Skyscraper Day: 3 September 2017

Skyscraper Day is celebrated on 3 September annually to appreciate the architecture and engineering of high-rise urban buildings.

Skyscrapers have only been around for about 130 years. The world's first skyscraper was completed in 1885 in Chicago and it stood only 138 feet tall, a mere 10 stories. Even though it was small by today’s comparisons, the term ‘’skyscraper’’ was invented. Today building must have at least 40 floors to be classified as a skyscraper.

Skyscrapers give people a top-down look at the city in which they live, while addressing the challenges of accommodating a rising population. There is a certain amount of attention for a city that declares that it has the tallest building in the region or in the world.

In architectural and engineering terms, skyscrapers are gargantuan projects that rely on heavy-duty science and the artistry of design in equal measure. And now there is increasing scrutiny on health and safety issues, they are becoming a debatable topic for addressing urban living.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is currently the tallest building in the world at 829.8 metres (2,722 feet) with 160 stories. It is caled a megatall skyscraper. Construction began in 2004 and was completed in 2009. It has 57 elevators (lifts) and 8 escalators. The designer of the Burj Khalifa was Adrian Smith under Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

I am not a fan of megatall skyscrapers or even a city full of skyscrapers; 10-15 floors seems more okay – but where do the children play?

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog