Before we break records and build monuments, there are some questions that need to be asked.

As Shanghai's World Financial Center passed China's tallest building in height this past June, one has to question whether being the tallest is the answer.

It was just a few years ago when the Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers stunned the world at 1,483 feet and 88 stories tall. However, shortly after, Taipei 101 surpassed it and remains the tallest building in the world at 1,670 feet and 101 stories.

When I served as the Co-Host of the Discovery Channel's 7 Modern Engineering Wonders of the World a couple of years ago, it was difficult to imagine buildings that would surpass Taipei 101's record—and that was only a few years ago. Shanghai's World Financial Center will come up just short of it. However, Burj Dubai, when completed next year, will be 160 stories and will be an astounding 2,640 feet tall. While nothing is on the books publicly to be quite this high, the proposed Tower of Russia under current proposal is designed to be 2,129 feet high and may be completed in 2010. Seoul's International Business Center, also scheduled to be completed in 2008, will be 1,903 feet tall and 130 stories.

Although they are architectural masterpieces, are these towers really the best solution in a world of increased terrorist threats and natural disasters?

Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the worst of earthquakes and severe winds per the models—but what about the unexpected? Taipei 101 is the example of how urban populations can be concentrated in a relatively small space, offering office, retail, entertainment and other space In reality, one would never have to leave the confines of the tower once inside. It is a solution to overpopulation and a way to offer a higher quality of life. Vertically.

But is it really a better quality of life, or is it a move into the science fiction world which we have all fantasized about for years? Envision the Jetsons moving around in their mobile air vehicles amidst skyscraper corridors. A visit to Shanghai already demonstrates that cities are quickly becoming vertical. So, in a vertical world, do we move people or do we leave them in the towers? And then we have to ask, what happens if the worst natural disaster ever strikes? What happens when the building stands but water, sanitation, and power is cut off? Will the generators be designed such that life can be sustained over days or weeks to support the thousands of people living and working in these environments?

How do we raise children in a world of skyscrapers? Yes, of course it is possible, but will there also be other quality aspects that we will sacrifice? How do we move thousands of people in and out of these buildings quickly at rush hour? And what about evacuation during disasters?

I must admit that I find the world's tallest buildings to be spectacular, beautiful, and majestic. They are some of the greatest engineering wonders of this and the past century. But I fear whether we as engineers have truly thought through the other aspects of our roles and responsibilities, such as building quality of life and assuring public health, safety and welfare. There is no an easy answer to this question and I do not have the answer myself; I don't even have solid feelings one way or the other.

But these are questions we should be answering before we break records and build monuments.

July 6, 2007

I'm not an architect or engineer although I work with them and enjoy your column. I don't mean to be overly pessimistic, but even though I'd love to be naive enough to think that the desires and opinions of sound and forward-looking design professionals would be the rule, I'm betting that whoever pays the fee makes the call. If someone has in mind to create a "monument" and they can get the financing, I'm afraid nothing's going to stop them. Considering the good of humanity just doesn't enter into the equation. As a species, we seem to collectively discount our impacts on our surroundings and future users for our immediate gratification. I fear it will be our undoing at some point in time.

Dick Hughes
EMA Inc.

July 7, 2007

I agree with views of author. We can not ignore the fact of life & put so many human lives in danger. What ever perfection we adopt but there is always a room for error in Engineering. Tall to tallest has become a blind race.

D.K. Anand