Overview
The evolution of the skyscraper reveals a fascinating success story that began near the end of the 19th century. Not only have skyscrapers fundamentally transformed our cities, they have also drastically altered the way we perceive architecture. Alongside the ongoing contest to erect the world's tallest building, skyscrapers are associated with a large number of architectonic, technological, ecological, and urban aspects. For many years, however, high-rise buildings were primarily an American affair. Skyscrapers began to flourish before World War I in Chicago, then later experienced a phase of monumental expansion in New York. Beginning in the 1990's, an unexpected wave of high-rise construction swept across Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Of late, the most important projects have been built outside America. Buildings by architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, I. M. Pei, Philip Johnson, or Norman Foster are genuine milestones, setting the standards according to which future high-rise buildings will be measured. No other form of construction can replace skyscrapers as a response to the exponentially increasing need for space in the centers of the world's metropolises. The present moment seems to be a well-chosen time to reconsider the developmental history of the high-rise, to examine its most significant specimens, and to venture a look into the future of this unique type of building.Synopsis
This vibrantly designed volume celebrates every facet of the skyscraper as architectural icon.
Few buildings rivet our attention like skyscrapers. As the race to build higher and higher continues, these symbols of success and economic power dominate and reshape urban skylines across the globe. More up to date and comprehensive, Skyscrapers offers fans of these magnificent structures a chance to understand our fascination with reaching the sky.
Opening with Chicago's Tacoma Building, built in 1898, and closing with plans for the Freedom Tower, which will be built on the site of the World Trade Towers, eye-catching double-page spreads capture fifty of the world's most important skyscrapers. Each building is breathtakingly photographed, and an accompanying text offers intriguing historical details, notes on construction, and engineering feats. Tracing the evolution of these heaven-bound structures, Skyscrapers Illustrates their significance not only in architectural history, but also as a reflection of humankind's most competitive and optimistic urges.
Andres Lepik is an architectural historian and a director of publications for the SMPK in Berlin.