Thailand plans one of world's tallest skyscrapers

[gyrosman]

Can they produce enough BamBo poles to support the cemet while it hardens? I don't think Ottis Elevator company will bid on this project. I can't proper water pressure to my toliet at ground level and want to go 1/2 mile up. I can see the office workers throwing the trash from the 125th floor out the windows. Who are these people, Tour La Thailand, International Playground Pattaya, trackers for tourist, again drug test for these positions should be the norm plus a real education not a relative appointed position. The more good the New PM does, the dumber the people he has to trust come out of the woodwork.

[pkspeaker]

yea really loong, they build these supertalls all the time now, they are not 'unstable', they can build them in wet countries like malaysia or in dry countrys like dubai, when have you ever seen a supertall collapse? (wtc doesn't count) never they know what they're doing, otherwise they wouldn't spend billions to build something that would be some hollywood disater movie.

From an engineering point of view this is shear adulterated madness. The water table is so high that even if the foundations were excavated down the equivalent of 15-20 floors they would still remain unstable. There just isn't enough concrete even in Thailand to substitute for hard rock.

I guess only the extremely foolish, wealthy or social climbing Chinese will purchase an apartment and then I hope they have bucket loads of insurance (if they can get it). The Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia comes to mind. Although small by comparison it too required DEEP foundations and gold tinted glass and fittings just to entice the Chinese to buy an apartment - they did!

As an engineer (I presume that's your occupation since you are commenting as an engineer) perhaps you can explain to me, but I would guess it is going to be built on piles, the same as the SOM designed Burj Khalifa also built on sand (not rock) and pretty much every other supertall in the middle east and most of them around the world.

The piles of Burj Khalifa go down 50m. I believe somewhere MahaNakhon said something like 60m as did Baiyoke (it's available somewhere). Presumably this will be more than any of these.

I don't quite follow the 2nd paragraph, being that they are not building it to sell apartments, it's an office and hotel tower, they don't need to sell anything.

[ikke]

I wonder how the can get the ghosts out of the highest floor.....

[pkspeaker]

That's one way of looking at it, but in reality vertical living is more environmentally friendly then horizontal living..

when you build sprawling suburbs everywhere like they do in america, people are living further apart, so there has to be more roads and freeways to connect everything and people are forced to always drive their cars, mass transit becomes impossible as everyone has to have their own car, nothing is centralized and people are working all over the place-too much freeways and traffic, and it eats up land that could be greenspace.. when people live in highrises, everything is closer together and less energy is used.

and bangkok is the uglyest city in the world?.. that's bullshit.. depends on what you think 'ugly' is.. for me bangkok is looking pretty good, i see the skyline out my window and i find it very relaxing to look at.

Environmental or social impact study? Planning permission? Or is it just a case of buying a piece of ground and whacking up whatever monstrosity springs to mind? If it's the latter it would explain why Bangkok is up there amongst the ugliest cities of the world.

I so absolutely agree .... forgot about all the nonsense posted here about whether it will sink or fall over or whatever.... mu qualm is DO WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER MONSTROUS UGLY FRICKING SKYSCRAPER IN THE WORLD....?? ughhhh!!! And why the competition to have the tallest one....?? Duh!! Nothing better to do with those $$$ than to expand the concrete jungles that already exist in nauseating proportions throughout the world.... No wonder the world is in the chaos it is in these days ....

Edited October 16, 2014 by pkspeaker

[cup-O-coffee]

Yet again the musings of lunatics planning to get all dressed up with nowhere to go, and no one to hang out with.

That is as far as it ever goes here.

[violine]

I wonder where they plan to build, and how far the support columns will go down? Any engineers here?

It's the first I've heard of it... Baiyoke Tower pilings go down 60 meters. To hit bedrock in Bangkok it could be between anywhere between 400 to 800 meters some sources place it deeper. The size of the footprint relative to the weight, hight, depth and the number of piles is perhaps the most important thing; however, there is nothing below us but sand and clay. The buildings here are at best floating on it.

I hope that wasn't a too simple response from a drunk.

Utter Nonsense. Bedrock underneath Bangkok is between 8 and 80 meters ! Not 400 to 800 meters. If it was like you described it, all buildings in Bangkok taller than 5 stories would have already sunk into the mud

Anyways . . . .when they start a tall building, they will always dig until they hit bedrock, before they pile down. You mentioned it yourself : Bayoke location took 60 meters until they hit bedrock. If they hadn't hit bedrock, they would not have built anything. You might say Thailand is 3rd world country, but most of their architects are from 1st world countries. They are not THAT stupid . . .

your last remark ? Hey, yeah. for someone who thinks you are floating on 800 meters of slimey mud above all the hard rock, even when drunk you could feel safe . . . nothing rocks ya any better

That's not true. Absolutely no building in Bangkok is founded on bedrock.

The bedrock beneath Bangkok is estimated at the depth of 500 to 1000 meters from ground surface.

The Baiyoke Tower for example is founded on a sand layer at about 50m depth.

[Dogmatix]

Earthquake prone on soft soil liable to subsidence. In an area where traffic is already terrible. Terrific idea. Bangkok needs another Baiyoke Tower area.

[Dublin]

I wonder where they plan to build, and how far the support columns will go down? Any engineers here?

Piling would go down to bed rock, no idea what that distance is at this location..

Edited October 16, 2014 by Dublin

[utalkin2me]

Someone needs to tell Thailand that you don't just build tall buildings because you want to, you actually need expertise for these things.

[lostinisaan]

According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which maintains a database of the tallest skyscrapers, the Bangkok "Super Tower" will be the world's ninth tallest if it is built on schedule.

According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which maintains a database of the smallest skyscrapers, the Bangkok "Mama -Soup Tower" will be the world's ninth smallest if it is built on schedule.

Isn't Bangkok shrinking, aeehh a sort f sinking? Ask Dutch engineers why they don't build skyscrapers in Amsterdam.

And honestly speaking, I'd feel safer in a Dutch Coffee shop, than in a Sky scarper in Bangkok. And it's not even about space cake anymore.

[canman]

A Google search indicates Bangkok bedrock is a couple hundred meters down.

Some have posted that other building sites are pinned to bedrock at a much shallower depth. Any references for this?

[siampolee]

Seems as if the groundwork and piling contract has already been awarded.

[selftaopath]

They can build as many skyscrapers and shoppingmalls as they want, it doesn't change the fact, that Thailand is still a third world country!!

Thailand isn't a third world country....except for its mentality

Really? It feels like it is while living in rural Thailand. Let's see:

- no running water in most houses

- little/no hot water

- no trash pick up

- Electricity frequently off

- Dogs running rampant

- Children operating motor vehicles.....

Need I/we cont?

And Thai mentality???? lol lol lol I'm not even considering a comment. Maybe others could respond.

[White Christmas13]

I wonder where they plan to build, and how far the support columns will go down? Any engineers here?

The Twin Towers in KL have pillars between 85 and 115m deep but it is build on soft rock

and not sand

[Local Drunk]

I wonder where they plan to build, and how far the support columns will go down? Any engineers here?

It's the first I've heard of it... Baiyoke Tower pilings go down 60 meters. To hit bedrock in Bangkok it could be between anywhere between 400 to 800 meters some sources place it deeper. The size of the footprint relative to the weight, hight, depth and the number of piles is perhaps the most important thing; however, there is nothing below us but sand and clay. The buildings here are at best floating on it.

I hope that wasn't a too simple response from a drunk.

Utter Nonsense. Bedrock underneath Bangkok is between 8 and 80 meters ! Not 400 to 800 meters. If it was like you described it, all buildings in Bangkok taller than 5 stories would have already sunk into the mud

Anyways . . . .when they start a tall building, they will always dig until they hit bedrock, before they pile down. You mentioned it yourself : Bayoke location took 60 meters until they hit bedrock. If they hadn't hit bedrock, they would not have built anything. You might say Thailand is 3rd world country, but most of their architects are from 1st world countries. They are not THAT stupid . . .

your last remark ? Hey, yeah. for someone who thinks you are floating on 800 meters of slimey mud above all the hard rock, even when drunk you could feel safe . . . nothing rocks ya any better

What does being being drunk have to do with being right? You and I are both indeed living above a slimy concoction of clay and sand that does indeed extend to those variable depths. Nothing in Bangkok is built on bedrock.

[taff33]

They can build as many skyscrapers and shoppingmalls as they want, it doesn't change the fact, that Thailand is still a third world country!!

please define what is a third world country ?[/quote. It comes just before fourth.

[trogers]

A planning question should be, is the local fire brigade sufficiently equipped to deal with fires in such a building?

I doubt they have 615 meter tall ladders.

Probably local slider chutes would be used.

[alantheembalmer]

If you jumped from the top of this, you would have time to write your suicide note on the way down. That will be good news for the BiB.

[MJP]

A planning question should be, is the local fire brigade sufficiently equipped to deal with fires in such a building?

I doubt they have 615 meter tall ladders.

Probably local slider chutes would be used.

Nah. It would just be turned into a huge play park. Can you imagine the fun of that!

[JAS21]

canman, on 16 Oct 2014 - 12:52, said:canman, on 16 Oct 2014 - 12:52, said:canman, on 16 Oct 2014 - 12:52, said:

A Google search indicates Bangkok bedrock is a couple hundred meters down.

Some have posted that other building sites are pinned to bedrock at a much shallower depth. Any references for this?

Another quick google search finds a 14 page paper by Griffith.edu.au which infers it's somewhat deeper...

The Bangkok subsoil that forms part of the larger Chao

Phraya Plain consists of a broad basin filled with sedimentary

soil deposits that form alternate layers of sand, gravel

and clay. The depth of the bedrock is still undetermined,

but its level in the Bangkok area is known to vary between

400 m and 1800 m deep.

below is a diagram from page 2 of that paper. Though it might interest somebody ... I've gained some knowledge anyway. Whatever happens if it topples it won't reach us

Edited October 20, 2014 by JAS21