Last Updated 3/13/10 3:59 PM
CONTACT USSUBSCRIBEADVERTISEMARKETPLACEPM STORENEWSLETTERCOVERS
Search
Air & Space Earth & the Environment Robotics Health & Medicine Extreme Machines Research Worst-Case Scenarios Science

The 10 Next Hot Skyscrapers You Won't Find in Dubai

When it comes to tall buildings, all eyes are on the Burj Dubai. That's because this month it became the tallest structure in the world—and it's not even done yet. But across the world architects have already come up with mega engineering plans vying to be equally mind-blowing. From shortest to tallest, here are our favorite 10 favorite skyscrapers under construction whose radical designs and eco-friendly architecture make up for a lack of height.

Published on: September 15, 2008

ALSO SEE...

KEYWORDS

10. The Bow

Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The Bow
Designer Foster + Partners Height 774 feet
Floors 58 Estimated Completion 2011


The Bow gets its name from the tower's unique, curving shape. When it's completed it will be Calgary's first steel skyscraper, which means it'll use significantly less material, as a steel frame does away with the need for a multitude of weaker supports built into load-bearing walls. It will also be Calgary's tallest building, and the green-minded team at Fosters and Partners built it to be environmentally sustainable. Three sky lobbies spaced about 18 floors apart divide it into three zones for business, shopping and leisure, and a southward atrium spans the entirety of the Bow's facade, which will expose the inside to plenty of sun and help warm it during Canadian winters. Energy is also saved by the amount of light the Bow's heavily-windowed structure lets in, meaning more natural illumination and less of the artificial stuff.

While it won't even make the list of the 100 tallest buildings in the world at a modest 774 ft., The Bow still stands tall—and curved—as an example of environmentally-minded architecture.

CLICK FOR MORE: The 10 Next Hot Skyscrapers

next
The Bow
10. The Bow
Beekman Tower
9. Beekman Tower
Tower Verre
8. Tower Verre
Sinosteel International Plaza
7. Sinosteel International Plaza
Al Hamra Tower
6. Al Hamra Tower
Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower
5. Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower
International Commerce Centre
4. International Commerce Centre
Federation Tower
3. Federation Tower
Chicago Spire
2. Chicago Spire
Shanghai Tower
1. Shanghai Tower


Reader Comments (--)
Loading Retrieving comments...
Add Comment
Comment Title 
Your Name 
Email Address 
Website     make public
Comment 
Please enter the characters shown below:
 

 
  Make sure your comment is relevant to the topic discussed. Comments not relevant to the topic will be deleted. Neither you nor Popular Mechanics has the ability to make your e-mail address public. However, we ask that you submit your e-mail address to us just in case we need to contact you. Thank you for your understanding--The Editors.

PM's iPhone App

Popular Mechanics comes to a pocket near you with an iPhone app. Go to Apple’s App Store, and download Zinio’s magazine reading app to get started. Don’t have an iPhone? Get a free preview of the digital edition of our April issue right now from your desktop. Subscribe and get 12 issues/$7.99, $1.99 for a single issue.

Technology

Quieting Your PC

Your personal computer is an assemblage of whirring, vibrating parts and this can amount to a white noise, or an irritating drone.
ADVERTISEMENT


myMod: Sign Up for PM's New Tech Community!
Show off your mod! Upload pics or videos and chat on our message boards. Sign up for myMod now to have a chance at winning a $150 Visa gift card to Digi-Key!

2009 PM Car Makeover

YouDrive EcoMuscle
Eco-Muscle
Almost everyone agrees that hybrid cars are the next big step on our way to an all-electric future. But what if we use two parallel powertrains, gas and electric, to drive a full size car?

Current Issue


OUT NOW: Air Strike

Fewer pilots. More UAVs. In March, PM takes you behind the radical plan to reinvent the Air Force. Plus, take our DIY IQ test!


Alternative Energy

solar thermal power
Solar Thermal Power May Make Sun-Powered Grid a Reality
It's solar's new dawn. Now new innovations are exiting the lab and plugging into the grid - turning sunlight into serious energy.

Automotive

Toyota's Pedal Problem

PM's Mike Allen explains why widespread theories about electrical throttle problems and electromagnetic interference are misguided.

Mythbusters

Mythbusters Central

Jamie and Adam break down today's tech conundrums, from the moon landing to the state of science in the classroom and more!
Mythbusters Cover
Mythbusters Central
Jamie and Adam break down today's tech conundrums, from the moon landing to the state of science in the classroom and more!

PLUS: Enter to win a signed cover of the September issue

My Popular Mechanics

Join PM's User-Powered Motorcycle Community!

Rev up with myBike to upload rides from your garage, rate others, make biker buddies and chat on message boards! Join myBike Now!

PM Ad Partner Links



Hearst Men's Network