A retelling of human ego
Humans have made very little attempt to cover up their ego’s constant need to stand tall against nature. This power takes many forms, of monuments that stand the test of time, of machines that bore holes into the depths of earth, capsules that escape gravity, of mountains scaled and the oceans and forests conquered. The most glorious testimonies to human power are towers that rise above the skies.
The affinity of humans to stand tall is not new. The pyramids of Egypt, temples of south India, Minarets of Islamic Architecture and Gothic Cathedrals of Europe are all a race to reach the skies. While the height was reserved for all purposes religious, the foray of the vertical into secular built environment began with the era of industrialization. The mass-produced cast iron made it possible to reinforce buildings creating frames that could go taller than a few floors. Soon buildings that were as high as 7 or 10 storeys were built, and the top most floors remained vacant since tenants found walking up 10 floors to be too tasking.
The real race was catalysed by Elisha Otis, whose mechanical lifts altered the game permanently. Coupled with the aid of steel construction, soon cities were building skyscrapers racing against each other. Chicago, Seattle and New York were battling it out for height, because height symbolized power.
After a dramatic win, the Empire State building in New York remained the undisputed winner between 1931 and 1972, when the world trade centre was built.
Soon enough Sears tower assumed the position of the tallest building into the world. Until the late 90s, the race remained within the American cities. It came as a shock to
the rest of the world when Kuala Lumpur’s PETRONAS Towers put Malaysia on the map of developed nations, reigniting the race after two decades of silence.
In the last two decades, Dubai has built to height, what one can only dream of in their most creative dreams. The tallest building in the world is not the Burj Khalifa tower built in 2010 as a symbol of the might of Dubai.
The building has 163 floors, with 57 elevators to scale the 828m high building. Rising above the skies, the Burj Khalifa houses a mall, hotels, restaurants, residences and offices.
Architecturally, the design of the building has been critically acclaimed for its contextual sensitivity responding to the culture and surroundings of the site. The building is also an engineering marvel since it has been built on a soil that is not designed to take such loads. The tapering building is also designed to withstand winds of high speeds.
While the human temptation of overpower nature hasn’t always been appealing, some achievements are truly worthy of being lauded.