Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcu
The difference is buildings in the west actually have to be profitable to be built. In China or Moscow or Dubai the government is whilling to take a loss just to get a trophy structure.
This type of a design would simply be too damn expensive for a mere tv tower. It would never pay itself off.
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1. Who says it is a mere tv tower? It is a mixed use building, not a tv tower.
2. In China and Russia the cost of land is lower than in most downtowns in the US. Moscow's IBC is essentially a redevelopment of a industrial brown field/commieblock district that has been an eyesore not that far from downtown, but not in the downtown at all.
3. Many other costs (labor and energy) are much lower in Russia and China than in the west (particularly labor in China and energy in Russia). Not sure about Dubai, but suspect it is also true for Dubai.
4. IBC towers are bulit by private investors. Yes, government-controlled companies (like Gasprom) do participate in these projects, so the government has some stake in this business, but none of the projects, to the best of my knowledge, is funded primarily by the government. Plus, you are probably wrong about projected losses - so far all indications are that IBC construction will be profitable.