HOUSTON | Houston tower | 6,864 FT / 2,092 M | 500 FLOORS | VISION
 

Does anyone have a rendering on this one? Its called the "Houston Tower" it would have been the tallest building ever built, but its height [1.3 miles high and the oil bust] is most likely the causes of this one not being built.

It would have covered nine downtown city blocks(causing them to demolish some existing buildings).The design of the building would have used 16 bundle triangular tubes.

Can someone PLEASE find a rendering and give more info on this one....

I'm not sure if there are any renderings. And I don't think that the oil bust would make a difference either way, we're not going to see a building 1.3 miles high any time soon.

The reason it wasn't built was just due to the fact that it was a hypothetical structure, introduced to discuss the principles of a certain type of tube construction. A type that was actually included on a much smaller level in the construction of One Shell Plaza.

The 500 Floor version was discussed in a 1986 edition of "The Futurist" magazine. Again, purely hypothetical and discussed by the same players.

I have a Houston Post article from the early 80's that should better explain it...

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/200Story.jpg

any idea of what materials were goin to be used

I think they mentioned duratanium.

You know if they made the design look more BD then they could actually make that. In a city like Shanghi or Dubai it would look good. If they were to build it now it would shadow out other buildings so they would need something very special.

this would of looked really out of place in the skyline.
but it would of been nice to see it to have been built.

I've only been to Houston once and I think anything this tall would look out of place and shadow everything. And what would they do about light every where would need lights as the buildings just so big. It's basically a triangler Sear Tower with more sections and takes up more space. I think it would waste those 9 blocks and thats a big place but at 1.3 miles high there must be so mcuh space. I think the reason this wasn't built is because it's not a good idea. Maybe in a built area but in Houston no. Look at that picture there's nothing even half the hieght.

That's because it's an old picture from the 80's. Houston is nothing like that now. But at half the height, you are still above 3,000 feet. Nothing in the US would come close.

I found an image of this project in a 1990 book titled
'COSMOPOLIS' Yesterday's Cities of the Future.....by Howard Mansfield

....and yes, it does look like a triangular Sears Tower.

I'll scan it.

Yes, because today the east side of DT looks exactly the same as it did in 1977-79 (based on aerial shots & maps from the period). mmkay.

I don't see where it mentioned "9 blocks" but based on the graphic from the period; Main, Leeland, Austin & Dallas streets would've been the boundaries giving it a 16 block footprint. Much of that space already has been developed (1500 Fannin, Parking Garages, Houston Pavilions, South Texas College of Law, etc...)

Regardless of the scope of this hypothetical project, that side of the district is growing quickly with, surprisingly enough, smaller scale developments than from the 70's and 80's boom that seem to be a bit more beneficial to residents and visitors. Worth noting in regard to today's developments; something of this scale, regardless of feasibility, I can't help but think would be dismissive to the street level.

Ah... please do. Thanks. :)

Here you go Houstonians.


http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9...sionarynt4.jpg

"The plan would use bundles of steel tubes.
Technically, it could be built to 500 stories, a mile high.
The triangular structure would require a building site sixteen blocks long."

"It could single handedly revive the U.S. steel industry."


If you're also interested in Frank Lloyd Wright's mile high tower,
check out the thread 'The Illinois'.
I posted some pretty rare floor plans and elevations.
(caution: the scans are quite large)

Wow. Thanks... where are these other plans you speak of?

Wow, how unnecessary. Thanks for the scan though.

And single-handedly kill necessity for any other project in Houston for decades to come.

This project is to much. Love the idea of being so tall, but a little more practical is what is really needed...

:yes:

I think I remember seeing an old render of this one, but forgot where.

Yeah, I remember seeing a rendering of this project ifor the first time in a 1987 edition of Popular Science magazine. It also featured other supertall proposals like the Chicago World Trade Center. I wish I still had the copy because all the renderings were in color. It was a special edition on supertall proposals.

...Back when Houston had all the oil money before Dubai

I know. Surely there must be something we can do.

This building is way too wide. I'm mean look at this thing. It's a monster! Architects now a days design buildings like kids.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including grandiose over-sized never built Sears Tower replicas.

The building would have required 600sq. miles of adjacent surface parking lots.

Almost like the Sears Tower, but a triangle foot print, but the same concept. This thing if built, would 1) Make all the buildings irrelevant, 2) be seen from New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. But lets say hypothetically they started construction in the 80's and the Burj Dubai finished 828 m and over '160' floors in less than 7 years, it would take over 20 years to finish this, so probably would've been done by the early to mid 2000's.

I just hope that Houston gets a similar smaller tower in the future.

Broken Images
https://unbuiltskyscrapers.files.wor...1/200story.jpg
https://unbuiltskyscrapers.files.wor...sionarynt4.jpg
https://unbuiltskyscrapers.files.wor.../01/dcsxuz.png
Source

meh. The crummy clay soil in Houston would NEVER old that much weight, even if spread over a 15 block area.