No thanx, I’m getting dizzy just lookin at the pitcher…
I’ve always enjoyed heights. But even I become a bit concerned when the view resembles a Google Earth satellite image.
Ralph
My first reaction when I see some of these amazing foreign building constructions is to wonder about the building codes in place. A brand new, ready to open Beijing, China luxury hotel recently burned. See:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/10/china.hotel.fire/index.html
The fire was started by fireworks landing on or near the hotel. Some eyewitness reports say it went up like it was constructed of cardboard. Fortunately, the hotel was not yet occupied, but since it was basically finished, it’s safety would certainly be in question.
I have stayed in many so-called luxury hotels in Asia where one could tell that the builders had taken many shortcuts. I was in Taipei when the top floors of a 10 or so story department store just a few blocks away collapsed. The builders, owners and operators were charged with all kinds of building and structural violations. My business partners and I had eaten lunch in the top floor restaurant just a couple of days before the collapse. A little worrisome!
Happy RRing,
Jerry
If I were that crane operator, I’d want a salary commensurate with the CEO’s who would be occupying the floor I’m constructing. What a view, though. To your left–endless desert! To your right–hmmm, more endless desert! Behind you, lots of water.
Later,
K
Base jumping, anyone?
Random thoughts.
Someone must be throwing around some big money.
I wonder how windy it is up there and how that affects crane operation?
The cranes must have huge spools of cable to reach the ground.
How much will the top sway in a strong/gusty wind?
I can’t help but think of the biblical “Tower of Babel”.
Will Michael Jackson have an office near the top?
How long will an elevator ride be? Will it be non-stop to the top floor?
Note the old “skyscrapers” waaaay down below in the photo.
edit: spelling
Joe Satnik said:
Random thoughts.Someone must be throwing around some big money.
How long will an elevator ride be? Will it be non-stop to the top floor?
Note the old “skyscrapers” waaaay down below in the photo.
Now you see how the money we spend on oil is spent.
As far as elevators, probably have to change elevators several times.
At least that is how it was in the 100 story buildings I have been in.
When you are 100 stories up…you can look out the window and see the “sway” of the building. Quite a bit of movement.
A 100 story building will sway around 4 feet side to side at the top.
Ralph
“Now you see how the money we spend on oil is spent.”
Oh, if only it was that well spent.
No thanks!
I’m afraid of heights.
Didn’t used to be, but now I have vertigo if I look down from an eight foot ladder.
Sigh…
John,
Try “Prochlorperazine” tablets . Don’t ask .
Mike M
Take a good long look at that crane, the operator has to reach the cab via internal LADDER, then the cab is a small enclosed glass cubicle that has a glass floor so he can see down to the loading ares, which in this case must be platforms on the upper floors, and it gets windy at that altitude, very windy, like 50mph plus maybe higher, so the crane can sway, a bit, well- alot. And if anything gets fouled at the end of the boom arm, guess whos job it is to climb out there and free it?
Wanted, crane operator, with absolutely no fear of heights, must supply own paracute
Jerry that hotel in China, what caught fire was the scaffolding on the outside, which often are made of large amounts of wood and bamboo in that part of the world, it then spread to other parts of the hotel but the damage may have beed mostly to the exterior parts, but I still would have aot of doubt given how intense the fire was and how much damage actually occured, some parts of this world they are very good at covering up major damage before official inspectors ever make it to investigate.
If they open the viewing platform to the public I wonder if they will provide a soiled undies bin for the customers? 
Victor Smith said:I've seen varying reports on the Chinese hotel fire. In my travels in Asia, I've seen lots of scaffolding built from whatever was on hand, including bamboo and scrap wood from other projects. However, the hotel was 40 stories tall, which probably would not be accessed from bamboo scaffolds.
Jerry that hotel in China, what caught fire was the scaffolding on the outside, which often are made of large amounts of wood and bamboo in that part of the world, it then spread to other parts of the hotel but the damage may have beed mostly to the exterior parts, but I still would have aot of doubt given how intense the fire was and how much damage actually occured, some parts of this world they are very good at covering up major damage before official inspectors ever make it to investigate.
When I compare hotels n various parts of Asia to those in other parts of the world, their overall safety standards are lacking. Just one concrete example is the 9 story hotel in Seoul, Korea where the only fire escape is a rope with knots every three or so feet. When there is a fire, the guest is expected to tie the rope to a ring on the floor, break out a window, then climb down the rope. Even a 20 year old person skilled in gymnastics would be hard pressed to perform this feat successfully. We somewhat allay our fears by always asking for rooms no higher than the third floor where there is some chance that a ladder could reach.
I don’t have any experience in the middle east, but I can’t believe that things are up to the standards we enjoy here in the U.S. Europe tends to be somewhere in between the U.S and Asia in terms of safety concerns. Since I prefer the small family run establishments in the British Isles and Continental Europe, I’ve always assumed I was on my own. The good news is that those hotels tend to be only one or two stories.
In all my travels, the only times I have been evacuated have been a couple of times in the Boston MA area, and those turned out to be extremely minor events. I will settle for full nights of sleep, and to put this back on topic, would probably not appreciate the swaying motion that the BurjDubai would possibly experience.
Happy RRing,
Jerry
Aw com’on Jerry the swaying just rocks you to sleep
While the scaffolding is usually steel, all the decks and spanning planks are either wood or bamboo, usually old and very flammible. But I have seen concrete high-rises totally scaffolded in bamboo in southeast asia. Different world out there…
The Crane is accessed by a ladder/stairwell in the frame. The elevator is the structure one the far right of the building. Most of those big cranes take about a half hour to get into. The cab isn’t as small as it seems. They are usually equipped with a bathroom and small water supply. This is due to the fact that the operator doesn’t leave. He shows up early and leaves late. All of the new cranes are computerized, they tell the operator the load, windspeed etc, and operate the counter balance so the crane doesn’t tip over. Communications are mostly done by radio and the main spotter and operator normally work as a team all the time, kinda like a knuckle ball pitcher and his catcher. The frame is an open structure so the wind load isn’t that bad. I would say sway is normally about a foot either way. When winds get too high the crane is shut down. For repairs, there is another poor soul, who makes far less then the operator, that gets to go fix it. The operator does not leave the cab.
Victor Smith said:Since I am pretty susceptible to motion sickness, rather than being rocked to sleep, I would most likely be rocked to puking!!
Aw com'on Jerry the swaying just rocks you to sleep :O
I was watched a building of perhaps 10 or 12 floors go up in Taipei. Very well used bamboo poles in perhaps 6 foot lengths were being delivered in huge bundles tied on the back of motorcycles. Guys in sandals with no protective gear (safety harnesses, hard hats, shirts, etc.) were tying bamboo poles together with some kind of binder twine to create scaffolding about 8 stories off the ground. As you wrote, “Different world out there . . .”
Terry: Sounds like you have some direct experience with these amazing machines. They are truly something to watch. Even the smaller ones appear to defy gravity.
Happy (Ground Floor) RRing,
Jerry
There’s a documentary dvd around that covers the building phases . If you get the chance , watch it .
One interesting fact----the crane is self erecting . Now that IS dodgy with the top half loose . Also , a new way of concrete pumping had to be developed .
Mike M