Posts Tagged: John Wong

Piercing the sky at 2,717 feet tall, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower in the world, reaching upwards of a half a mile into the clouds.

Designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (now of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects), tall buildings are an engineering feat of wonder as people collaborate to ascend to new heights not previously possible.

A perfect setting for the fourth iteration of the Mission: Impossible series. The Burj Khalifa is the backdrop for the latest Tom Cruise film. “The creation of the tallest man-made structure in the world with a groundscape that has an iconic setting makes this a sought-after movie set,” John Wong said to Architect and Artisans in a recent post about the forthcoming film. “Here, the big idea was to connect the world’s tallest structure to its site and to its city, via a 27-acre Tower Park that’s a green oasis.”

Michael Welton agrees that Dubai is a stunning location for the latest iteration of the Tom Cruise movies: “Sheer height from the building, an unusual series of view angles and exhilarating groundscapes made the setting a visual delight for the film.” The film has been well-received and will open this weekend in theaters.

The Burj Khalifa opened a little over a year ago in Dubai. Often overlooked is the stunning ground scape design creating the entrance, arrival and park setting for the tower. On the ground, the geometric and intricately patterned landscape is the work of John Wong and the SWA team of designers. The Burj Khalifa is an oasis in a desert; an aspiration to create a livable landscape in the midst of harsh, hot, nearly inhospitable conditions. The design is a feat of human engineering and complexity, weaving together the latest in construction and sustainability techniques to mitigate environmental impacts while creating livable human conditions. Building on the culture and history of geometric patterns in design, the landscape is both an art piece on the ground as well as viewed from above.

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