The High Rise Cult

Image courtesy : Manik

Well I have started to like glass, steel and concrete! Simply because a person into construction and building should love these materials, without which modern day skyscrapers are impossible.

Anyways I come from a city which has always been devoted to the low rise phenomenon and is still trying to keep its low rise profile intact, but residents of this city - those who associate with this lovely land realise it will see the face of defeat soon, simply falling prey to worldwide trends and needs of the hour.

I myself am against high rises, with few exceptions for a hotel block here and a mall there. In general I like small dwelling units with open green gardens double the size of built structure and a two-lane black asphalt texture laid before it. It lets you breathe, soothe and get pampered by the morning sun. I like those shanky shopping arcades which would have shopkeepers exhibiting their goods; likes of vegetables, edibles and stuff, on roadsides.

A high rise on the other hand would go to hang you twenty floor high from the ground, making you think of jumping straight down fifty times a day! Placed close to another structure both would fight for their share of light and air and would simply appear concrete devils screaming out of the Earth unless given a glass mask to hide their ugliness!

And yup am not against the glass but truth is that it hurts our environment, adding to cooling and lighting expenditures, making us burn a lot of fuel to sustain the structure and thereby give our leaders opportunities to enjoy free buffets at annual meetings in Kyotos and Copenhegans...

All settled we still need pumps to feed waters to drones living in those condos. And let me not imagine of gas-cylinder blast at floor 15!