Dubai ´shape-shifting´. It´s possible?

Dubai is currently experiencing a construction boom with the Burj tower set to claim the title of the world’s tallest building when it is completed in 2009. It is already home to the world’s largest mall and — despite being in the Middle East — it boasts the largest indoor snow park in the world.

Ambitious plans to build a revolutionary 420-meter shape-shifting skyscraper in Dubai have been unveiled by architects. It appears revolutionary in more ways than one. The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile cement core, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the Persian Gulf and the Dubai’s futuristic skyline. As the floors swivel, the silhouette of the tower will mutate. The floors will be divided by horizontal wind turbines which will generate enough energy to power the structure. The roof will be clad with solar cells and each floor would be capable of rotating independently, powered by wind turbines fitted between each floor. A few penthouse villas would spin on command using a voice-activated computer. The motion of the rest of the building would be choreographed in patterns that could be altered over time. Is a new architectural concept that is taking root around the world.

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A residential skyscraper in Dubai that will change shape as individual floors spin around a central core has begun taking bookings from potential buyers. How quickly they will put their names down for the flats will depend, however, on how seriously they choose to take the enterprise. The apartments, ranging from 124 to 1200 square metres, will take between one and three hours to make a complete rotation, and at $US30,000 per square metres, will cost from $US3.7 million to $US36 million. Pre-fabricated components made in a plant in Altamura, southern Italy, will allow the skyscraper to go up in record time - one floor per week instead of the usual one-per-six-weeks for similar high rises - and slash building costs by 10%.Work on the tower is due to be completed by 2010.
The details of when the Dubai tower will be completed, where the financing for it is coming from and how much potential buyers should expect to pay remained vague, however.

Plans to build a second rotating skyscraper in Moscow were at an advanced stage and that the group intended to build a third tower in New York. Both structures, at over 1,300 feet, would be taller than the Empire State Building.

Some questions

How would the plumbing hookups work in an apartment that is constantly moving?
The pipes will connect to the core via attachments similar to the ones used by military aircraft for in-flight refueling.

Wouldn’t people get dizzy?
The rotations will be slow enough that no one will notice.

With so many moving parts, wouldn’t the building be a maintenance nightmare?
The building’s modular construction will allow easy access to parts that need to be replaced.

Perhaps It`s possible but it would be a major change. What’s Next? it looks like everything is possible …