# Thin Towers



## Robert Stark (Dec 8, 2005)

I would like to see examples and pics of towers fit into small or narrow plots of land? The reason I am intersted is because I was wondering if highrises could be built, to replace the LA sprip malls.


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## miamicanes (Oct 31, 2002)

The two main things that tend to kill the viability of tall, thin towers in the US are the massive core infrastructure mandated by fire codes and the ADA (two or more full-sized elevators, two fully-enclosed stairwells, at least one of which can be reached without passing through a room containing an elevator), and FAR restrictions, which makes habitable square footage in areas dense enough to merit such towers in the first place artificially scarce. 

It's too bad that zoning laws aren't stacked in favor of fewer, bigger units. If anyone with a 100 x 100 urban lot could build a tower as a matter of right with a 2-story retail or townhome-lined pedestal filling the lot's buildable area, another 2-4 stories of pedestal for parking, private roof garden, and pool set back another 20', and a tower of unlimited height (subject to FAA veto, sadly) and unlimited FAR as long as the tower itself has a footprint equal to 50% of the pedestal area or less, with a maximum size in any dimension equal to 2/3 the pedestal's size, and each unit had at least 1000sf plus 500sf per bedroom, and the only constraints were purely economic -- the cost of building acre upon vertical acre of cheaply-carpeted concrete floor plates -- I think tall, thin towers would quickly become the vertical McMansions of urban America. 

Imagine how cool it would be if you could buy a 3600sf 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath condo with 4 deeded parking spaces in the garage, formal living and dining rooms IN ADDITION to the usual great room, plus home theater & a bonus room or two occupying 1/4 of 3 floors (or half of 2 floors, or all of one floor) in a tall, thin tower for something like $150/sf or less... 

A cool, but brutally expensive one about to get built in Miami; one unit per floor. I'm guessing the tower is around 55 x 55 feet; no idea how big the pedestal is... based on average lot sizes in the area and setbacks for residential towers, I'm going to guess around 60 x 70 feet if it's sitting on a 100 x 100 lot, and maybe 60 x 120 feet if it's sitting on two back-to-back lots (100 x 200).


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## DrJoe (Sep 12, 2002)




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## Liwwadden (Nov 12, 2005)

Achmea tower, Leeuwarden , The Netherlands
115 meters tall, #8 in The Netherlands. The most thin skyscraper of the country to.


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## JDRS (Feb 8, 2004)

^ Lovely building.


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## Robert Stark (Dec 8, 2005)

Proposes China Tower in Hamburg:


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## future.architect (Jun 10, 2004)

beetham tower, manchester:


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## I'll... (May 22, 2006)

Hongkong has a lot such buildings


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## alsen (Jan 20, 2006)

Empire Tower,KL
Pic by Patrick Beckers

http://www.skyscraperpicture.com/kl058.jpg


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

I'll... said:


> Hongkong has a lot such buildings


How many pencil scrapers do you see 

http://www.globalphotos.org


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

The most dramatic thin towers in Hong Kong are *Highcliff* and *Summit*, which are perched along the hillsides overlooking the harbour :


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## conquest (Jul 27, 2005)

this tower is called torre de la escollera, is under construction, located in cartagena colombia 210mts


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## TowerPower (Nov 23, 2005)

You want to see skinny, here you go. It's the Rose Rotanna in Dubai, still yet to be topped out (right now it's around 270 m but soon, with roof and spire, it will be 333 m). Pics are by AltinD.











In a row of skinny towers.


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## Æsahættr (Jul 9, 2004)

The first scraper in that line has a very unique architecture... But it looks... :/


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## I'll... (May 22, 2006)

amazing pics amazing buildings


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