The skyscraper, as an icon, a monument, urban invention and workplace continues to evolve as a powerful building type and symbol of collective imagination. This volume speculates on the recent past and potential future of the skyscraper, based around a selection of approximately 100 mainly contemporary skyscrapers from around the world.
No building type has the power to capture the imagination like the skyscraper, yet following 9/11, the future of the skyscraper has been called into question. The author presents convincing evidence that the future of tall buildings is as secure today as it was over 100 years ago. Described and accompanied by striking full-color photography are over fifty new skyscrapers that punctuate the skyline of major cities around the world.Essays delve into cutting-edge skyscraper design and construction, a brief history of the skyscraper's origins, the evolution of the "green" or sustainable skyscraper, symbolism and skyscraper design, and the rise of the skyscraper in Asia. A special section is devoted to the designs for Ground Zero. Far from being a dying breed, skyscrapers are increasingly vital, and continued reinvention of the form awaits us as the next decade unfolds.