A New Spin On Architecture

It's your LegoLand building-block fantasy come to life. When the twisted tower in this rendering is completed in Dubai in 2010, each of its 80 floors will rotate independently around a central column that will house its elevator shafts, stairwells, and utilities. Sections of each floor, complete with cabinets, electrical wiring, and bathroom fixtures, will be preassembled off-site, hoisted up, and hung, intact, on the central column. In the gaps between each floor, wind turbines will spin; these and solar panels on the edges of each floor's partially exposed roof will generate enough power to make the 420-meter-high rotating skyscraper independent of the energy grid. The curvy, statuesque beauty will house offices, a luxury hotel, apartments, and a few full-floor villas with space enough for residents to park their cars safely inside.