Groundscraper
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[edit] Overview
The term ‘Groundscraper’ can be used to refer to a building that extends horizontally over a large distance while only being of a low to medium height. The term can also be used, along with ‘earthscraper’, to describe buildings that are constructed below ground level.
One of the early instances of a building being labeled a groundscraper was the 1930s Merchandise Mart in Chicago, which, having a 372,000 sq m floor area was almost 50% bigger than the Empire State Building.
There are several notable groundscraper projects:
[edit] New Century Global Centre, Chengdu, China
With 1.7 million sq m of floor area, this multi-purpose shopping mall is the world’s largest building in terms of floor space.
[edit] Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, China
This hotel complex is the first to be built below ground level, descending by 19 storeys into a disused quarry.
[edit] The Pentagon, Arlington County, USA
One of the largest and most famous groundscraper buildings, this military complex has around 600,000 sq m of floor space.
For more information, see The Pentagon.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- 7 Engineering Wonders of the World.
- Architectural styles.
- Google King's Cross campus.
- High-rise building.
- Megatall.
- New York Horizon.
- Skyscraper.
- Super-slender.
- Tallest buildings in the world.
- The Big Bend, New York.
- The history of fabric structures.
- The Pentagon.
- Types of building.
[edit] External references
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