I dislike this building.

I don't actually think it's that bad and it's a vast improvement over the architecture that surrounds it. ;)

It's scale still seems a bit off to me, but I'm liking it more and more. I'm not a big fan of the skywalks between the towers, but it's just so impressive from that side angle.

When you have 11,811 sq foot rooms is it any wonder?

It's definitely different and something we haven't really seen before... It's got massive height and size... an enormous building..

I'm not so fond of this building either but it's unique in its own sense :shrug:

What's that supposed to mean?

He doesn't like ugly, featureless, Brutalist architecture?

I don't think that's what he meant; I've certainly never been in the Masjid al Haram but I think its about as far from "brutalist" as you can get.

It's fun to be offended and stand up for the "little guy" (a religion with over a billion people) but I'm sure he was talking about the massive sea of concrete bunkers surrounding this building for miles than one relatively small piece of architecture.

How convoluted and irresponsible. Who gets to go inside? Only the rich and famous. What a drastic blow to a big city and the world. The excess of the rich in current society is disgusting.

Not offended, just wanted clarity. The wink thing made me think there was subtext beyond the surrounding low- and mid-rises.

Sorry for the confusion, but no, there was no subtext or agenda. I was talking about much of the rest of the city - the ugly, featureless, Brutalist architecture.

it sure is interesting

simply bad architecture of gargantuan proportions...

I agree 100%!!!

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

The problem is that the Masjid al-Haram is the only thing left that isn't an ugly concrete box, thanks to the al-Sauds.

i don't know. Seems that the surrounding areas is quite rich in how the city reacts to the street. This mega-project doesn't have that going for it. I do think that architecture is more than just what something looks like.

Maybe so, but I was purely comparing the aesthetic.

The rendering looks like 350 and with the pinnacle it looks like 420

This height would be enough. 577m is too tall for this one.

Wow. Talk about high density. I agree that it's kitschy and garish with the gigantic clock and the pseudo-Islamic architecture. I don't know enough about all the claims the Saudis are destroying many of the holy and historic places, but I'm pretty sure the Prophet watching from heaven is not impressed with a lot of what is going on in that country. I agree that the Vatican would never allow such a thing to be built next door.

Interesting quote... it sort of mirrors the old Testament story regarding the Tower of Babel... about men trying to build a structure to reach the heavens. God subsequently stops the men by striking them all with different languages... etc. You may be familiar with the story..... just thought it was an interesting parallel.

Update of the top of the tower

GUYS, please have a look at that press release. Oh my godness, if that is true, it says that Abaraj Al Bait will only be 11 meters shorter than Burj Khalifa???!!

Is that a mistake?

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Secon...cca-18155.html

it could be a mistake but if its true...

THATS INSANE!!!!!

Burj Khalifa is 828 meters tall. . . 166 meters "taller" than MRCT. . .

Lower as in relation to what? Height to tip of building as measured from sea level perhaps?

. . .

this tower is so bad it literally makes me sick....

"The Mecca Royal Clock Tower (pictured) will consist of a reinforced concrete structure 662 meters high, to be completed by June. To this a metal spiral structure 155 meters high will be added, inside which a clock 45 feet wide and 43 high will be placed. Six feet larger than the famous Big Ben in London. The clock is to be set in motion in the middle of August, just days before the start of the holy month of Ramadan."

Given the comparison photo above, it looks like this quote is very inaccurate.

yeah, why did they say its only 6 feet larger than big ben? this thing (by thing i mean clock) is massive, big ben doesnt even come close!

i didnt use to like this building, but it grew on me a lot. i actually like it a lot now. i still wish it was a kilometer away from the mosque, but it's not as hideous as people make it seem (imo). i would actually love to go to the top floors, they seem like they'll hold some cool exhibits and things. plus on this one you can actually go almost all the way up, just look at that outdoor viewing platform! i can only imagine what the ginormous crescent will look like from underneath!

they've confused metres with feet again

I don't think so. The newspaper is simply wrong. Have a look at the elevation drawing. 591m, 1939ft is the correct figure. The newspaper says that it will be complete by June 2010. Rediculous. That's not possible. It's still not topped-out. I guess that will happen by the end of this year.

A recent pic:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/...b3041f4a_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/...b3041f4a_o.jpg

Also, to clear up some confusion regarding the clock--it's being done by another company. I'm not sure, but it almost seems like it will be lifted into place, once it's been built...

More info and lots of close-up pics here:

http://www.pct.ae/composite_projects.php?project=1
It's too bad the intricate details won't be visible up close. Here's a sample pic from the above link:
http://www.pct.ae/gallery_images/project1_img18.jpg

Sorry but it's simply ugly!

That should not mean, that I dislike islamtic architecture. It's very interesting architecture, but not at such a huge complex. :yuck:

This pic actually makes it look interesting. I like how the lower buildings come to points on the front.

I want to see what this tower looks like in the skyline or the lack thereof in Mecca. By the way, the detail in that clock looks incredible.

I know this isn't quite what you had in mind, but as I understand it, the city is a vast construction site right now. Evidently this billboard is at the construction site and has a countdown clock to when the actual clock will be installed. Although according to the DallasNews story below(which looks like a tranlation from an Arabic paper), it's a countdown to the 25 hotels. That's the corner of Abraj Al-Bait on the left side of the billboard--even the 48 story hotels will look puny next to the monolith!:

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7928/s114.jpg
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7928/s114.jpg
I think the series of similar buildings is this hotel project:
From: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Here's one more clock pic:
http://www.pct.ae/gallery_images/project1_img15.jpg

BTW, I'm getting some of this via Arabic sites, initially--so if I'm sounding a little vague, it's because I don't speak Arabic! It truly is a bummer that information is so limited on what's happening there.

wow, that clock is beautiful. it'll make an amazing sight when seen from below.

"The hotel brands involved are Conrad, Westin, Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton, Radisson Blu, Mercure and Novotel. "


Ah yes, just what the holy location needed, a Sheraton.

Google Translation speaks Arabic, so go ahead and post the info you've got :tup:

Mecca Highrise Development Compared to Abraj Al-Bait
 

These were posted Aug. 31st 2008--so while a bit dated, they're the most spectacular collection I've seen thus far. The city is growing very rapidly. It's also very hilly--just no trees/shrubbery--so creating high-rises wil probably continue in clusters, wherever possible. Those tightly packed, shady alleys are probably a great relief in a city that can reach 100F+ throughout the year.

From Here:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/...b16b8733_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/...5f11254d_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/...6a75318d_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/...9d654270_o.jpg

Just a couple more tidbits...
 

Evidently the company doing the composite work of the clock face, including up to the crescent moon on top, is also doing some roofing shapes @ Foster's project(the HSR connecting Mecca, Medina, Jeddah):
PREMIER COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES BUILD HARAMAIN STATION MOCK UP FOR FOSTER+PARTNERS

***************************************

Also, the "guts" of the clock, have been worked on for 2 years already--there are a few fascinating pics at the link below:
Mar '08: Fabrication has started for the Makkah Clock Tower Project
This thing may actually be topped out by the end of the year--considering the final 200M are a separate project well under way.

Nice shots. This tower will contain of the heighest observation decks in the world. I guess it will be the second tallest at 558m, surpassed only by the one of Shanghai Tower.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/...78e4207239.jpg
www.flickr.com/4006, www.skyscrapercity.com

Clock installation has begun!
 

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/832...472d46281o.jpg
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/832...472d46281o.jpg

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/415...afff12bfdo.jpg
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/415...afff12bfdo.jpg

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3812/mecd.jpg
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3812/mecd.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5599/mc2u.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5599/mc2u.jpg

This pic is a couple of weeks older--for comparison purposes, but also it gives a sense of how "done" the project is looking:

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/722...6b7c86151o.jpg
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/722...6b7c86151o.jpg

I am sure that the scale of this thing cant be fully appreciated unless you were standing there. Its massive.

I think the people in the second picture give a pretty good idea of scale, which impressive to say the least.

4/18/2010 . . . sense of scale
 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3646/...1e62c6b4_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3646/...1e62c6b4_b.jpg

On edit:
I don't know about anybody else, but I sure am frustrated with the challenge of finding any current construction pics. Big Mo is supposed to be up and running/keeping time (on all 4 sides)--by August. Seeing that portion of the building under construction--which already has been in progress for several weeks--is possibly the most exciting part(other than the topping out with the crescent moon).

Looking at the image above I can't help but think that they've replaced/overshadowed a religious temple with a new giant temple of wealth and tourism.

agreed. hard to wrap my mind around it