Burj Dubai in Portland | 162 floors

[smendesPDX]

Ever wondered how big the Burj Duabi is compared to the Portland skyline?

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j15/jhstrackXY/modifiedmodelmassesmessingaround.jpg

[CUclimber]

Council crest is 1,073 ft. above sea level (just under 1,000 ft. above downtown), so someone standing at the top of the Burj Dubai in Portland would easily be able to see over the west hills.

[NJD]

Meh, Dubai can keep its cheaply made skyscrapers. I want none of those empty hulks in beautiful Portland. That whole city is a tragic gamble to change from a little known town to a world class city in only ten short years (time will only tell if their gamble pays off). Most of their buildings are empty; suffering from speculative investors, terrible architecture and urban space planning, super cheap construction, and no connectivity between buildings and developments. The city has 500,000 migrant construction workers (.5 million out of 1.37 million total Dubai population) living in 3rd world style housing projects and suffering from just about every human rights violation you can imagine.

I will not support Dubai or any of its developments. The whole city is a terrible lie, and the complete opposite of progress.

/end rant

[JDRCRASH]

Good god no. It would totally ruin the skyline.

[chuff]

The base jumpers would *love* it.

[zaphod]

What would a tower about the half the size look like?

Like a Houston or Atlanta building at that spot in that pic? I mean just for kicks of course...

[IHEARTPDX]

smendes, did you make/draw this rendering your self? If you did...nice work! If you didn't where did you get it from...?

[smendesPDX]

smendes, did you make/draw this rendering your self? If you did...nice work! If you didn't where did you get it from...?

my buddy is an architect and I was playing around with different renderings they have on file...so it was a joint effort, his art, my bizzare idea

[urbanizer405]

Uh......no.

It's a crazy dream, just not a realistic dream. Love the imagination though...

[MarkDaMan]

I find it interesting. Puts that tower into perspective for me...on side note, I don't think he was proposing it go in Portland.

[philopdx]

Meh, Dubai can keep its cheaply made skyscrapers. I want none of those empty hulks in beautiful Portland. That whole city is a tragic gamble to change from a little known town to a world class city in only ten short years (time will only tell if their gamble pays off). Most of their buildings are empty; suffering from speculative investors, terrible architecture and urban space planning, super cheap construction, and no connectivity between buildings and developments. The city has 500,000 migrant construction workers (.5 million out of 1.37 million total Dubai population) living in 3rd world style housing projects and suffering from just about every human rights violation you can imagine.

I will not support Dubai or any of its developments. The whole city is a terrible lie, and the complete opposite of progress.

/end rant

Empty buildings, huh?

http://www.estatesdubai.com/2008/04/dubais-office-occupancy-rates-strikes.html

If that's empty, then I think it's every Portland developer's wet dream to have empty buildings!

[zilfondel]

Dubai has vastly diversified its economy from being an oil state.

They sit right at the focal point for trade between Europe and India.. and billions and billions in oil revenue. Its not really surprising the Middle East is seeing some investments. Its just like... its getting 100 years' worth all at once.

Unfortunately, its architecture is mostly crap. That's what happens when you just plop an insta-city...
although there are a few interesting projects.

[IHEARTPDX]

I would love to see a rendering of the skyline of downtown Portland completely built out according to current zoning (I think there's a map online somewhere with max building heights per property in downtown Portland). It would be interesting to see what Portland would look like with buildings replacing all of the surface parking lots. Anyone want to take this on? :worship:

[philopdx]

You know, about Dubai, I absolutely agree there are some odious things they need to address like the near-slave labor, the skin trade, or putting the occasional tourist in prison for having poppy seeds on their clothes or using prescription medication.

But I will give them props for aggressively developing their economy and diversifying away from oil. Right now, I think only 3-4% of their GDP is based on oil revenue.

They understand that their oil wealth is finite and they had better look past it to plan a future, which is something we're sluggishly beginning to do here.

[NJD]

Empty buildings, huh?

My friend just got back from a business trip to Dubai, and was shocked at how many residential and office buildings lay vacant yet 100% leased by investment money. He dropped out of his proposal after seeing the slums for workers and the shotty construction and engineering.

[westsider]

Ever wondered how big the Burj Duabi is compared to the Portland skyline?

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j15/jhstrackXY/modifiedmodelmassesmessingaround.jpg

Meh, Dubai can keep its cheaply made skyscrapers. I want none of those empty hulks in beautiful Portland. That whole city is a tragic gamble to change from a little known town to a world class city in only ten short years (time will only tell if their gamble pays off). Most of their buildings are empty; suffering from speculative investors, terrible architecture and urban space planning, super cheap construction, and no connectivity between buildings and developments. The city has 500,000 migrant construction workers (.5 million out of 1.37 million total Dubai population) living in 3rd world style housing projects and suffering from just about every human rights violation you can imagine.

I will not support Dubai or any of its developments. The whole city is a terrible lie, and the complete opposite of progress.

/end rant





Pretty harsh response to just a interesting question. Yes, Dubai makes use of virtual slave labor to quickly and cheaply construct the city, and I'm sure you also buy quickly and cheaply made clothes and shoes made by virtual slave labor. Whats the diff? Dubai doesnt really need your support, they already get your money at the gas pump whether you like them or not.

But it does put into perspective our puny "skyscrapers".

[crackerd]

Let's build it!!!

[Black Box]

Wow, what an interesting perspective, thanks.

[tworivers]

Interesting perspective, but I'd much rather see 4 or 5 more towers of Big Pink height (or even a bit taller but skinny) go up downtown than one "supertall" tower like the Burj Dubai.

[WestCoast]

when I tell people that the Chicago Spire, or similar, will be ~FOUR TIMES the height of our tallest building, they can barely comprehend it.

I live right next to the Wells Fargo building, and I can't even imagine a building of that size, it's amazing.

Great photo smendes, that really gives the height perspective!