Sky City
“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” [2.Corinthians 10:12]
The race is heating up among the world’s major cities for the bragging rights to the tallest building. New York City held the distinction for 40 years with the Empire State building at 1,250 feet tall. For just two years, the trophy passed to the World Trade Center, and then Chicago’s Sears Tower held the title for 25 years. The twin Petronas Towers in Malaysia surpassed the Sears Tower by just 33 feet and held the record for six years. Then the Taipei 101 tower held the record for six years at 1,667 feet. In 2010, the Burj Khalifa surpassed the Taipei 101 tower by over a thousand feet, reaching a record breaking height of 2,716.5 feet. Located in downtown Dubai, the Burj Khalifa boasts more than 160 floors and contains private residences, 37 floors of office space, 57 elevators, a 160-room hotel, a fitness facility, and an outdoor observation deck. During the five and a half years of construction, 30 contracting companies and over 12,000 workers took part in the project.
But an even taller building, known as Sky City, is now on the drawing board. The company behind this building is not only seeking to surpass all the others by stabbing a little higher into the heavens – they also plan to build their 2,750-foot building in a mere 90 days!
The company Broad Sustainable Building from Hunan, China, has already proven their efficiency in construction: in 2011, they built a 30-story hotel in just 360 hours. The company uses prefabricated materials to achieve these super speeds – in the case of Sky City, 95 percent of the building will already be finished by the time they break ground in November 2012.
It is astonishing how quickly a record-setter can be surpassed – and it’s a reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly glory. While taking pride in our human accomplishments is always in vain, there is something worth boasting about: “But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me” (Jeremiah 9:24). After all, it is “not he who commends himself [that] is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2.Corinthians 10:18). A commendation from God Himself is truly a record worth having. In addition, God’s commendations come with a complimentary residence in the true Sky City!
