Reading back through my 9/11 post, I saw post's post (shut up).
"Meh. The traditional response is to build a bigger tower and dare people to knock it down."

Well now, Burj Dubai is 2,064 feet in height, easily surpassing our WTC Freedom Tower, @ 1,776 feet.
The Burj Dubai, the tallest structure, anywhere, will soon pass the Warsaw Mast (collapsed '91) as the tallest, ever.
Please visit here to see various other aptly-named skyscraper projects.
I was wondering what you all think of these, and skyscrapers in general, along with things like the Freedom Tower and Chicago's thing, as well as The Sears Tower.
Stupid pic won't load.

CNN tower in Canada is the tallest man-made structure in the world, I believe.

Not sure of the measurements.

the BD is 200 feet above it at the moment.
The CN Tower holds the rocord 'till the BD is finished.

Check out Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece: {url=en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illinois[/url]

Another UAE project aims to build a mile-high structure, look it up on wiki, search orld's tallest buildings.

Mile-high? It'll sway quite a bit. And the budget... ouch.

HA! Beat that US! :P
But yes. That tower will be the tallest once it's finished and the CN Tower will be in second.
Hmm...I should go there sometime...

I saw the tallest building in Ireland. It has about 15 storeys.

Building taller and taller buildings is just an exercise in showing off. Silliness. They're a waste of money.
Personally, my money's on a space elevator for tallest man made structure ever...

Yeah, but that's what make people human. Silliness. Animals at least have the excuse of not being sentient.

The space elevator, if built, will make the ISS' orbit look like an ant.
Something like 300,000 kilometers...
Wow.
There's an eighty kilometer (fifty mile) thing that's in the same style, just smaller.
I don't see building tall buildings as only an exersize in showing off.
Often, it's needed. S. Korea's planning a 2,001 foot tall tower, among many others.
The Chicago Spire is going to be 2,001 feet, while Al Burj ("The Tower" in arabic) is anywhere from 2,200 to 3,200 feet, no ones sure these days.
A tower designed on 1917 was to be 1300+ feet in Russia, but war screwed that up.
A tower under construction in Russia is to be over 2000 feet now, and when completed it'll be the tallest in Europe.
Tallest buildings are necessary, braggings rights are just icing on the cake.

Here's the current design for a Mile-High (note: Burj Dubai height off):

Whoa.

Didn't Soviet Russia have this amazing idea for this huge, awe-striking, dominating structure called, "The Palace of the Soviets?" I think it had a Statue-of Liberty size likeness of Stalin at the top.

Space elevator has to be over about 35,000km out because that's geostationary orbit, and the counterweight has to be further out than that to support the cable. The further out or the heavier it is, the more weight the elevator could lift at once.

Dansariki, explain what useful purpose a tallest building serves other than bragging rights?

Increases floor space to actual ground space ratio?

Yes, fine, that's an advantage of skyscrapers in general. Doesn't mean you have to compete with everyone to build the tallest. The more floors you add the more expensive it gets, and there's a point at which adding yet more floors simply for bragging rights isn't worth the money.

As we are on the topic of conersation - Freedom Tower plans left in bin

I like the look of "The Shard" that will be built in London and I believe will be Europe's tallest building. There is a need for it in central London, not much room for horizontal expansion.

Tall buildings yes. Zomg <<region>>'s tallest!!11!! no.

Sentynel wrote: Space elevator has to be over about 35,000km out because that's geostationary orbit, and the counterweight has to be further out than that to support the cable. The further out or the heavier it is, the more weight the elevator could lift at once.

Dansariki, explain what useful purpose a tallest building serves other than bragging rights?

Wow.
Being American, it's probably bad to diss my own country, but good god that's our friggin' BUILDING.
Ugh. Just left in some bin.... pfft.


Now then, to your question, Gladstone is correct, but other than that?
To revitalize an area. If a certain area is undesireable for some reason, build something big and tall to bring in tourists, their mone, and housing.
If you'll read the friggin' wiki, something like sixty floors (above Armani's joint) are residential housing. If memory servers, sia dhousing sold out within eight or nine hours of going on sale.
Burj Dubai ("Tower [of] Dubai") is part of a twenty billion dollar project to revitalize the entire area. The UAE is building "Al Burj" just , km away from Burj Dubai, in direct competition.
Tall Towers are also ideal for housing communication equipment in ther spires, as is going to be done with Burj Dubai.
here's the Al Burj

Stupid PS3 ran outta room.
And here's the Mile High Tower
The Russia Tower I was talking about?
Here
2,006 feet tall, sorry.
And it will be the largest building in Europe, nearly double the Shard Tower.
Sorry Gladstone.
As for the Space Elevator, I overestimated: 100,000 kilometers (62,500 miles), while the ISS is alway between 278 and 460 kilometers (173.75-287.5 miles)
Toldja it was tall.

Tall buildings could increase public morale, I suppose.

Yes, I understand that, but my point is it could be done more efficiently with less money. The taller a building gets the more expensive it gets, and with buildings getting taller and taller, it's getting more and more expensive to build new ones. Money that could achieve more spent otherwise.

Where are you getting your figures for a space elevator from? We're nowhere near being able to build one.

Wikipedia, among others.
The space elevator cable would require carbon nanotubes if we're to get anywhere close.
The space elevator acts like a kid with a long string and a ball at the end, spinning it.
It would help greatly in the area of space travel and launching to the moon and mars.