Architect: Crunch Will Topple 'Wow Factor' Buildings

160-story Dubai Burj stands 2,683 feet tall

(NEWSER) - Six years in the making, the Burj Dubai skyscraper opens Monday with the United Arab Emirates' fortunes in flux and the boom times that launched the world's tallest building a distant memory. Designed by American Adrian Smith, the Burj Dubai—the name means simply "Dubai Tower"—is 2,683 feet and 160 stories tall, with a nightclub on the 143rd floor and residences as high as the 108th. More»

So look out India and China

(NEWSER) - Barclays Capital fears impending financial crises in China and India, based on ... skyscrapers. The tall buildings are linked to such crises, and China and India are building a lot of them, the investment bank explains in its annual Skyscraper Index. A "skyscraper building boom" often reflects "a widespread misallocation of capital and an impending economic correction," the company says in its report. More»

Ireland could own under-construction skyscraper

(NEWSER) - It's supposed to be one of America's iconic skyscrapers, but Chicago's problem-plagued Spire is a step closer to being Irish-owned today after a lender filed to take possession of the under-construction project, the AP reports. Anglo Irish Bank has filed a $77 million foreclosure lawsuit against Irish developer Garrett Kelleher, claiming default on loans that matured a year ago. More»

Swirling, crumpled new clinic building is certainly unique

(NEWSER) - Designing a building that outdoes the already delirious Las Vegas skyline is no easy trick, but Frank Gehry is the man for it. Gehry tells the AP he wanted the nearly complete swirling stainless steel structure he built for the Cleveland Clinic's brain center to stand out from what he called "the cacophony" of high-rise casinos and condos forming the spine of Sin City's sprawl. And he declares himself pleased with the results. "It took my breath away," he says, adding, "I mean, some people may think it's over the top. I don't think so." More»

(NEWSER) - Charles Gwathmey, who died of esophageal cancer at 71 this week, began his architectural career as a steely, pared-down Modernist and never wavered from his style over decades of work, writes the New York Times. His larger buildings, such as an extension to Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark Guggenheim Museum, were often controversial. But it was in residential architecture that he most excelled—one 1,200-square foot house, designed for his parents while still in his 20s, became an instant classic. More»