Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Mecca

[edhopper]

I just learned of this monstrosity. It is the third highest building in the world, taller than the Liberty Tower in NY. It looks like a Vegas version of downtown Chicago put in the middle of the desert. I guess they built it to show how wealthy and andvanced the Saudis are, instead it shows just more ridiculous dick swinging.









I should say I have no problem with building tall buildings to swing your dick. America did it and now it has moved to Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. But the super buildings in Shanghai or Seoul and Dubai have an modern architectural aesthetic. This is a grotesque parody of the skyscrapers of Louis Sullivan.
And as far as dick swinging, New York now has super high apartment buildings bought by absent foreign billionaires that are only there for them to brag about.

[dalton99a]

1. Something Trump would build

[lindysalsagal]

10. Exactly what I was about to type. Gawdy as all hell.

Looks like a good wind storm would bury the first 3 stories of that little city in sand.

[Javaman]

14. I first thought, "what a monstrosity". but your comment is more on the nose. nt

[brooklynite]

2. On the other hand.....

https://www.neom.com/en-us

[Brother Buzz]

3. An atomic clock controls the tower clocks.

That's pretty cool, and it sure beats calling POPCORN

[secondwind]

4. Looks out of place.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Dickswinging like the Empire State vs Chrysler buildings competition? The Kolner Dom...

Versailles?

They aimed for the world's biggest hotel next to the world's biggest mosque. Didn't quite make it, but it wouldn't look too far out of place a block from the Woolworth building.

Truth is, I kinda like it.

[marble falls]

6. Are you accusing them of cultural appropriation?

[edhopper]

7. No

[LeftInTX]

11. LOL

That is hilarious...

Yes, yes that's what it is....


We have culture here in the US!


USA! USA! USA!

I hope they have Elvis impersonators too!

[edhopper]

17. Read my added comments

[edhopper]

29. Not all of those

are bad architecture.

[MineralMan]

8. Well, since Mecca is the religious center of Islam, I'm not

surprised that they built a large edifice there. I'm not sure what your objection is, really. Certainly we have plenty of huge edifices here in the USA, as well, especially in NYC. Do you object to those as well on the same grounds?

Millions of Muslims make pilgrimages to Mecca. It is the center of the Islamic world.

[lindysalsagal]

12. If the gods were real, would they really approve of such hideous extravagance

when people all over the world are hungry, sick, homeless, unsafe and uneducated?

[MineralMan]

15. Gods exist only in the human mind, of course.

would they approve? Who can say if they don't even exist outside of the mind?

We build equally hideous edifices here. I've seen many of them. All of our large cities are chock-a-block with them. Humans seem to like doing things like that.

[edhopper]

18. It's the

architectural aesthetics that I find awful. Not building a tall building.

[MineralMan]

27. There are plenty of architectural disasters to go around,

pretty much wherever you go. I guess I'm still not getting it. Frankly, I don't really care what buildings are in Mecca. Are they awful looking? Sure. I find all obscenely large buildings to be an affront to the senses, but they still get built everywhere.

The blue mirrored glass is in that one because of its location in the middle of a freaking desert. Helps cut down on cooling costs, no doubt.

And then, we have Las Vegas at night, if you're looking for architectural disaster zones.

I'm still not sure why you singled out that particular edifice.

[edhopper]

28. Bcause I was reading about tall buildings being built

and came across this one, which is the third tallest in the World. I had not seen it before. I found it's architecture horrible. It is a significant building and I felt like writing a thread about it. One, to voice my opinion and two, to show it to other DUers.

Writing about the architectural disasters in Vegas is beating a dead horse.

[sarisataka]

9. Maybe they were turned down

By Flavor Flav.

[Mosby]

13. The gulf countries should focus on trees and plants

Not buildings. The barren landscape I see in pictures is just striking. Miles and miles of dirt and rocks.

Ground cover in particular would decrease the severity of haboobs and lessen respiratory issues. Trees and shrubs help provide natural cooling, and clean the air.

[JCMach1]

19. They do... Virtually all grey water is used to water grass and landscape

You find UAE, KSA and other other Gulf Countries way greener than you would imagine.

And yes, talk to me about my neem tree allergies from the landscape!

[smirkymonkey]

35. I agree. The landscape is hideous and depressing.

Maybe they would be happier if they had some natural beauty to look upon instead of soulless monuments to wealth inequality.

The Middle East is such an ugly place.

[MineralMan]

16. Good Thing We Don't Do Anything Like That in the USA...

[edhopper]

20. Read my

added comments.

You notice the environmental context of the picture you posted.

[MineralMan]

22. What? Some trees in a park setting, in front

of a concrete jungle. That's the environmental context of Manhattan. Mecca is surrounded by desert areas. Mecca itself is mainly modernistic buildings, as you can see in the photo. One of them is enormous. That's all.

I'm just saying that I'm not surprised. Look at Dubai, or any of several other nations in the region:



Humans build as large as they can. Such buildings are the penises of cultures. The bigger the better...

[edhopper]

24. Enviorment as in surroundings

probably a bad choice of words on my part.

[MineralMan]

23. Here's the skyline of Abu Dhabi:

There are trees in the foreground there, too.

[Deep State Witch]

31. My favorite in Abu Dhabi

The Circle Building!

?1414555962

[MineralMan]

32. Why? Because they could, I suppose.

[Deep State Witch]

33. Because, why not?

Sheiks with more money than taste.

[Carlitos Brigante]

21. So what you're saying is that

you're a big fan?

[edhopper]

25. Yes

that is it exactly.

[Carlitos Brigante]

26. The scale of it looks so damn weird for that style building. As the self appointed DU resident

architect, I agree that it's not great to look at.

[Demovictory9]

30. looks very Las Vegas

[LeftInTX]

34. I personally like it and feel it looks better than glass