Simbha Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Here's a question I've been pondering for a while...Houston doesn't have any single buildings that contend for largest-building status (as measured by square footage). But, if a 'building' is defined as connected internal floorspace, would the collective buildings in downtown Houston - bound by the tunnel system (and skywalks) - be one of the largest buildings in the world?I don't have square footage stats on all the DT buildings, so I can't answer this question myself... And, I also don't have any good info on how other cities might compare.Anyone?(Edit) Addendum: According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_buildings_in_the_world), at least one building on the list - the Warren G. Magnuson Health Sciences Building in Seattle - actually consists of several interconnected wings.Oh, and sewage lines don't count IMO, as they're not meant to be walked normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Interesting. I think Danax had mentioned this at one point too. Anyone know if this would indeed be eligible for consideration as one large building? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToryGattis Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Nice try, but I don't think there's any chance they'll go for that loophole. They want the 'building' to have a single name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 If Embarcadero Center gets to be counted as one building, then Houston Center should be too. That's my position is that frankly, this list needs better quality control.If you start considering entire districts on the basis of tunnels or skywalks, then downtown and the TMC probably would make a good show, as would downtown Minneapolis. Not sure about how we might stack up against international cities, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 If Embarcadero Center gets to be counted as one building, then Houston Center should be too. That's my position is that frankly, this list needs better quality control.If you start considering entire districts on the basis of tunnels or skywalks, then downtown and the TMC probably would make a good show, as would downtown Minneapolis. Not sure about how we might stack up against international cities, though.Probably not well. Some of the subway stations I've seen in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore connect to 20 or 30 different skyscrapers, and then have sky bridges that go beyond.Also, Chicago has a pedestrian tunnel system like Houston's called the Pedway. I'm not sure which is larger linearly, but Chicago's buildings in general are taller than Houston's. FWIW, New York has multiple non-subway tunnel systems, as well. Cincinnati has a skywalk system similar to Minneapolis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted November 18, 2010 Author Share Posted November 18, 2010 Probably not well. Some of the subway stations I've seen in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore connect to 20 or 30 different skyscrapers, and then have sky bridges that go beyond.Also, Chicago has a pedestrian tunnel system like Houston's called the Pedway. I'm not sure which is larger linearly, but Chicago's buildings in general are taller than Houston's. FWIW, New York has multiple non-subway tunnel systems, as well. Cincinnati has a skywalk system similar to Minneapolis.According to the all-knowing Wikipedia (no idea if these figures are correct)...The Houston Tunnel System links '95 full-city blocks' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_tunnel_system)The Chicago Pedway connects 'more than 40 city blocks' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Pedway)No idea how a 'full-city block' in H-town compares to a 'city block' in Chi-town.Here are some others:Minneapolis Skyway System: 69 full city blocks (11km) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Skyway_System) ... although the article on Skyways (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyway) lists Minneapolis as having 13km of walkways.Calgary's Skyway System: 16km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Why stop at tunnels...go all out and count sanitary sewers too! They link tens of thousands of buildings in Houston! The 69th Street plant services 53,500 acres of development in Houston -- that's one giant interconnected web of, uhhh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 Why stop at tunnels...go all out and count sanitary sewers too! They link tens of thousands of buildings in Houston! The 69th Street plant services 53,500 acres of development in Houston -- that's one giant interconnected web of, uhhh... Build a Chipotle accessible only by sewer line, and I'll consider it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Toronto's PATH system is 28 km (17 mi). From my experience, the tunnels are much wider than ours although it has much more of a shopping-mall feel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_path Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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