yyzer
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from the Star...
Residents may get fresh view from rotating towers
First Dubai, then Moscow – could Toronto be the next city to get a revolving tower?
July 19, 2008
Pat Brennan
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Toronto may someday have a highrise condominium tower where each floor rotates to give its residents a fresh view.
David Fisher, the Italian architect who has designed similar condo towers for Dubai and Moscow, said he has received queries from Toronto developers about applying his designs here.
Fisher won't reveal the names of the Toronto developers and says he has only received emails from them seeking more information.
"I really like that city," said Fisher in a telephone interview from his office in Florence, Italy. Toronto has brought him a lot of relief, he said. (He underwent a successful operation at the Shouldice Hernia Centre on Bayview Ave. in Thornhill.)
"There are various people in Toronto excited about creating such a landmark," said Fisher. He revealed his rotating building designs at a press conference last month in New York City.
He said an 80-storey residential tower in Dubai and a 70-storey condo in Moscow are approaching the final approval stages by government officials in both communities. He expects both buildings to be occupied in 36 months.
"The buildings will never look the same in their lifetimes," said Fisher.
That's because each floor will be of a different shape and be rotating at a different speed. That creates an undulating, dancing structure.
A three-foot gap between each floor will accommodate small wind generators so that the building produces its own electricity. The rotating floors will be made of steel, aluminum and composite materials. The central tower on which the floors rotate can be made of steel or concrete.
He said smart valves will allow sewer, water and electrical hook-ups between the residence and the central tower to be continuous.
Fisher said most of the components of the building will be manufactured in a factory in Italy and sent in shipping crates to the construction site.
"If we had several dynamic buildings to erect in Toronto or Canada, we could build a factory there, too," said Fisher. "Most homes will eventually be made in factories and shipped to a site."
The Dubai tower will have residential suites ranging in size from 1,330 square feet to 12,900 square feet. The first 20 floors in the 80-storey structure will be offices. The next 15 floors will house a hotel. Traditional condo residences will occupy the next 35 floors and the top 10 floors will be an exclusive neighbourhood of huge penthouse suites.
For penthouse occupants, even their cars get a continually changing view. Special elevators will bring their cars up to a parking spot just outside their suite.
Fisher, despite his Anglo-sounding name, was born and raised in Northern Italy. His father was born in Vienna, Austria. He earned a degree in architecture at the University of Florence and has taught architecture and engineering there for 30 years.
Ironically, he has never designed a highrise building before the Dubai and Moscow towers. He specializes in restoration of ancient structures around the world.
More details are available at dynamic architecture.net
http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/460945
Residents may get fresh view from rotating towers
First Dubai, then Moscow – could Toronto be the next city to get a revolving tower?
July 19, 2008
Pat Brennan
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Toronto may someday have a highrise condominium tower where each floor rotates to give its residents a fresh view.
David Fisher, the Italian architect who has designed similar condo towers for Dubai and Moscow, said he has received queries from Toronto developers about applying his designs here.
Fisher won't reveal the names of the Toronto developers and says he has only received emails from them seeking more information.
"I really like that city," said Fisher in a telephone interview from his office in Florence, Italy. Toronto has brought him a lot of relief, he said. (He underwent a successful operation at the Shouldice Hernia Centre on Bayview Ave. in Thornhill.)
"There are various people in Toronto excited about creating such a landmark," said Fisher. He revealed his rotating building designs at a press conference last month in New York City.
He said an 80-storey residential tower in Dubai and a 70-storey condo in Moscow are approaching the final approval stages by government officials in both communities. He expects both buildings to be occupied in 36 months.
"The buildings will never look the same in their lifetimes," said Fisher.
That's because each floor will be of a different shape and be rotating at a different speed. That creates an undulating, dancing structure.
A three-foot gap between each floor will accommodate small wind generators so that the building produces its own electricity. The rotating floors will be made of steel, aluminum and composite materials. The central tower on which the floors rotate can be made of steel or concrete.
He said smart valves will allow sewer, water and electrical hook-ups between the residence and the central tower to be continuous.
Fisher said most of the components of the building will be manufactured in a factory in Italy and sent in shipping crates to the construction site.
"If we had several dynamic buildings to erect in Toronto or Canada, we could build a factory there, too," said Fisher. "Most homes will eventually be made in factories and shipped to a site."
The Dubai tower will have residential suites ranging in size from 1,330 square feet to 12,900 square feet. The first 20 floors in the 80-storey structure will be offices. The next 15 floors will house a hotel. Traditional condo residences will occupy the next 35 floors and the top 10 floors will be an exclusive neighbourhood of huge penthouse suites.
For penthouse occupants, even their cars get a continually changing view. Special elevators will bring their cars up to a parking spot just outside their suite.
Fisher, despite his Anglo-sounding name, was born and raised in Northern Italy. His father was born in Vienna, Austria. He earned a degree in architecture at the University of Florence and has taught architecture and engineering there for 30 years.
Ironically, he has never designed a highrise building before the Dubai and Moscow towers. He specializes in restoration of ancient structures around the world.
More details are available at dynamic architecture.net
http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/460945
