Carlos M Teixeira sao paulo skyscraper 11

In 2000, The Beatles ex-guru Yogi Mahanshi and Braziltan entre-preneur Harto Garnero set forth to the design of Sio Paulo’* Tower, cventually the highest worldwtdc. Nevcrtheless, it does not come true. 'Mahanshi Tower', a realfantastic epic, tells the posstble un-foldmg of the woufd-be tower 20 t»mes bigger than the worki'* largest skyscraper.

1. The guru Yogi Mahanshi or "the great wtseman and s<ientist of the eon science* ideatized the talłest bu«ldmg m the world. Sio Paulo's Maharashi Tower. The buildmg was meant to be a compkment to the science of the Vedas and to hmdu teachmgs ; n would avail itself of vedic architecture. and have a total buiit area 20 times bigger than its existmg counterpart. Besides, the project would be backed up on scientific research based in neuro-physiofogy. in psychotogyexpandmg techniques. and on every fiekl ot knowledge duectty or indirectiy related to architecture and urbamsm.

2. Out of all of the construction phases, the longest was the foundation: it lasted 5 years and reached 140 meters under level JOOm (avcraoe level of nearby Tamanduatei nrer). Cmlt in a 66-błock area (or circa 7,S00,00Ó sguare feet), the pding* occawoned the rcmoval of rnountains and rnountains of earth that were taken to the construction of a huge tandfill over the park that was supposed to mtegrate the design. Announced benefits were two muscums, sixteen malls , four convention centers. five hotels. seven spas. and ten miHion sguare feet of constructed area distnbutcd among offices. shops, apartments and everything else that a city may fit.

3. There would be four towers in fact: one at each corner of a sguare. and the space in between them would be addressed to suspended public areas m each of its 108 floors. Its pyramidlog shape. typicai of Hmdu architecture. would also bnng to Sio Paulo the inherent power of the drvine for ces. supernatural energies capabte of fighting cvil and human sorrows. and would put an end to violence, greed. jcatousy. coretousness. and to every sm and vices of mankind.

4. And so. when the foundations were compłeled. the time came for the superstructure. whKh would be inspired by John Hancock*s Buildmg in Chicago, buiit in 1969. Inserted in the building*s penmeter, all strengths of the structure would be reflected in the drawmg of its tubular matnx, excusing the usc of internat columns. The thrusts, reactions, settlings and torsions would be sorted out and reftetected on the facade ot the buildmg. The architect chosen to develop the project was the Nipo-Amencan Hmoru Yamasaki. The reaction from the city against the monster was prompt: loca! architects, mtellcctuals, artists, etc. were defirwtely against the project and votced their harmless opmions »n newspapers and television networks — but the first vertical signs of the pyramid had already been nsen up in the honzon....

5. The construction pace was overwhelmmg. Works have already reached the eightieth floor when the first disagreements arose among the project *s developers. the Mahanshi Global Oevelopment fund (or "the endless treasure of the worki for peace and happmess*) and Bras»lmvest. the Brazdian partner. The latter proved that the foundations were ovcrestimated and would support a load three times highec than the ongmal project. which would lustify an mcrcase in number of floors to 354. The controirersy contmued throughout the project. up to its last floor.

6. Dunng comrersations at the works' inauguration party, it was decided that the Bras<tmvest group would be responsible for the construction of the new 216 floors. The Uabrhty would be solety taken by Brasilinvest . which would be also responsible for the rest of the construction. inclodmg the msurance of the first 108 floors. Yamasaki was consulted, but aware of the frightemng destmy of two ot its wali known buildmgs (the Pruitt Igoe resKlential complex and the World Trade Center in New York) his offKe declmed to design the merease in the buildmg.

7. Nevertheless, the new structure could not be just a mere contmuation ot itsonginal project: it would have to be adjusted in its penmeter so that the new loads would not damage the structure already crected. calcuUted to receive only 108 floors. Speoalists were consulted and came to the conclusion that the best solution would realfy be to adopt another type of structure. which would alter the original structure of the buildmg.

8. The guru*s protests did not hamper the disturbance of the blcssedundertakmg pyramid. An engineer specializcd m remforeed concrete - the typicai structure of Bra/rfian architecture -- decided to insert a traditional mesh with orthogonal piliars and beams to remforce the structure. accordmg to practices prevailmg in the country. Huge transitiona! beams would then support a mesh of 124 piliars located m the coce of the buildmg and no longer on the facade.

9 . Up to the 147^fk floor. the developers themsclres started to fear the height reached by the construction. Three-meter swaymg from side to side on the last floors madę workers descend desperately to levels less vulnerab(e to the wind-caused movemcnts. trightened. the deve»opers consulted architects and engmeers of famous skyscrapers and came up with the idea to revert to a metalbc structure by the insertion of huge cylindrKal piliars mto the middle of the bullding. which would remforce the structure of the skyscraper and make possible the max»mum, effective use of its foundations.

10. That was the way the construction, up to floor 1 1. Suddenły.thedevclopcrsranoutof funds.Oscillationsinthealways 12.But the workers of the four buildmgs - proud of that hundreds of floors number 184. hadgone.    impredictable Bra/il«an economy. rumors about the buikJmg's destmy, already buiit - saw that mcomplete cotossus unbearable to their eyes and

and the rcluctance from Sio Pauk>'s mayor to save the venture with decided to carry on with the project themsehres. 'We want to contmue the public fundmgs led to the announccment of the end of the construction, Job by ourselves^a, they said. With no expertence and no salaries. forcmen and at least temporanty. Works had stopped for morę than three months. workers substituted metal trusses for wooden overlays onto the concrete and the

previous work (concrete bridges and vtaducts that artKulated the four buildmgs), executmg their own ideas w herc as they were previousty subordmated to engmeers.