JULY 12, 2014 Phls tallest structure to rise in QC By Janvic Mateo, The Philippine Star MANILA, Philippines - Plans are underway to build what could be the highest structure in the Philippines on a seven-hectare property formerly occupied by the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation (MSBF), a Quezon City official said yesterday. Victor Endriga, senior adviser to Mayor Herbert Bautista, said in a phone interview with The STAR yesterday that they plan to build a P15 billion, 612-meter telecommunications tower that will be called the Philippine Diamond Tower. Endriga confirmed this even as a proposed resolution regarding the development of the property owned by the National Housing Authority (NHA) was filed before the city council. In the proposal, Councilors Jesus Manuel Suntay and Marivic Co-Pilar asked their peers to approve a resolution that will allow Bautista to enter into a joint venture agreement with the NHA. “The Quezon City government and the (NHA) are committed and actively participating as partners in providing resettlement to (informal settler families),” read the proposed measure. It noted that the NHA is the owner of the 69,759-square meter property that was formerly occupied by the MSBF. The details on the joint venture have yet to be released. However, the councilors said the Urban Development Act of 1992 has tasked the NHA to provide assistance to the local government in implementing its housing programs. NHA general manager Chito Cruz has yet to respond to requests for interview regarding the matter. The city took control of the property and demolished the structures built by its occupants last year after claiming that the MSBF failed to pay real property taxes to the city government. No to integrated terminal Earlier, the Department of Transportation and Communications said they are considering the site as a possible location of an integrated transport terminal, similar to the one in Pasay City. But according to Endriga, they are not keen on agreeing to such proposal since they have already come up with studies for the development of the Philippine Diamond Tower, which would be the second highest self-supported tower in the world next to Japan’s Tokyo Sky Free (634 meters). When compared to tallest buildings in the world, its height would be next to Burj Khalifa in Dubai (828 meters) and Shanghai Tower in China (632 meters). It would be taller than the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel in Saudi Arabia (601 meters) and the One World Trade Center in New York (541.3 meters). In addition to telecommunications, Endriga said the tower will also be used for disaster risk reduction. He also admitted that a number of land developers are already in talks with the local government for the development of the other parts of the property. He said they are looking into the possible development of hotels, shopping areas and parks in the area. The official said the development could be a public-private partnership, and maintained that it would be beneficial for the local government and its residents as it would provide jobs and increase revenue. He also assured safety of the proposed tower, saying they already surveyed the sturdiness of the soil and confirmed that the area is not prone to earthquakes. “We hope to develop something that could be a pride of every Filipino,” he said. ------------------------------------------------------ July 2, 2014 World’s third tallest tower to rise in Quezon City finished by 2016 by Ruser Mallari 1/07/2014 | 5:28 Posted in Nation Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, a Japanese firm was given a go signal by the Quezon city government to start the building of Philippine Diamond Tower in a seven-hectare lot. “The mayor gave us the go-signal to collaborate with Mitsubishi [for the] groundbreaking on Oct. 12, the city’s 75th founding anniversary,” Dr. Victor Endriga told Manila Standard. According to the report, the said tower is set to be finished on 2016. “The tower will house an international convention center, a five-star hotel, a shopping mall, restaurants, a disaster-risk management center, a garden park and a telecommunications hub.” “It is the Quezon City government’s wish that the Philippines will have a reliable durable facility for disaster risk communications. We also want the country to be better prepared for the shift from analog to digital technology, using Japan’s standard,” reads in Mayor Herbert Bautista’s text message to Manila Standard. When finished, it will stand as the world’s third tallest tower with total height of 612.0 meters representing Philippine Independence Day. source: Angmalaya.net --------------------------------------------------------- MAY 24, 2012 Eye in the sky: Climbing the new Tokyo Skytree | CNNGo tallest tower tokyo At 634 meters, the Skytree is now the tallest tower in the world. It’s as imposing as Godzilla but multiple monsters in height. So, when owner Tobu Railway invited press to this steel colossus in Sumida Ward near Asakusa, I jumped at the chance. I’d seen it from afar many times, but was still hit by an ant-versus-mountain awe I got at the bottom. Donning a hard hat, I walked through a forest of giant steel tubes — the Skytree’s exterior steel mesh — into the unfinished lobby. An express elevator whisked me up to the first observation deck at 350 meters in less than a minute. Cheaper than a helicopter The view is a visual tsunami — Tokyo spreads out to the horizon like a vast circuit board, with Mount Fuji lording over all on clear days. It’s a 360-degree helicopter panorama on the cheap: When it officially opens in May 2012 as a broadcast tower for digital TV and radio, admission will be ¥2,000 to the first observation deck, and an extra ¥1,000 for the second, at 450 meters up. It was off-limits when I visited, but will feature an “air corridor” glass outer walkway. As one of the world’s highest observation decks, it’s sure to be a ticket to vertigo. Eyeing Tokyo Bay from my lofty perch, I couldn’t help but think about earthquakes. Tokyo rides a tectonic bronco and is overdue for a big jolt. Building a stovepipe over half a kilometer tall seems insane, not to mention the fact that the ground below it is about as strong as tofu. Standing up to quakes “The anti-quake measures in this structure can reduce quake vibrations by 50 percent,” says Hirotake Takanishi, PR manager for Tobu Tower Skytree. “We’ve run simulations showing the Sky Tree will withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake, and can withstand even stronger ones, but we can’t say definitely what its upper limit is.” Takanishi pointed to an ancient construction technology borrowed from Japanese temples that’s at the center of the tower. The shimbashira is a central column of reinforced concrete that is structurally separate from the exterior steel truss. It acts as a counterweight when the tower sways. Engineers are confident because five-storied pagodas with shimbashira columns have never been toppled by quakes in Japan. The Skytree suffered virtually no damage in the March 11 quake and aftershocks that hit Tohoku as well as the Kanto area. Obayashi Corporation, which began construction in July 2008, continued after a brief delay and the Sky Tree will be complete in February 2012. It’s already transforming the sleepy Shitamachi neighborhood of Narihirabashi into a major tourist draw, and will add a 31-story office tower, restaurants and the inevitable slew of souvenir shops. Think Tokyo Tower on steroids. “If visitors come and see the local area and not just the Skytree complex, that will be positive,” says Shinkichi Tani, a retiree who lives in nearby Azumabashi. “People have started flocking here since it topped Tokyo Tower in height, and there’s no sign of it stopping.” Tani is making the best of his new neighbor by loaning visitors a free convex mirror that reflects the tower for souvenir snapshots. It’s the only spot around that actually makes the Sky Tree look small. source: Pinoy Digest
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 21:43:34 +0000
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