Architect David Fisher calls his new proposed skyscraper the "world’s first building in motion" (1). An 18-month construction period in Dubai, ending in 2010 has been proposed. The Dynamic Tower project presents new possibilities for structural mobility, as the building actually moves. The building has a solid, static core, with a number of mobile, rotating floors extending from it. It will be very tall - not the tallest in the world - but coming in at a not-too-shabby 80 stories (2). It is totally prefabricated, cutting construction time and safety risks (3). Dynamic Tower also addresses ecological criticisms of skyscrapers: the building's energy is provided by wind turbines, which are turned on their side between floors, and solar panels on the roof of the building.
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The building is meant to reinvent all four dimensions of the skyscraper. The architect has said of this fourth dimension: "Time is always changing the shape of the building" (4). This skyscraper basically puts all the reflections of its environment on hyperspeed; instead of just reflecting the urban landscape with glass windows or marking the passage of time with illumination, Dynamic Tower plans to change moment-to-moment with the weather. Plans for cinematic illumination also appear in the youtube advertisement. This skyscraper also hearkens back to Douglas' anthropomorphic analogy from The Structural Frame. The Dynamic Tower is an even closer imitation of the human body; the core can be viewed as a spine, with the extending floors acting as the building's ribs and limbs.
So is it livable?
Can you imagine waking up with a different view out your window every morning?
Can you imagine your home in constant motion?
As discussed with the Hancock Tower, just one meter of sway made occupants of the skyscraper dizzy. I can't imagine that the building will actually move as fast as it appears the Youtube video advertising it. I'm sure that the residents of Dynamic Tower will have very interesting reactions to their mobile home.
"Buildings are now able to change their shape and be part of environment"
(Notice the monolith cameo in the following video!)
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Footnotes:
1. Tierney. John. "A Moving Skyscraper for N.Y.?," The New York Times 29 Oct 2008. 12 Dec 2008 <http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/a-moving-skyscraper-for-ny/?hp>
2. Goldman, Benny. "Dynamic Tower Skyscraper: Every Floor Self-Rotates, Powered by Wind and Sun." Gizmodo: The Gadget Blog. 24 June 2008. Gizmodo. 12 Dec 2008 <http://gizmodo.com/5019323/dynamic-tower-skyscraper-every-floor-self+rotates-powered-by-wind-and-sun>.
3. Goldman.
4. Goldman.
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