World’s largest building approved in Moscow 4

Comments View as Flat

1. 

   wiscidea Posted 9:07 am
   03 Jan 2008

   parkingI hope they include underground parking.
   Just kidding.
   Seriously, though, it is difficult to envision how human beings and materials will travel into and out of the structure on a daily basis. There are "3,000 hotel rooms, 900 apartments, an international school for 500 students, theaters, offices, and stores". It is a small city housing a very transient population. Even if they arrive and leave by light rail, there is the matter of importing food and exporting waste for composting or recycling.
   It also looks like a disaster waiting to happen... structural failure due to shoddy construction, break down of necessary cutting edge technology, terrorist attack, et cetera. I hope they plan on installing anti-aircraft guns around the perimeter.
   Just does not seem like a good idea to concentrate so many people in a single structure nowadays.

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2. 

   Matt G Posted 9:34 am
   03 Jan 2008

   Good idea for this locationDense housing is a great idea in Moscow, where heating is (likely) the primary energy consumed for residences.  This is a region that has highs in the summer in the mid 70's.  Spread out housing has a huge amount of surface area and therefore heat loss.  If you minimize the surface area then cooling becomes your primary concern - which in this region can generally be accomplished just by bringing in outside air.
   Not to mention the energy savings from transportation or the green space savings by having dense construction.

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3. 

   naught101 Posted 2:11 pm
   03 Jan 2008

   housing densityA good point, Matt, however in such situations, there's always going to be an optimal density, and related height, and I feel like this project goes way past that.
   I have to agree with wiscidea. I think that the scale of high-technology in this project will leave it an empty shell in the coming decades (anyone have any idea when Russia is going to hit Peak Gas?).
   I have a feeling that Russians should look at sub-surface housing. from skimming through a bit of this: http://nsidc.org/data/arcss078.html it's clear that temperatures are much more mild 2-3m down even in mid winter, staying at about 2-4 degrees C most of the year. Combine that with some good insulation on top, and you might even manage with body heat.
   
   check out http://www.envirowiki.info, the knowledge database for environmentalists and activists.

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4. 

   atreyger Posted 4:39 am
   04 Jan 2008

   and then just become mole peopleYep, naght101, move 2-3 meters underground, shun daylight for the entire year, grow blind and use pheromones to communicate, come after Americans in subterranean tunnels, eat small children, roots of plants and snakes (although the first one is due to a lack of the last), and generally become rather unpleasant.
   Great idea, why don't we stick you 2-3 meters underground for a year?

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