Galactic Suite Hotel

Get ready to make your reservations. The Galactic Suite Space Resort is planning its first accommodations by 2012. [Company News] They expect to start selling tickets in 2008.

For 3 million Euros you get 18 weeks of preparation on a Caribbean island, the flight into space and three nights in the orbital hotel. During the stay you get to participate in space experiments. (Its not clear whether you are the subject of the experiments.)

As far-fetched as this may sound, the company reportedly received $3 billion in backing from a space enthusiast to build the hotel. That backer must be one of the 40,000 people in the world who could afford to stay at the hotel.

Rotating Skyscraper

Not content with having the tallest building, now Dubai wants a building that spins.

Plans are underway for a 68- story combination hotel, apartment and office tower. Each floor can turn separately, so the building will be changing shape.


It looks great in this video, with the shape undulating. It looks like crap in the picture on Dubaicity.com. Each floor would take 90 minutes to rotate.

This is actually the second spinning building planned for Dubai. The first is a mere 30 story 200 unit condominium tower that rotates once per week.

Construction is scheduled to begin in June, 2008.

Building the Tallest Building

Younan Properties seems to think it can build the tallest building in the world: Younan Vows To Build Tallest Building. Of course they have not selected a city or a site to build on yet. Nor does it appear that they have the financing to build it.

It was a good way to get your name in the paper.

Meanwhile, my gas money has allowed Emaar Properties of Dubai to build the Burj Dubai Tower.



It is still under construction, but on July 24 the had steel up to 512.1 meters making it the world's tallest building. But they are still going and expect to reach a height of 700 meters. The tower is scheduled to open late next year.

According to the website for the tower, the goal "is not simply to be the world's highest building. It's to embody the world's highest aspirations."

Prior to the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building was Taiwan's Taipei 101. It is a mere 508 meters tall.

Boston's Historic Ames Building Will Become Boutique Hotel

The Ames Building on the corner of Court Street and the Washington Mall has changed hands to another owner who will try to convert it to a hotel: Boston's Historic Ames Building Will Become Boutique Hotel. Previously, O'Callaghan Hotels was trying to convert the property into a hotel.


The Ames building stands out because of its masonry construction. Take a look at the enormous columns at the base of the building. Those are load-bearing supports. The Ames Building was built prior to wider-spread use of structural steel in building construction. All of that thick stone on the exterior is carrying the weight of the building.