200904151040
This shocking ad has been running in the media for the past 2 weeks or so. At a time where the real estate developers have stopped advertising because the global financial crisis has brought their business model to a standstill, Dubai’s Limitless is still managing to advertise in Amman, but with a disastrous ad.

The “Sanaya Amman” or Limitless Towers as they are called, are located at the bottom end of Wadi Abdoun. They have been approved based on the Amman’s Municipality’s new high rise building regulations, that where put in place to avoid repeating the tragic mistake of the Jordan Gate towers on the 6th Circle, a project that we, our children and our grandchildren will have to live with and that has altered Amman’s skyline beyond repair (don’t even mention the potential traffic problems that it will create).

These regulations have stipulated that towers can only be built in certain places in Amman to minimize the impact on Amman’s skyline.

Any normal person out there who sees the Limitless ad in the newspaper, would think that yet another monster has been approved. The city scape around the “artist’s impression” of the project depicts a flat city (like Riyadh), totally dominated by a monstrous space ship,

From what I know about the project there is no way it will look like this, as it will be based in a wadi, surrounded by hills.

This ad campaign has high exposure. It makes it seem OK to have more monsters sticking out of Amman’s skyline.

It’s time to make real estate developers understand that Amman’s hills are a precious asset and a hallmark of its identity. They are the “icon” of Amman, and we really don’t need new “icons” that destroy its fabric and skyline. That’s not to say Amman cannot accept new projects and landmarks. It’s just about dealing with the city responsibly and respectfully. The Limitless ads grossly fail at that.

Read these related posts on 360east:


Posted

in

,

by

Tags:

Comments

15 responses to “This insane skyscraper ad abuses Amman!”

  1. kinzi Avatar
    kinzi

    Looks more like, and seems more like, a Tower of Babel. Each developer self-attributing god-likeness by achieving higher structures. Ego gone wild.

    Not just ruining the skyline, but complete and utter disregard for the limited water available.

    Not to mention that absolute death-trap it will be in an earthquake. No one I love will be entering this building, nor the Towers.

  2. Amer Avatar
    Amer

    Goodness! Another monster? how much does it cost to ruin the skyline of Amman these days? And what’s up with that blonde/European artist chick admiring the imaginary scenery of Wadi Abdoun? What is she (or the agency) on?!

    Excuse my ignorance Ahmad, but isn’t there an urban development committee at il Amaneh that should be thinking (properly) of these things? Isn’t there a way to tackle this issue more publically? I guess all these skyscrapers (or whatever projects surviving the credit crunch) could be grouped in south Amman, maybe around the airport or some other flat deserted area where there is space to grow yet another concrete jungle AND have space to park your car (or even create an advanced public transportation system – that works – in that new part of town?).

  3. Idealist too! Avatar
    Idealist too!

    Wow! By looking at this ad I can certainly understand why you are concerned. When I first saw Amman, I marveled the beauty of that city being built on hills and that I have never seen any city in the world built like that. The limestone structure really makes the city glow and gives it a certain mystique that one cannot find anywhere else except Amman. It’s unfortunate and saddening that the Municipality would consider eliminating that effect by destroying “the hallmark of Amman’s identity” (as you stated above.) Why need the skyscrapers to exemplify modernity? Leave that to Dubai which is now a city of “skyscraper overkill”.

    It is my hope that the Municipality would reconsider destroying a beautifully treasured city like Amman into becoming another Dubai.

  4. Nas Avatar
    Nas

    haha, that was my thought when I saw this ad a few days ago. the scale of it is just flat out hilarious! these towers are going to be at the very base of wadi abdoun so I think at their tallest they’ll just look like a tall building peaking above the surrounding hills.

    But the scale portrayed here makes it look like this is the tower of babylon or something.

  5. The Observer Avatar
    The Observer

    I like the Ad, and like the new skyscraper added to the city. While Amman’s identity is good to be preserved, it is also good to have grow and evolve. Some modern areas to the city should add to it.

  6. Amer Avatar
    Amer

    Liked the ad?

    OK, maybe the visual execution is good, however.. the content, man, where do I begin? It tries to mislead the audience by showing a very nice imagery of a place that does not exist. if they drew how it would look like in real life, I’m sure it would have a different impact on people.

    I might even go a bit philosophical and question the reason for using a foreigner? Probably I’m getting delusional here, but I think it looks as if the ad was based on the general obsession that “anything western is good/better”, and if there’s a European “artist” admiring the scenery, then it must be good!!

    You’re absolutely right in saying “Some modern areas to the city should add to it”. exactly.. areas, and not scattered buildings. If there is an area where all high rise buildings grow, then that should not be a problem.

    I’m definitely no architect or possess sufficient qualification to judge the whole thing, but I think that skyscrapers need proper infrastructure. I really find it hard to believe that Amman’s infrastructure and streets are prepared to support this kind of urban development, or that throwing skyscrapers in Wadi Abdoun will revive the area.

    Anyway.. whoever has money has the final word I guess.

  7. Ameen Avatar
    Ameen

    While I agree with most objections to the new project (infrastructure, water resource, parking issues, etc.), I do disagree with comments about the execution and conceptualization of the ad itself. Yes, the Tower of Babylon analogies are probably spot-on. But does that really make it a conceptually bad ad? Drama + Historic / mythological allusions = grandeur.

    And by the way, I do happen to know few Jordanian female artists who have blond hair ( even if it’s just a dye).

  8. ahmad Avatar
    ahmad

    i like the new skyline with the gate. its very nice and i think regardless of the treffic jam it will cause (which maybe caused by other things btw, like bad driving and too many cars and free parking and access to all) it looks good.
    you opned the subject, but Amman is indeed poorly planned, the gate is okay by me, but more of this in the center of the city is obviously too much. i live in London now and see how this very old city was planned from day one. We should have done the same, but no need to cry over cplit milk, we still need to plan. i think building in Amman, i mean expanding the viligaes that the circassians and others built in Amman during the 20s, 30s and 40s was a mistake. they should have built in the desert and left Amman to be was it should have been, green, fresh and like masayef Syria and Lebanon. its still not too late, immigrants are still coming like they did in 48, 67, 91 and 03, so there is still a possibility to “plan” the expantion away, far away in the desert..

  9. omar maani Avatar
    omar maani

    I must agree the adverts look like the towers are touhing the heavens when no other building dared do this. Although more than sixty stories in height i assure all that it starts at one of the lowest points in Amman, in area A designated for High density mixed use, after a lot of studies, care & attention to the urban fabric of the city & the unique skyline of Amman. I am having a word with the developers on this.
    Mayor Omar Maani

  10. Batir Wardam Avatar
    Batir Wardam

    Again I would focus on the issue of water resources. Unless this gigantic structure is built using water effeciency codes and even separating greywater (water from washing) from wastewater and reusing it for irrigation this will be a black hole for scarce water resources.
    Ahmad, can you verify the authincity of the comment from mayor of Amman? I mean, is it really the mayor or someone making a “statement”?

  11. Humeid Avatar
    Humeid

    Batir,

    I can confirm that the comment above is indeed mayor omar maani himself. Interesting :-)

  12. muhammad Avatar
    muhammad

    west amman is too flat. I think skyscrapers make the skyline of Amman much more interesting. You guys talk about hate for skyscrapers as if everybody feels this way. I think it’s a give-and-take.

    the ad itself is also absurd. as Humeid said, I don’t think it’ll look like that.

    it’s funny, I went to highschool exactly where that building is supposed to be built :-) ah, erasing memories!

  13. Amjad Avatar
    Amjad

    ‘I must agree the adverts look like the towers are touhing the heavens when no other building dared do this. Although more than sixty stories in height i assure all that it starts at one of the lowest points in Amman’

    it starts at one of the lowest points in amman, so its not gonna touch the heavens im afraid. thank god. what a joke!!

    p.s. Amer the woman in the add looks very jordanian to me. interesting theory though.

  14. yassir Avatar
    yassir

    when all major development projects are being held or cancelled, we in jordan should be thankfull that such projects are going on in our beloved amman, and the identity , well no one can change the identity of a city with a single sroke, on the contraryi think the limitless towers ampilfy the identity of amman, just imagine your self driving through abdoun valley , passing under the abdoun bridge and going downhill, when suddenly your hit by the view of two beautifull high rise buildings, i think it will be a jaw-dropping experience similar to that of going to petra,
    furthermore just think how many people will be working on the contruction and later the operation of the buildings (both directly and in-directly)
    my point of view is clear, give all the support to these towers and kudos to limitless.

  15. Emad Salameh Avatar
    Emad Salameh

    All the cities of the world face the same problem with the real estate developers. What we need is to control the expansion of the city, and focus on development. A narrow understanding of development is taken by Expansion, Towers, Real Estate developers, and more buildings, or as a response to the increase in population, like Amman, but this might not be the development that the city needs.

    Amman city is developing rapidly, but it’s development is taking the shape of expansion and or adaptation. On the other hand, more measures needs to be taken towards containing the growth, Urban Sprawl, increase in population, immigration ( Jordan have high immigration rates according to CIA Factbook), and immigration from less developed cities to the capital.

    Land expansion and increase in population has it’s danger to the identity of the city, the environment, and the economy in general and sometimes it must be contained rather than being adapted. On the other hand, less developed neighbourhoods in the city, and other less developed cities in Jordan needs more development.

    Our resources are scarce and need to be used for development and not growth, otherwise we will loose the opportunity of development.

    Amman city have such a beautiful and unique skyline and those Towers doesn’t belong to Amman.