Globalization of the world economies, is fast bridging the gap between the
developing and developed nations. Almost every nation is facing the challenge
of building cities of international standards, which were once established only by
the rich and developed industrial nations. Tall buildings stand out as the symbols
for the prosperity of the city and the governments’ commitment to foster the
public/private economic growth. The real estate business is becoming a hot cake
for investors and city planners face a daunting challenge to protect the
environment.
The harsh forces of nature and the geographic shortcomings to support a
massive structure are being addressed, thanks to the constant innovation of new
building material and technologies—a unique blend of technology and other fields
are creating newer opportunities and hence, creative applications for materials.
For instance, manufacture of the most delicate and fragile glass by advances in
the field of polymers, has been combined to provide tampered glass, that can
withstand all elements of nature to provide a magnificent view to the residents
of the skyscrapers.
The high risers/skyscrapers in the current setup, are a mixed portfolio of aging
buildings and very modern buildings. The post September 11, 2001, audits have
identified and brought into focus, many facets of security that have been either
ignored or neglected in tall structures. The band-aid approach of creating security silos as adapted by many facilities, is not an effective solution to the issue at
hand. Emergency evacuations becoming a reality, the buildings are forced to
renovate and replace their emergency systems to handle different kinds of
emerging emergencies. Also, the evolving building codes and standards such as
the use of asbestos, are forcing builders to re-gut the facilities at times. |
