Stature isn’t measured by building height, Tommy Landau
Two hundred and twenty-four story towers situated on man-made islands in desert regions are not “environmentally conscious.” Tacking next-generation solar panels, green roofs, insulated glass, and such does not make up for this fact; even if their combined energy output is more than the building’s usage after completion, the self-generated energy won’t begin to approach the massive amounts expended during construction or the inevitable tear-down.
Forgive me if I stated the obvious just now, but since the affable Tommy Landau (whose most impressive commission is the Clocktower Building’s renovation) is attempting to construct such a tower as his “swan song,” I find it necessary to do so. For his sake, I don’t want his parting gesture for this world to be what it really is: an expression of egotism and inadequacy for the tower’s group of would-be developers (I think I just stated the obvious again).
Apart from the supposed benefits of being known as the builder of the tallest building in the world, what possible justification is there for a 224-story tower (besides offices, shopping, and condos, of course)? Apart from being known as an architect who worships at the alter of altitude, as the true metric for beauty and innovation (and at the expense of “progress” and the welfare of everyone in the tower’s eventual vicinity), what possible justification is there for enabling the developers’ base impulses?
The worst part about Tommy Landau’s aspirations is that his creation would rise on the opposite side of the globe, which means he (along with the primarily US-based developers) wouldn’t bear witness to the tower’s destructive impact on Abu Dhabi’s built environment. Luckily the tower’s design is so vainly tall that the likelihood of its construction is tenuous to say the least.
Los Angeles Times: 224-story skyscraper would be high point for architect
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