Will David Fisher have the last laugh and build his rotating tower?

Rob Wagner, editor

A couple of events have occurred this past week that demonstrate the crazy and very interesting characteristics of the construction industry in the Gulf region.

One complaint that has surfaced in recent weeks illustrates the scepticism many industry observers have towards new technology to the region. Maybe scepticism is the wrong word and perhaps this is more of an example of how technology must prove itself first before it is accepted.

The folks who built the Bahrain World Trade Center are struggling to convince the public that its wind turbines are indeed working and providing power as it is designed to do.

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Why the complaints? Well, it seems the turbines are not always turning, so therefore they must be broken. That’s hardly the case since turbines only operate when it is necessary. And if a turbine-powered building is only at 5% capacity then it stands to reason that the device will not be operating at 100%.

There’s a stretch of highway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, California, that has hundreds of massive wind turbines operating. This part of the desert, not unlike the landscape on the Arabian Peninsula, has provided the backdrop to many movies over the years so Construction Week readers may be familiar with what I am talking about.

But inevitably the talk of those who frequently pass these turbines is why not all of them are working. The secret is this: All of them are working, but often when you are not looking.

In a different vein but about a different kind of tower is the news that the much maligned architect David Fisher is poised to launch his US $700 million 80-storey rotating tower. Can it be that Fisher might have the last laugh and actually get his outlandish scheme off the ground while everyone else is cutting back?

According to Fisher, the only reason why the Dynamic Tower hasn’t broken ground is due to some delays in getting approval for land acquisition. Not technical glitches in the tower’s technology and not due to the global financial crisis.

He doesn’t exactly say when he is ready to put shovel to earth, only that building begins in a couple of months. But from the sound of it, he seems pretty close. And to add a bit of legitimacy to his claim the folks who are bringing another rotating building -- the 55° Time Dubai tower -- to Dubai, say they are ready to start in about two months.

That 30-storey, $204 million project will be in Dubailand’s City of Arabia.

Yes, the Abu Dhabi-based Aldar Laing O’Rourke is eliminating 200 jobs, about 10% of its workforce. That’s the reality of the business these days, but new technology to the Middle East, such as wind turbines, and the “march forward, never look back” attitude of architects and engineers remind us that the region remains vital and healthy.