VERTICAL
UPDATE High-Rise News & Updates
for Las Vegas
Upwardly Mobile: Rotating
Towers Becoming a Reality
by: Brenda Calvin,
The Calvin Group, LLC
Many
who have visited Las Vegas and most of us who reside here
have had the opportunity to take the spectacular elevator
ride to the 106th floor of the Stratosphere Tower. On the
top of the “tallest observation tower in the U.S.,”
there are a number of extreme rides for the daring to achieve
nirvana. I happen to reside much more on the other end of
the spectrum. When I go to the Stratosphere, I usually eat
at the revolving restaurant, Top of the World. While one dines,
the restaurant slowly rotates for a phenomenal view of the
Las Vegas Strip, downtown Las Vegas, and all of the surrounding
mountain ranges. It is the ideal spot for celebrating special
events or for contemplating important life decisions. All
in all, it provides an interesting perspective, looking out
over the city and rising above the everyday routine below.
How thrilling it would
be if a residential building could also rotate. When in Dubai,
I met with Dynamic Architecture’s David Fisher, an architect
from Florence, Italy. He is the architect of the 80-story
Rotating Tower Dubai now underway in UAE, and I had a wonderful
opportunity to sit down with David to discuss this unprecedented
new building.
When asked how the idea
for a rotating tower came to him, David says, "I went
to see a penthouse that was on sale in Miami Beach. Asking
for the price, I was told 1.6 million dollars. When I pointed
to the other penthouse on the same floor the answer was three
million. Asking why, the answer was, ‘Overlooking the
ocean.’ A week later, at a friend’s apartment
in Manhattan, I was enjoying the view from the 31st floor
and my friend looked at me said, ‘David, did you notice?
You can see from here to the East River as well as the Hudson
River—both sides of Manhattan—I am the only one
on the entire floor who has such a view.’” David
had the thought that it would be wonderful if everyone could
see the East River as well as the Hudson River—in essence,
to have all views. And the idea of a rotating tower was born.
“Each floor rotates
independent of the other floors,” David says. “It
takes approximately 60 minutes for a single rotation.”
The elevators and all other main systems of the building are
located within a central concrete core, which is built by
traditional construction methods at the construction site.
However, the homes themselves will be assembled offsite—actually
outside of Bari, Italy—and then lifted into place by
special cables, as opposed to a tower crane. After the various
floors are lifted into place, the rotation begins. If an owner
purchases the entire floor, they will be able to rotate or
stop their floor by simple voice-activation. For example,
a special event such as a fireworks display or a lunar eclipse
may dictate staying in one location, deviating from the standard
rotation. This flexibility is marvelous.
As each floor rotates separately
and at a different speed, the building changes its shape continuously.
“Dimensionally speaking, buildings can be defined by
length, width, and height. However, with the Rotating Tower,
we’ve added a forth dimension—the element of time,”
David says. With traditional buildings, movement is certainly
taken into consideration by wind engineers in the planning
or design stage. In these cases, the goal is to minimize the
building’s sway due to the effects of wind. However,
the movement referred to in the case of a rotating tower is
purposeful; to add intrinsic value for the inhabitants. The
novelty of a “moving backdrop” has proven to have
great value in the marketplace. Exactly how much remains to
be seen. The current prices of the units in Rotating Tower
Dubai are over $3,000 per square foot and range from $3 million
to $30 million per unit, and so far 1,100 apartments have
been booked. The anticipated completion date is late 2010.
Simultaneously, David is
working on several other projects including preparing the
launch of a 70-story rotating tower in Moscow as well. No
pricing has been established yet in Moscow. “By the
way, we do hope to develop one in the U.S.—probably
in New York.” says David. “Each tower will have
its own shape, defined by the floor layouts and then, of course,
defined by the movement of each floor.”
Additionally, there are
horizontal wind turbines located between each floor level.
It is anticipated that 100 percent of the energy required
by the building can be generated by these wind turbines. The
excess energy can actually be sold off to nearby buildings
or to the electric grid. This is certainly opportunistic,
not only for adding to the revenues of the homeowners association,
but increasing the ecological health of our planet. The latter
of which, these days, must be the mantra of any vertical developer.
Make no mistake; a revolutionary
idea, such as a rotating tower is a risk, offering an alternative
to what traditionally defines a high-rise home. The rotating
tower provides living space in motion, but the space is suspended
without the traditional “concrete cocooning” of
traditional high-rise homes. It is likewise a monumental change
in how high-rise towers are constructed. I can well imagine
that there are some skeptics who scoff at the concept, pointing
out potential concerns. I think the concerns of seasoned professionals
should be taken seriously and thoughtfully addressed; however,
I frankly think the concept is rather bold and fresh. It certainly
has appeal from a sales and marketing viewpoint. I have no
doubt that there will be issues that arise in the field—while
under construction—that will have to be resolved. But
this has always been true on any high-rise project I have
sold.
From a cultural perspective,
the rotating tower can be considered moving art; changing
shape and uniquely undulating to an ethereal rhythm. I imagine
that the cladding—or skin—of the building will
reflect the city around it, and this reflection will only
be embellished by its constant motion. Most large cities have
sculpture gardens and/or large-scale abstract or object art
to enhance the urban fabric. This “sculpture”
has a dual purpose; it is a living environment on one hand,
and skyscraper-size performance art on the other. For the
onlooker, I suspect it will be poetry in motion, to say the
least.
Thanks to David Fisher,
for sharing Rotating Tower with us. My hunch is that the towers
are sure to be a quantum leap for high-rise dwellers and fortunate
city skylines worldwide.
This video may
take a few minutes to load properly,
but it is well worth the wait. Click on the play button.
Until next time, here’s
wishing you “elevated” sales!
Photos Courtesy of David
Fisher
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Brenda
Calvin is the Broker of The Calvin Group, LLC, and has
a 20-year successful track record of selling high-rise
and mid-rise condominiums in multiple states. The Calvin
Group is a boutique brokerage specializing the innovative
sales, marketing and developer consulting of residential
high-rise properties. To contact Brenda, you may phone
(702) 939-5638 or e-mail Brenda@TheCalvinGroup.com.
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Many
who have visited Las Vegas and most of us who reside here
have had the opportunity to take the spectacular elevator
ride to the 106th floor of the Stratosphere Tower. On the
top of the “tallest observation tower in the U.S.,”
there are a number of extreme rides for the daring to achieve
nirvana. I happen to reside much more on the other end of
the spectrum. When I go to the Stratosphere, I usually eat
at the revolving restaurant, Top of the World. While one dines,
the restaurant slowly rotates for a phenomenal view of the
Las Vegas Strip, downtown Las Vegas, and all of the surrounding
mountain ranges. It is the ideal spot for celebrating special
events or for contemplating important life decisions. All
in all, it provides an interesting perspective, looking out
over the city and rising above the everyday routine below.
