Structure of David, the Globe's Tallest Slum

The Structure of David is an discontinued incomplete skyscraper in the middle of Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, that is now home to more than 3,000 squatters, who have converted the 45-story skyscraper into the world’s tallest slum.

Construction of the developing, initially known as “Centro Financiero Confinanzas” and nicknamed the “Tower of David”, after its designer, David Brillembourg, was began in 1990 and was to become a icon of Caracas’ shiny financial upcoming.

It is the third highest skyscraper in the nation. But a financial problems introduced those programs to an unexpected stop in 1994. The govt took control over the building and building was never finished. The building has no lifts, no set up electricity or flowing water, no terrace railing and windows and even surfaces in many locations.

In 2007, a number of squatters took over the developing, and it quickly obtained reputation as a hotbed of criminal activity and drugs. Despite this, citizens have handled to build a comfortable and self retaining community complete with basic utility services such as power and water that gets to all the way up to the 22 floor.

Lifts being absent, citizens can use motorbikes to journey up and down the first 10 surfaces, but must use the stairways for the staying levels. Within the building’s long halls there are manufacturing facilities, outfits shops, elegance parlours, a dentist and day-care facilities. Some citizens even have vehicles, sitting within of the structure's vehicle parking garage area. Some seven hundred family members including over 3,000 citizens live in the tower nowadays.

Residents declare that “Tower of David” is far more more secure than anywhere else in Caracas. Many within the Structure of David moved from other, far more risky slums around the town like the aggressive Petare of eastern Caracas.

There is a co-operative and ground associates that help to manage the tower, and see that public corridors are kept freshly-polished, and guidelines and rotas are honored. The citizens pay $32 monthly “condominium” fee to pay for the tower’s 24-hour protection patrols.