What is the maximum theoretical height for a building?
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WHITE BEAR
ANSWERS: 3
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Theoretically there is no "maximum height" Designs were already made for 1 mile high space scrapers - the reason they were not built is due to the amount of traffic they would generate coming and going. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illinois There is the theory of a "space elevator" a building so tall that one can take an elevator into orbit. http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_elevator_020327-1.html Back in the 1960s I think it was Arthur C Clark who envisioned several elevators around the equator of earth - In geosync orbit structures would extend outward from each elevator "bridging" the distance between making a "ring" around the globe.
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The maximum height will be limited by factors other than the physics of engineering alone (eg 'mile-high' building mentioned by Athrael). If its a building for people to permanently populate, then anywhere above the protective magnetic field of earth would be pretty hard to justify ( I guess thats at least 1000kms?). You could hypothesize the building must cost less than 1% of Gross Domestic Product, which would limit it to probably under a few miles. (im thinking office / hotel, not space elevators)
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I've heard that at some height - a building is no longer feasable because of the elevatoring problem - elevators take up so much of the base floor space that it becomes impractical to go higher.
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