Cool. I’m not sure what the seismic safety implications would be in Mexico City, but it certainly does seem like it has potential. However, it seems like something that you would want to build up to first to understand any unanticipated complications. Perhaps a building 20 stories deep, then 40 stories deep, before attempting something this big. I wish them luck however as this type of building could give urban areas more development options.
How do they intend to deal with the (sometimes large) earthquakes that are normal for this city?
Rand, would something like this be good for Florida hurricanes?
Holes like to fill with water.
Let me expound by asking what the average depth of the Water Table in Mexico City is?
Isn’t Mexico City built on a old lake bed? I’d bed water is going to be a huge problem with this type of construction.
Leland,
if that’s your yard, hopefully, it”l be seen by some hawks or owls. That got rid of my gophers! If that’s not your yard, never mind.
I gotta tell ya’ though. That idea creeps me out. I don’t like underground anything. (oddly, I always wanted an earth berm house) Not crazy about subways, under ground parking, GRAVES. They just seem like graves!
I’ve got goosebumps sitting here just thinking about this WHOLE topic. Hole topic? Yeah Hole Topic!
EEEWWWWWWWWWWW.
State Farm offered me a falcon.
When I first saw the post title, I thought of a hyperbolic pass. (I don’t think I could use the word “orbit” here.)
I think designing such a structure against Earthquakes would be fairly easy as long as it was being built in good rock. An outer shell would keep the walls from moving in (basically a rock-fall problem). A gap between the outer wall and the interior would allow the a wall to push in many feet without damaging the inner structural members. Then each floor or groups of floors can be anchored into the surrounding rock with long horizontal steel shafts. The floors couldn’t collapse or pancake like a skyscraper because they’d be anchored to all the layers of inccompressible rock that surrounds the structure.
The only major downsides I see are no exterior views and that little natural light would enter, unlike a skyscraper where almost the entire outer surface collects light. However modern lighting technology pretty much makes this a non-issue (most shopping malls have little natural light, and almost none offer any real exterior view, since people don’t want to look at the parking lot).
In short, it won’t sway. It won’t have to take wind loads. The structure doesn’t have to be self-supporting for it’s entire height. It won’t have to cope with massive solar heating in the summer or frigid windows in the winter. It has no need for thousands and thousands of very thick glass windows (for occupant safety and wind loads). It won’t worry people who are afraid of heights or earthquakes. It won’t get hit with airplanes.
A minor downside is that the floors will have to be called basement, sub-basement, sub-sub basement, sub^n basement, etc.
George, tell me what is going to happen when the quake makes it leak groundwater.
The pumps will pump the water out, of course.
Sort of the opposite of a Japanese nuclear power plant.
Pumps never fail!
Maybe it would be cooler if they filled the center with water and put fish in it. Who wouldn’t want to live in an aquarium?
Looks like a marscraper to me. Does this give you more than 180 plots per sq. km.?
Cool. I’m not sure what the seismic safety implications would be in Mexico City, but it certainly does seem like it has potential. However, it seems like something that you would want to build up to first to understand any unanticipated complications. Perhaps a building 20 stories deep, then 40 stories deep, before attempting something this big. I wish them luck however as this type of building could give urban areas more development options.
How do they intend to deal with the (sometimes large) earthquakes that are normal for this city?
Rand, would something like this be good for Florida hurricanes?
Holes like to fill with water.
Let me expound by asking what the average depth of the Water Table in Mexico City is?
Isn’t Mexico City built on a old lake bed? I’d bed water is going to be a huge problem with this type of construction.
Seems to be a lot of holes in this idea.
The article reminded me of this.
Leland,
if that’s your yard, hopefully, it”l be seen by some hawks or owls. That got rid of my gophers! If that’s not your yard, never mind.
I gotta tell ya’ though. That idea creeps me out. I don’t like underground anything. (oddly, I always wanted an earth berm house) Not crazy about subways, under ground parking, GRAVES. They just seem like graves!
I’ve got goosebumps sitting here just thinking about this WHOLE topic. Hole topic? Yeah Hole Topic!
EEEWWWWWWWWWWW.
State Farm offered me a falcon.
When I first saw the post title, I thought of a hyperbolic pass. (I don’t think I could use the word “orbit” here.)
I think designing such a structure against Earthquakes would be fairly easy as long as it was being built in good rock. An outer shell would keep the walls from moving in (basically a rock-fall problem). A gap between the outer wall and the interior would allow the a wall to push in many feet without damaging the inner structural members. Then each floor or groups of floors can be anchored into the surrounding rock with long horizontal steel shafts. The floors couldn’t collapse or pancake like a skyscraper because they’d be anchored to all the layers of inccompressible rock that surrounds the structure.
The only major downsides I see are no exterior views and that little natural light would enter, unlike a skyscraper where almost the entire outer surface collects light. However modern lighting technology pretty much makes this a non-issue (most shopping malls have little natural light, and almost none offer any real exterior view, since people don’t want to look at the parking lot).
In short, it won’t sway. It won’t have to take wind loads. The structure doesn’t have to be self-supporting for it’s entire height. It won’t have to cope with massive solar heating in the summer or frigid windows in the winter. It has no need for thousands and thousands of very thick glass windows (for occupant safety and wind loads). It won’t worry people who are afraid of heights or earthquakes. It won’t get hit with airplanes.
A minor downside is that the floors will have to be called basement, sub-basement, sub-sub basement, sub^n basement, etc.
George, tell me what is going to happen when the quake makes it leak groundwater.
The pumps will pump the water out, of course.
Sort of the opposite of a Japanese nuclear power plant.
Pumps never fail!
Maybe it would be cooler if they filled the center with water and put fish in it. Who wouldn’t want to live in an aquarium?
Looks like a marscraper to me. Does this give you more than 180 plots per sq. km.?