Builders Unite!

[Cobra]

As we all know, Capitalism is pure idiocy. Under Capitalism, we are forced to build things that will not even last through our lifetimes. We spend years laying bricks to make houses, stadiums, skyscrapers, bridges, and roads. Only to find them demolished after a few decades. This is a waste of our labor, our lives, and our resources. This is unsustainable.

Under Socialism, the way we construct things must change. We must build things that will be there for our grandchildren, their grandchildren, and their grandchildren’s grandchildren. We must create mighty structures that will endure thousands of years of weathering and use.

The Romans were able to construct great cities of aqueducts, roads, bridges, towers, and coliseums. After 2,000 years of abuse, some of them still survive today. These surviving structures are a testament to their ability. And they were able make these with their extremely primitive technology.

With the technology that exists today, we should be able to build roads that will lasts for over 10,000 years, buildings that are nearly indestructible, and bridges that can withstand the mightiest of tidal waves. Our house, be so durable that if even the tallest of trees were to crash down on them they would not stand dented.

Comrades, we can build a magnificent future. Lets draw the blueprints. With them, when Socialism comes we will be ready.

[truthaddict11]

is that why in my town there are buildings over 100 years old still in use?

[Cobra]

Yes, it is. But we can build even greater buildings under socialism.

[Rasta Sapian]

yes, you are right, if we use stone and brick masonary along with massive framing technology we will rival that of our ancestors who's arichitechture can still be seen today after sometimes thousands of years!

It will take more time, and more effort, the result would be glorious

Artists would also be needed to beutify and sculp the exterior, and also paint the interior!!

peace yall

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Stone and brick are all very well and good if you wish to build some relatively low-lying structures, but does not possess the strength needed to build tall buildings.

For really tall buildings that allow plenty of light into the structure (Saves on lighting) you will need to use glass, concrete and steel

And believe me, we will need to build tall buildings, they provide a disproportionate amount of space for the area they take up.
Less space taken up by buildings means more space for growing food.

I think skyscrapers are beautiful masterpeices, glittering spires to human genius!

[Rasta Sapian]

I think that you have been watching to many jetsons cartoons

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I'm serious. Skyscrapers are the most effecient use of land available, whether you want to build homes, offices, or anything that isn't agrarian or heavy industry. (Which ironically use up the most space)

[Red Skyscraper]

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[Cobra]

NoXion and RS, while I share your enthusiasm I think you guys are thinking a little too much like capitalists. Efficiency is not as important as humanity. I agree that skyscrapers are an efficient use of space, but the problem with them is that they segregate the people. People are stuck away in little corners and hardly get to see each other. The only spaces that people share are the thin hallways on their floor and the elevator. And it is usually difficult for people to be able to have a conversation on an elevator because everyone is too busy anticipating when it will be time to get out.

While this might be less efficient, our buildings should have very little personal space, and a lot of shared space. There ought to be large open spaces with plants (real ones, not plastic ones) and lots of outside lighting. People should get the feeling that they are outside, while they are inside.

In addition to building new structures, we should not rule out modernizing old ones. I have read some of the people on this forum advocating destroying cathedrals because they are religious. Cathedrals are architectural masterpieces. Destroying them would be idiotic. With a few simple changes they can become revolutionary structures. The stained glass windows of Jesus and the Saints could be replaced with ones of Karl Marx, Lenin, and our other comrades. We could replace the cross of Jesus with a hammer and sickle. If there is a statue of the Virgin Mary we could replace it with one of Fidel. And so forth. These structures could be reinforced to make them stronger. Instead of being used for religious purposes, they could become a revolutionary theater. They would simply be known as “The Theater”, not “The Cathedral”. And they could be given revolutionary names, like Workers Theater, Che Theater, and Theater of the Revolution. People could come there to watch movies, plays, and watch people give speeches. No person would need to pay to attend; it would all be free, for the sake of art and learning.

Comrades, in your future suggestions please don’t forget about our sense of humanity. These buildings are made for people, so they should be best suited for people. If we are just going to find the cheapest way to stick everyone in small out of the way cells and not give any thought to the people themselves, then would not be much better than we would be under capitalism.

[Red Skyscraper]

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[Cobra]

We could also turn them into a museum, to show people the evils of religion and how for centuries humans worshipped idols and prayed to non-existent deities while the world around them was in chaos because of their ignorance.

That’s an excellent idea. What better place for a museum on the horrors of religion than the cathedral itself. I can picture it now, people will come from all over town and marvel at the amount of ignorance the human race is capable of. My sister is a Museumologist so she will be able to help.

[Rasta Sapian]

I am an artist myself, and beleive in the beautification of building and architechture, we will need artisans from every trade not focused on effeciency but on the love of building!

yes, to leave a symbol of mandkinds masterpeices and capability in terms of wonder and pride that will last forever

I remember an ancient temple known as St. Sophia in the city of Kiev
http://www.relc.com/kiev/kiev/sophia.htm

check it out, peace yall

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Who said these sky scrapers were going to be small? I think they should be made as big as possible, fitting the equivalent of a two-up two-down house for every family. I think the best shape for a skyscraper is a thin pyramid shape, more stable than a simple box.
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We could also turn them into a museum, to show people the evils of religion and how for centuries humans worshipped idols and prayed to non-existent deities while the world around them was in chaos because of their ignorance.

That was done before, in the USSR. It did not work!
These monstrosities MUST be torn down!

[Red Skyscraper]

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[Cobra]

I remember an ancient temple known as St. Sophia in the city of Kiev
http://www.relc.com/kiev/kiev/sophia.htm

That is a great looking building. I really like the look of the white stone against the shining bronze top.

These monstrosities MUST be torn down!

If all you do is destroy things, then you are no better than the religious people that you hate so much. Think of the work that went into making those cathedrals. The people who built them were no different from us, they just happened to be born during a different time. To destroy cathedrals would put all that work to waste. Pyramids are also religious structures. They were built so that the Egyptian Kings would be able to beam out to heaven. Should we tear them down as well, just because religion is bad? Capitalism is also “bad”. By your logic, we should destroy every single building in all capitalist countries because they are “symbols of capitalism”. Common working people have constructed every building ever made. They are symbols what we are capable of creating. Things that have been built well enough to stay standing for another 1,000 years should not be destroyed. Destroying them would be a great dishonor to our fellow workers who spent years constructing them. We should instead do things to revolutionize them and bring them up to date. Once the public gains class conscience, I see not problems with making old buildings into museums that will serve to educate the people.

Who said these sky scrapers were going to be small? I think they should be made as big as possible, fitting the equivalent of a two-up two-down house for every family. I think the best shape for a skyscraper is a thin pyramid shape, more stable than a simple box.

When I think of skyscrapers, I think of very tall and skinny buildings. Skyscrapers are much larger across vertically than horizontally. While I’m not against incorporating tall skinny structures into a larger construction, the main part of the structure itself should be very wide. Think of a lighthouse. While lighthouses do have a tall skinny tower, the part of the lighthouse that the person actually spends most their time living in is the house below.

As for your pyramid idea, assuming that they are made from stone, they would be too unstable. If the Egyptians built large completely hollow pyramids, they would have collapsed under their own weight a long time ago. The reason that many of Egyptian pyramids are still standing is that, other than for a few narrow corridors, they are completely solid.

However, using modern technology pyramid structures might have possibilities, though they would still have problems. They would need to be made from metal beams. Gravity would cause the sides of the structure to push outward. To help to keep the structure from collapsing, thick steel crossbeams would be needed to give the structure support. While pyramid houses might work, the problem is that the weight is distributed at an angle creating a constant strain on the structure. I doubt if a pyramid would be more stable than a box, since the weight of a box would be pushed straight into the ground.

For stability, I would go with the dome shape. Domes provide a large open space without needing beams to hold them up. Domes would work perfectly for houses. A dome could house 50 people. People could live in rooms around the outside of the dome, and share the space in the center of the dome. There would not be any thin narrow corridors that plague most buildings built for housing today. Just a room for each person and a vast shared space.

[Cobra]

I looking up information on the St. Sophia's Cathedral and found that the tops of those building are not made of bronze, they are gold. It was stupid of me not to realize it before. If they were bronze they would be a rusted green by now.

I guess we found a use for all that gold sitting at Fort Knox.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I'd just like to remind all of you that under socialism, the building of skyscrapers should probably be halted. It is a bit early to be thinking about this kind of thing, but skyscrapers over 50 levels high are very inneficient. While tall buildings and a high concentration of offices, factories, homes, etc. can make transportation easier, and that should be attempted, making buildings extremely tall jsut so we can have pride in architecture, isn't a very good idea. Water pumping costs, air conditioning costs, elevator costs, construction costs, and the high cost of steel framing heavily outweigh the benefits of stacking people.

[canikickit]

The stained glass windows of Jesus and the Saints could be replaced with ones of Karl Marx, Lenin, and our other comrades. We could replace the cross of Jesus with a hammer and sickle. If there is a statue of the Virgin Mary we could replace it with one of Fidel. And so forth.

They're some of the most terrible suggestions I've ever heard.
I'd have no part in anything of the sort.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Originally posted by canikickit@May 17 2004, 05:34 PM
The stained glass windows of Jesus and the Saints could be replaced with ones of Karl Marx, Lenin, and our other comrades. We could replace the cross of Jesus with a hammer and sickle. If there is a statue of the Virgin Mary we could replace it with one of Fidel. And so forth.

I didn't see that when I firsty read the thread!

Just imagine a stained glass window featuring Marx!

Yeah, bro, that's a pretty bad idea.

[Red Skyscraper]

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