ANALYSIS / Projects

Idiot's Guide to building a view factory

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After listening to David Fisher one gets the impression that he believes everything is possible, nothing is a problem and easy solutions can solve anything. He said designing the Dynamic Tower with 80 individually rotating stories was “simple” and construction would be even simpler.

But some serious points have been raised about the viability and practicality of the project and according to many in the industry, Fisher’s answers have been a little too simplistic.
How will he supply rotating apartments with plumbing? – By using “a very simple smart connection.”

How will he supply electricity? – “That’s a simple one,” there’ll be a brush system for each level.

How will he rotate the levels? – A “simple mechanical system on each floor.”

But as Atkins engineer and rotational expert Nick Cooper pointed out even simple things break down over time.

He believes a tower with individually rotating floors is too complicated to be a success.

“The problem is that it’s an architect’s dream without any engineering thought behind it” he said. “I mean nothing is impossible, but I don’t think it’s viable as a reliable maintenance-free system.

“The only structural part is the core, the rest is a machine, and we all know what we have to do with our cars on a yearly basis.”

Apart from being an expert in the subject, Cooper is also the engineer behind another rotating tower, the 55 degree Time Dubai, which is due to begin construction later this year.

The difference with his tower is that it will rotate as one solid structure with the rotating mechanism and utilities located at the base of the building where it can be maintained and monitored without disruption to residents.

“We looked at having a central core and rotating the outer parts,” he said.

“But there’s a jolly good reason why we didn’t go down that route – because of the complexity of providing services to every floor.

“On top of that you’ve got the rotating mechanism on every floor and any mechanical system will fail at some point.

“If you have 80 floors, then you’ve just increased you’re probabilities of failure by 80%.”

Fisher said the ongoing maintenance the tower requires is actually a positive and will help extend the life of the building well beyond a regular tower.

“Today’s buildings are built to last between 50 to 100 years which is completely ridiculous when aircrafts fly the same number of years with much more complicated systems and risk factors,” he said.

“Why? Because you can maintain airplanes. So we are going to have a complete maintenance service to this building.”

This sounds feasible, but planes at least offer a valuable service and airlines also charge accordingly, which begs the question, how expensive is it going to be to maintain the building?

A good view does cost, but let’s not forget basic economics and the law of diminishing returns. How long will it be before people grow tired of paying astronomical strata fees for their daily view change? And on a more personal note, do people want technicians traipsing through their living rooms on a regular basis?