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| Arabia |
| Worlds Second-Tallest Building Under Construction in Saudi |
| 2010-04-15 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] An under-construction hotel complex in Saudi Arabia will feature the world's second-tallest building, topped by a clock six times bigger than London's Big Ben, the hotel's general manager said Tuesday. The Mecca Royal Clock Tower will be made up of 662 metres (2,171 feet) of concrete structure and a 155-metre (508-foot) crecent-topped metal spire, Mohammed al-Arkubi said at a press conference in Dubai. Combined, the two parts of the tower in the Muslim holy city of Mecca would be only roughly 11 metres (36 feet) shorter than Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower at 828 metres (2,717 feet). Even the concrete section of the Mecca Royal Clock Tower would be taller than the current second-tallest building in the world, the 508-meter (1,676-foot) Taipei 101 in Taiwan. "The first part of the hotel will open at the end of June, while the clock will begin operating at the end of July," ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin around August 10, Arkubi said. The German-made clock, billed as "the largest in the world," will have 45-metre (147-foot) wide and 43-metre (141-foot) tall faces on all four sides of the tower, he said. He added that it will be visible from 17 kilometres (10 miles) away at night and 11 to 12 kilometres (six to seven miles) away during the day. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 "Do y'get the feeling he's compensatin' for something?" -- Shrek |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-04-15 14:09 |
| #8 I have to agree with Marcus. I like the idea of putting the world in its place from time to time. I would like to do that with New Orleans also instead of just rebuilding it, it should be a new New York. A city that the world looks to and wants to visit. And we could for all the money that will be spent there just to make crap. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2010-04-15 13:54 |
| #7 Nobody will be taking kickbacks for allowing delivery & use of sub-standard cement on this job, right? And Allan won't be calling a jillion of his most faithful 'home' during the haj, if some of that cement can't handle all those foreheads banging on the floor at the same time, right? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-04-15 12:38 |
| #6 Honestly I think the best engineers in the country should get together and draw up plans to build the tallest building in the world. Maybe the new WTC or even something totally different, just something to show our people and the world that we are still capable of achieving whatever we set out to do. |
| Posted by: Marcus Aurelius 2010-04-15 12:28 |
| #5 Old Spook beat me to it, they're fools to erect such a tempting target. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-04-15 12:26 |
| #4 the wikipedia site on this building is here It supposedly with have 16 Million sq ft. This is to handle the pilgrims. The operating budget for this structure should be pretty interesting since, except during the high week of the 12th month haj, it will likely be only 10% or less occupied. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-04-15 10:48 |
| #3 Nice aiming point. Just saying. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-04-15 09:19 |
| #2 I hope the Saudi-hired engineers find a way to anchor their second-tallest building to something more solid than sand... |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-04-15 04:44 |
| #1 From an engineering standpoint, IMO the DUBAI TOWER IS A TICKING TIME BOMB FOR COLLAPSE - hopefully, the Saudi design will be better. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-04-15 01:07 |