livin_the_dream
just curious do they have rates bills in Saudi, 57000000 sqft will be a big bill??? It\'s so nice to see all our fuel money going to such good causes, not to mention the increases in raw material costs due to these extravagances. When will this lunacy end? I guess there may well be some knowledge gained that could be used in more benficial projects?
mrhuckfin
Remember when we here in the U.S. used to build things on this scale? Now we can\'t even replace the towers at ground zero after 10 years!
Flint McNamara
Yup, sad days for the USofA. But we can and must pull out of it! Rebuild, Retool, Re-school!
The Saudi Kingdom Tower looks kinda cool at least :)
Bob Kiger
This article begs the question \"Why would anyone want to build a \'Mile-high-tower\' in a world where miles are a non-standard\". The world is metric. Only the US [and some other allied holdouts] recanted on the metric standard and that 25 year old decision is one factor in the demise of our economy IMO.
Brillig
Unless they have multiple pumping stations, the plumbing will require pressures over 1400 pounds per square inch if they need water at the top. But maybe they can use circulating water or other liquid to cool the lower levels using the cooler weather a kilometer up. The temperature is likely almost 10 degrees C cooler at the top.
Jeff Williams
mrhuckfin : That is because we are broke silly.... Bankrupt! If we could not just print paper.. if we could not just say... poofffff our credit limit is higher, so now we can sell off more of our country... we would simply stop functioning.
Its our ability to borrow cash from other countries that keeps us going; not our own economy.. OUR economy if you cut off outside funding would not sustain the country even for a month.
Charles Bosse
Jeff: It\'s funny, but our economy was self sustaining 10 years ago before we got involved in a war with SA\'s neighbor and \"lowered our taxes\" (yet somehow my taxes are still about the same). Now, apparently, they are spending their money on this instead of helping their neighbors, or making investments in their country as a whole.
The Saudi\'s hope that this will attract other development, but it will bankrupt them like the extravagance in Dubai, and somehow, I don\'t think businesses will be lining up to work in a country where woman still can\'t drive. If this building reaches completion it will likely sit mostly empty, a sad shadow of another country where self importance overcame good sense. While I am not religious, I do find it ironic just how much this exemplifies the passage about building your house on solid rock instead of sand.
James Dugan
If the USA stopped over-regulating everything, we COULD build like this, and better.
It\'s not the taxes, it\'s not the debt - it\'s the government wanting to dictate every facet of every life...it\'s what government\'s DO, and why we need LESS of it....
mrhuckfin
AMEN Mr. Dugan! :-)
Ed
My parents live in a house that\'s 1 miles up! They live in the mountains of Colorado and the scenery is breathtaking!