And now, an update on Dubai's Dynamic Tower—which, if you don't recall—is the single biggest mindfuck of our time. Why run the photo gallery again, you ask? Because, to see the 80 stories of rotating madness is to know it, to taste it, to love it. But most of all, we just love looking at renderings that involve Ferraris and women in bikinis. So, how is the sales drive going after that big Plaza hotel kick-off event? You wouldn't believe us if we told you, so instead well just quote from the press release we got.
From wacky 'n weird file: "First they replace the support pillars at ground level with computer-controlled metal columns. Then, a crew carefully demolishes the entire floor by hand, leaving the structure resting on the mechanical pillars, which then go down slowly until the next floor is at ground level. They replace the support pillars again with the mechanical ones, destroy that floor, and repeat the operation until they get rid of all the floors. This makes it look as if the building is shrinking in front of you, or being swallowed by the street." [Gizmodo]
On the official website for the Beijing Olympic Games, one of the "scenic spots" listed for tourists is World Park, a 117-acre park that contains miniature replicas of some of the world's most famous cities and sites. World Park opened in 1993, and as it prepares for a wave of new visitors thanks to the Olympics, some may be surprised to find that the attraction still features the Twin Towers, which—as some may know—were destroyed in 2001, leaving behind a pit of despair and confusing timelines. We know this because, A) Reuters recently ran a photo of the replica towers, and B) We received an e-mail from someone who is very upset about this, and he has set up a blog with the catchy title "Beijing Theme Park Still Shows Twin Towers. Why?" We can't answer that question, but c'mon China, even Legoland has already put in the Freedom Tower, even if it's an outdated design. But World Park does have one thing going for it. According to Wikipedia, "they have the yummy mickeymouse chocolate fountain." And isn't that, friends, what freedom is all about?
· Beijing Theme Park Still Shows Twin Towers. Why? [twintowers101.blogspot.com]
In the next few weeks, Donald Trump will sell his Palm Beach estate Maison de L'Amitie to a Russian fertilizer baron (!) for a reported $100 million, and in Max Abelson's account of the deal in this week's Observer, we couldn't help but notice that relations seem a little frosty right now between The Donald and Dolly Lenz—our nation's greatest superbroker. The Prudential Douglas Elliman vice chairman had the Trump listing at one point, but it traded hands a couple times before selling. Did the Maison de L'Amitie sour Dolly and Donald's years-long business relationship? The headline does refer to her as "spurned." Let's cut to the video tape for analysis:
At a press conference at the Plaza today, Italian architect Dr. David Fisher unveiled his first two Dynamic Towers—one in Dubai and the other planned for Moscow—massive mixed-use skyscrapers that, oh yeah, rotate on a by-floor basis. It's hard for the renderings to do this crazy concept justice (here's a truly spectacular video), but above you see what we're talking about, and the gallery has many more glimpses of both towers. According to Fisher, there will be Dynamic Towers around the world, and he hopes the third will land in New York. What developer is insane enough to attempt getting this built on these shores, we do not know.
The Dubai building, up first, will have 80 floors of office, hotel and residential space. The apartments will range from 1,330 square feet to 12,900 square feet, with the top 10 floors being luxury "villas" that include en suite parking spaces and private pools. Owners of those villas will be able to control the rotation of their floors. The other 70 floors will be controlled by the building's management. Construction is scheduled to be completed by 2010.
When we read in amNY that a 10-foot Lego version of Trump Dubai was to be unveiled in Columbus Circle today, we knew we had to dispatch roving shutterbug Will Femia to the scene. Donald Trump! Dubai! Ridiculous spectacles! Three of our greatest passions! Unfortunately, Will had just missed the unveiling event, but he got plenty of shots of the plastic masterpiece. Trump Dubai, or the Trump International Hotel & Tower Dubai, is a partnership with Dubai megadeveloper Nakheel, and the 62-story building will be built on the "trunk" of Nakheel's palm-shaped set of islands just off the coast. The model will be on display until Tuesday, and if you wanted to cheat in the corresponding "guess how many Lego pieces" contest, check out the photo Will shot where the weight of the sculpture is revealed, and then pop into a deli and weigh one Lego piece on their scale. Or don't, because cheaters never win.
· NYC artist builds Lego model of Trump Dubai tower [amNY]
· Trump Dubai [Official Site]
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On the official website for the 
