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Divided into six time-periods, each characterized by the tallest building of that era, the author examines the correlation between the structures and critical aspects of the period, such as materials, visionary architecture, commerce, style, and philosophy.

Utilizing original articles from ARCHITECTURAL RECORD as well as current thought, THE SKYSCRAPER reveals how these structures function as public cultural artifacts, how their designers conceived of the project, how they view them now, and other fascinating bits of history.

With vintage articles by Russell Sturgis, Lewis Mumford, Frank Lloyd Wright and others, 200 inspiring photographs (100 in full color), and outstanding contemporary coverage, here is a truly unique presentation of an important slice of modern society. ... Read more

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This book presents a selection of the most remarkable skyscrapers built in the last decade by renowned architects from all over the world. Architects such as Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Massimiliano Fuksas, and many others have contributed to this work. The buildings represent the architectural debate of the new millennium where the main goal is no longer the maximum height of the building, but the pursuit of sustainable technical and design solutions to provide better quality of life for their inhabitants and increased harmony between the building and the city. The book includes examples of actual buildings and projects still under construction in cities like New York, Sydney, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Shanghai. ... Read more

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In Tower and Office, Spanish architects Inaki Abalos and Juan Herreros look at the role and impact of advanced building technologies in American architecture since World War II. The war, they claim, marked the end of the first cycle of modernism, challenging the belief that technological progress alone could produce a perpetually better future. At the same time, the war was the source of powerful new structural models and construction methods. The authors examine the ways these technologies have been inflected over the last half century by more subjective and integrated processes of spatial organization.

In the first part of the book, Abalos and Herreros focus on the work of Le Corbusier, revealing the degree of complexity achieved in his interpretation of the modern skyscraper. In the second part, they look at the intersection of technical and cultural determinants in the design of high-rise structures since World War II. Among the issues they consider are the evolution of the load-bearing frame, the impact of high-tech systems on tall buildings, and the transparent building skin. In the third part, they address developments in office design and planning, tracing an evolution from the repetitive and homogeneous office skyscraper to the present-day mixed-use structure. Overall they demonstrate how the objective technical analysis associated with modernist architectural theory has given way in recent building practice to a variety of flexible, pragmatic, and environmental approaches. These, they suggest, have opened the way to new urban and architectural forms. ... Read more

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The architecture of Houston, Texas includes a wide varietyof award-winning and historic examples located in variousareas of the city. From early in its history to currenttimes, Houston inspired innovative and challenging buildingdesign and construction, as it quickly grew into aninternationally recognized commercial and industrial hub ofthe United States. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Renaissance Tower, located at 1201 Elm Street in downtown Dallas, Texas is a 56-story modern-styled skyscraper. Standing at a structural height of 886 feet (270 m), it is the second tallest skyscraper in Dallas. It is also the fifth tallest building in Texas and the 24th tallest building in the United States. The building was designed by the architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, completed in 1974, and renovated by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in 1986.[citation needed] Renaissance Tower currently houses the corporate headquarters of Blockbuster and Winstead PC. ... Read more

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Filled with spectacular color photos and intriguing detail, these informative books belong in the library of every student of architecture.

An international array of classic cathedrals of commerce, representing brilliant conquests of space and materials. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Content doesn't reach the height of the Masterpieces
I have to admit the book is beautiful. I have to give a lot of credit to the photographers who are talented enough to make city skyscrapers appear to be somewhat attractive. The problem that I ran into was that there wasnot enough detail on each "masterpiece of architecture." I wishit had concentrated a bit more on Art Deco, the actual construction and thearchitects themselves. The information throughout the book was vague whichcontradicted the up close and detailed photos. I felt there was missinginformation. It talks briefly about the history of skyscrapers and variousarchitects. American and European buildings are both represented in thisbook. I wouldn't use ths book for serious research but, if you are justlooking for a pretty coffee table book, then this might be for you. ... Read more

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More than any other phenomenon, the skyscraper has determined the character of the American city, altering its physicality and land use patterns; prompting design, technological, and infrastructure developments; creating internal work environments; and redefining boundaries and expectations of individuals and groups defined by gender, class, and ethnicity. This volume examines the various dimensions of the skyscraper in its American urban context. Focusing on the major skyscraper cities of New York and Chicago between 1870 and 1960, the studies in this volume address many of the major aspects of the skyscraper through a diversity of disciplines, including planning and public policy, art and architectural history, labor and business history, and American studies. The result is a kaleidoscopic view of the skyscraper, a building type whose existence as object and icon is inextricably linked to the city itself. ... Read more

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Sir Nikolaus Pevsner's history of European architecture, with its readable brevity and its combination of warmth and scholarship, provides the ideal introduction to the subject. Concentrating on outstanding and typical buildings, this classic study traces the story of western architecture from the basilicas of Rome to the skyscrapers of the twentieth century.Now issued in large format with nearly 300 photographs, drawings and plans integrated into the text they illustrate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book
It is a most wonderful book on the architectural history of Europe, even if the subject is not exactly your cup of tea.The photographs are great, and information rich and interesting, and the organization of the text splendid.I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates art and history of Europe from this angle.

If you only read one book on architecture...
Read this book; it is quite simply stunning and makes a complicated subject seem simple ( well I understood it ).

The ' Introduction ' alone is more than worth the purchase; it is often quoted and reproduced as a seminal article.

A treat.

Outstanding introduction
I've read dozens of books on the history of architecture, and this is the best introduction to the subject I've ever encountered, despite the fact that it is now over half a century old. I used this book intensively on a three-month trip to western and eastern Europe some years ago, and it was a great help in appreciating all the many important buildings we encountered, especially the Gothic cathedrals and early Renaissance Italian architecture. As the back cover says, Sir Nicholas is reckoned one of the most stimulating writers on architecture alive, and I would have to agree with that. His great enthusiasm for his subject is contagious, and his descriptions of important buildings are often nothing short of inspired. This is truly a great book by a great scholar. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Good overview...
... but incorrectly states that the Amoco Building is the 2nd tallest building in Chicago.It certainly is not:Sears Tower, John Hancock Center and then Amoco -- in that order.And it'll soon drop down to 4th place after Trump's 92-story tower is completed. ... Read more

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eVolo presents the best 60 projects of the 2006, 2007, and 2008 Skyscraper Competition. An investigation by architects, students, and designers on the future of the skyscraper. What is the skyscraper in the beginning of the XXI Century? What is the historical and social context of these mega-structures? What is their response to the urban fabric? Is the human scale lost? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent book
This is one of the best books about contemporary and innovative architecture I have seen this year.It is full of great projects that deal with the skyscraper as both a problem and a solution to different cities around the globe.It is not just about super-tall buildings but about new technologies and its application in the design and construction of the skyscraper for the future generations.Many of the projects are really amazing both in a formal and a programmatic way.I really recommend this book to anyone who is interested in tall buildings, computer-aided design, and high-end design. I am really enjoying it!!

Good but dissapoiting
This book being a compilation of competition entries, is very interesting and has a number of innovative designs for high rise buildings. However, the book itself was a bit of a disappointment for me. Seeing the competition web site before i purchased this book, i thought i was gonna end up with a huge book with 2-300 pages with high quality images of the competition material. But what i got in the end is a small book, having little more than what the web site already showed. Very little info, or description of the entries and relatively small diagrams that are in some cases hard to read.
Saying all this, i would have bought it anyway, if i knew all that. I'm very interested in the competition and in the ideas displayed in the book... ... Read more

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In a world with Jumbo jets, microchips and artifical hearts, architecture had appeared to have lost its wonder, but with the building of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, now the tallest buildings on earth, this has changed and their construction has rightly restored architecture as a world wonder. It is not just because the towers are the tallest that they can make this claim. Their design by Cesar Pelli also reflects a melding of East and West. The towers embody the great spirit born of the American mid-West and now found all over the world. They also reflect the latest technology in making tall buildings, with modern materials such as stainless steel cladding which makes their spires glisten on the horizon. The design of the Petronas Towers began with an international design competition. In June 1991, eight firms were invited to participate. The architects were asked to providee a general plan for the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and a more detailed design for two towers to be occupied by Petronas, the national petroleum company of Malaysia. The Petronas Towers were expected to define a gateway, "a place that people can identify as unique to Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia." It was never discussed that the towers should become the tallest buildings in the world, only that they be beautiful. ... Read more