 |
Khanty Mansiysk Siberia Tower Of Glass
A new mixed-use tower of glass will rise above Khanty Mansiysk, Siberia. This unusual structure will make use of an environmental strategy that should set a new standard for Siberia, which suffered greatly at the hands of the leaders of the former Soviet Union. The building has been designed by Foster + Partners.
(Tower of Glass, Khanty Mansiysk, Siberia)
The setting for the building is a densely wooded area; two podium buildings each facetted like a cut diamond set off and help illuminate the interior of the main tower. The building design is intended to take advantage of sustainable energy strategies; the atria of the building and its surrounding structures should facilitate solar gain and bring daylight into the building.
(Tower of Glass, Khanty Mansiysk, Siberia)
This proposed building reminds me of the structure from Robert Silverberg's 1970 novel Tower of Glass; a wealthy eccentric builds a vaulting glass tower up from the permafrost of the Arctic Circle.
Simeon Krug's tower now rises 100 meters above the gray-brown tundra of the Canadian Arctic, west of Hudson Bay. At present the tower is merely a glassy stump...Krug has his androids working three shifts round the clock; when it gets dark, the construction site is lit by millions of reflector plates strung across the sky at a height of one kilometer and powered by the little million-kilowatt fusion generator at the north end of the site. "How high will it be when it's finished?" Quenelle asks.
"1500 meters," Krug replies. "A tremendous tower of glass full of machinery that nobody can understand. And then we'll turn it on. And then we'll talk to the stars.
The construction of the Khanty Mansiysk structure would certainly go faster with teams of androids...
Here are a couple of views of Silverberg's structure, from some of the book cover art:
(Robert Silverberg's Tower of Glass cover art)
This Silverberg novel is also notable for the first use of the term "jack in", referring to a means of direct perception of a computer-generated world.
Via Electro Plankton; see also the Foster + Partners website.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/25/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Living Space ")
Driverless Hotel Rooms Predicted In 1828
'Did you never see a moving house before?' - Jane Webb Loudon, 1828.
Humans Could Take Up A LOT Less Space
We'd have a lot more room for gardening...
Oh Yes, We're Building The Rotating Tower In Dubai
'Give me an old-fashioned tetragon on a central pivot every time.' - Frank Herbert, 1972.
Real-Life Macau or Ghost In The Shell
Life imitates art imitates life.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Spicy Tomatoes Created With Genetic Engineering
How about mashed potatoes and brown gravy?
Driverless Hotel Rooms Predicted In 1828
'Did you never see a moving house before?'
Yandex Self-Driving Taxi Is Very Smooth
'The big car was slowing down, its computer brain sensing an exit ahead.'
Shrimp Actually Made Of Algae Is A New Wave Food
Bring in that crop algae.
Cosplay Style Wings Could Work On Moon
'They're lovely! - titanalloy struts as light and strong as bird-bones...'
Tesla Model 3 Has Outside Speaker Grille
Robert Heinlein does it again.
Arizona Luddites Attack Self-Driving Vehicles
'Trucks don't drive by themselves...' Or do they?
Organaut! Russians 3D Print Living Tissue In Space
'For a while your colonists will have to come up [to orbit] to the Hospital...'
WINE Spacecraft To Extract Water From Asteroids
'Yes, strangely enough there was still sufficient water beneath the surface of Vesta.'
Japanese Swordsmiths Take On Asteroids
'... a tiny, rocket-powered projectile, drove towards the mysterious bulk.'
Saturn's Rings To Vanish, Let's Mine Them While We Can
'...the valuable shards of what had once been satellites.'
Humans Could Take Up A LOT Less Space
We'd have a lot more room for gardening...
Implosion Fabrication Shrinks 3D Objects To Nanoscale
'Carter had watched miniaturization a hundred times...'
GMO Houseplant Cleans Your Air
Removes compounds too small to be captured by a HEPA filter.
Nova Meat Can 3D Print Your Dinner
Printing out chicken nuggets.
MIT Scientists Create 'Peek-a-Boo Prober' From Jetsons
Well, George, it's the latest thing.
