DIB-200 is a possible

mixed use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

supertall

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

project proposed by

Kajima Construction is one of the oldest and largest construction companies in Japan. Founded in 1840, the company has its headquarters in Motoakasaka, Minato, Tokyo. The company is known for its DIB-200 proposal. The company stock is traded on four leading Ja ...

and designed by Sadaaki Masuda and Scott Howe. If constructed, it would be tall. The name stands for Dynamic Intelligent Building of 200 stories. The design consists of 12 cylindrical modules across and long, which are stacked one on top of the other to form four towers that rise to different heights from the corners of a quadrangle at the base. One tower is two modules high, two towers are three modules high, and the fourth tower consists of four modules and climbs the full 800 metres. The modular design would help keep down costs and make technical problems more manageable. The gaps between the modules are designed to reduce

wind loading Wind engineering is a subset of mechanical engineering, structural engineering, meteorology, and applied physics that analyzes the effects of wind in the natural and the built environment and studies the possible damage, inconvenience or benefits w ...

on the structure. The design has been criticized for looking as if it owes more to engineering

pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. ...

than architectural flair. However, Sadaaki Masuda claims that they could do little to influence the overall appearance of DIB-200 once the module had been designed and the parameters agreed upon. He believes his company is right to want a technically feasible scheme that, however ambitious, is realistic by today's standards. Scott Howe sees their contribution as helping to make the building a pleasant place for a population equivalent to that of a medium-sized town. The first two tiers provide office space for about 50,000 people. On the third tier, there will be a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

with 2,500 rooms, while the top tier is a residential block for more than 300 homes. Despite the structure's extraordinary height, Howe talks of "putting some horizontal into the building", of "artificial ground levels and no bottlenecks moving up and down the building". People will use high-speed lifts to shuttle between tiers, and slower ones to reach individual floors. Though Kajima is sticking with proven technology, it is taking conventional lift design to the limit with cables as long as 600 metres to provide the building's most direct service. Between tiers, horizontal sky lobbies will link the towers, and contain shops, sports and cultural centres.

References

Cities in the sky: New Scientist, October 2, 1993

External links

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