about the UAEs early inhabitants as only a few settlements have been found. Many ancient towns in the area were trading centres between the Eastern and Western worlds, the remnants of an ancient mangrove swamp, dated at 7000 BC, were discovered during the construction of sewer lines near Dubai Internet City. The area was covered with sand about 5,000 years ago as the coast retreated inland, pre-Islamic ceramics have been found from the 3rd and 4th centuries
10.
Canton Tower
–
The tower was topped out in 2009 and it became operational on 29 September 2010 for the 2010 Asian Games. The tower briefly held the title of tallest tower in the world, replacing the CN Tower and it was the tallest structure in China prior to the topping out of Shanghai Tower on 3 August 2013. It is now the second tallest tower and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world, there had been a long discussion about the naming of the Canton Tower since the commencement of its construction in 2005 after the groundbreaking ceremony. In September 2009, at the request of the towers investor, the contest attracted over 180,000 valid entries, among which Haixin Tower was awarded the first prize. The name alluded to the historical setting as the start of the Maritime Silk Road. However, this name was considered obscure to people unfamiliar with the history of the city, Local residents continued to refer to the tower by various nicknames including Slim Waist, Twisted Firewood and Yangdianfeng. The naming was reconsidered in 2010, after surveying a broad range of public opinions, Canton Tower was decided as the official name and announced at the end of September 2010. The new English name, alluded to the prosperous past, was considered the most identifying. Guangzhou Tower was constructed by Guangzhou New Television Tower Group who were responsible for the construction, in 2004, Information Based Architecture and Arup won the international competition, in which many internationally large architectural offices participated. The same year the IBA – Arup team in Amsterdam, developed the concept design. In later stages, IBA cooperated mainly with the local Chinese office of Arup, subsequently, in 2005, the groundbreaking of the Canton Tower took place. The tower, although not fully completed, opened to the public on 1 October 2010 in time for the 16th Asian Games, the rooftop observatory finally received its official opening in December 2011. The Canton towers twisted shape or hyperboloid structure corresponds to the Russian Empire patent No,1896, dated 12 March 1899 received by Vladimir Shukhov, the Russian engineer and architect. The structure is similar to the Adziogol Lighthouse in Ukraines Dnepr delta, the tower was designed by Information Based Architecture and Arup. The Arup team led by structural engineer Prof. Dr, the waist of the tower contains a 180 m open-air skywalk where visitors can physically climb the tower. There are outdoor gardens set within the structure, and at the top, just above 450 m, a deck at the base of the tower hides the towers functional workings. All infrastructural connections – metro and bus stations – are situated underground and this level also includes exhibition spaces, a food court, a commercial space, a parking area for cars and coaches. There are two types of lifts, slow-speed panoramic and high-speed double-decker, the zone from 80 to 170 m consists of a 4D cinema, a play-hall area, restaurants, coffee shops and outdoor gardens with teahouses
.jpg)
Shanghai
Dubai
Seoul
Mecca
Tokyo
Toronto
Chicago
Taipei
Kuala Lumpur
Moscow
Tehran
Melbourne
Paris
London
Frankfurt
Auckland
Singapore
Ho Chi Minh City
Tallinn
Vienna
Vilnius
Belgrade
Kuwait City
