Author: Stefan Al
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324006420
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
The global boom in skyscrapers—why it’s happening now, how they’re made, and what they do to cities and people. We are living in a new urban age, and its most tangible expression is the “supertall”: megastructures that are dramatically bigger, higher, and more ambitious than any in history. Cities around the world are racing to build the first mile-high building, stretching the limits of engineering and design as never before. In this fascinating work of urban history and design, TED resident Stefan Al—himself an experienced architect—explores the factors that have led to this worldwide boom. He reveals the marvelous and underappreciated feats of engineering that make today’s supertalls a reality, from double-decker elevators that silently move up to 50 miles per hour to the sophisticated blend of polymers and steel fibers that enables concrete to withstand 8,000 tons of pressure per square meter. Taking readers behind the scenes of the building and design of remarkable megastructures, both from the past (the Empire State Building, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower) and the present (Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, London’s Shard, Shanghai Tower), Al demonstrates the impact of these innovations. Yet while the supertall is undoubtedly a testament to great technological victories, it can come at an environmental and social cost. Focusing on four global cities—London, New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore—Al examines the risks of wealth inequality, carbon emissions, and contagion that stem from supertalls. And he uncovers the latest innovations in sustainable building, from skyscrapers made of wood to tree-covered buildings, that promise to yield a better urban future. Featuring more than thirty architectural drawings, Supertall is both a fascinating exploration of our greatest accomplishments and a powerful argument for a more equitable way forward.
Supertall: How the World's Tallest Buildings Are Reshaping Our Cities and Our Lives
Author: Stefan Al
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324006420
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
The global boom in skyscrapers—why it’s happening now, how they’re made, and what they do to cities and people. We are living in a new urban age, and its most tangible expression is the “supertall”: megastructures that are dramatically bigger, higher, and more ambitious than any in history. Cities around the world are racing to build the first mile-high building, stretching the limits of engineering and design as never before. In this fascinating work of urban history and design, TED resident Stefan Al—himself an experienced architect—explores the factors that have led to this worldwide boom. He reveals the marvelous and underappreciated feats of engineering that make today’s supertalls a reality, from double-decker elevators that silently move up to 50 miles per hour to the sophisticated blend of polymers and steel fibers that enables concrete to withstand 8,000 tons of pressure per square meter. Taking readers behind the scenes of the building and design of remarkable megastructures, both from the past (the Empire State Building, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower) and the present (Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, London’s Shard, Shanghai Tower), Al demonstrates the impact of these innovations. Yet while the supertall is undoubtedly a testament to great technological victories, it can come at an environmental and social cost. Focusing on four global cities—London, New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore—Al examines the risks of wealth inequality, carbon emissions, and contagion that stem from supertalls. And he uncovers the latest innovations in sustainable building, from skyscrapers made of wood to tree-covered buildings, that promise to yield a better urban future. Featuring more than thirty architectural drawings, Supertall is both a fascinating exploration of our greatest accomplishments and a powerful argument for a more equitable way forward.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324006420
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
The global boom in skyscrapers—why it’s happening now, how they’re made, and what they do to cities and people. We are living in a new urban age, and its most tangible expression is the “supertall”: megastructures that are dramatically bigger, higher, and more ambitious than any in history. Cities around the world are racing to build the first mile-high building, stretching the limits of engineering and design as never before. In this fascinating work of urban history and design, TED resident Stefan Al—himself an experienced architect—explores the factors that have led to this worldwide boom. He reveals the marvelous and underappreciated feats of engineering that make today’s supertalls a reality, from double-decker elevators that silently move up to 50 miles per hour to the sophisticated blend of polymers and steel fibers that enables concrete to withstand 8,000 tons of pressure per square meter. Taking readers behind the scenes of the building and design of remarkable megastructures, both from the past (the Empire State Building, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower) and the present (Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, London’s Shard, Shanghai Tower), Al demonstrates the impact of these innovations. Yet while the supertall is undoubtedly a testament to great technological victories, it can come at an environmental and social cost. Focusing on four global cities—London, New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore—Al examines the risks of wealth inequality, carbon emissions, and contagion that stem from supertalls. And he uncovers the latest innovations in sustainable building, from skyscrapers made of wood to tree-covered buildings, that promise to yield a better urban future. Featuring more than thirty architectural drawings, Supertall is both a fascinating exploration of our greatest accomplishments and a powerful argument for a more equitable way forward.
Supertall | Megatall
Author: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Publisher: Oro Editions
ISBN: 9781954081376
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 576
Book Description
Drawing from the unique design experience at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) as architects of the next world's tallest tower and several others under construction, "Supertall | Megatall: How High Can We Go?" highlights the design, sustainability, innovative technology, programming, and contextualism that defines supertall and megatall towers. The book is a mixture of under construction and design-only projects divided into several chapters that are organized according to their special characteristics: Innovative Systems, Harnessing Energies, Designing an Icon, Extending Ecologies, and Achieving Megatall. Each project, completed between 2007-2020 at AS+GG, is discovered through context, program, form, research and development, and performance, highlighting the stories, challenges, and lessons learned.
Publisher: Oro Editions
ISBN: 9781954081376
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 576
Book Description
Drawing from the unique design experience at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) as architects of the next world's tallest tower and several others under construction, "Supertall | Megatall: How High Can We Go?" highlights the design, sustainability, innovative technology, programming, and contextualism that defines supertall and megatall towers. The book is a mixture of under construction and design-only projects divided into several chapters that are organized according to their special characteristics: Innovative Systems, Harnessing Energies, Designing an Icon, Extending Ecologies, and Achieving Megatall. Each project, completed between 2007-2020 at AS+GG, is discovered through context, program, form, research and development, and performance, highlighting the stories, challenges, and lessons learned.
Cities in the Sky
Author: Jason M. Barr
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982174218
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
From one of the world’s top experts on the economics of skyscrapers—a fascinating account of the ever-growing quest for super tall buildings across the globe. The world’s skyscrapers have brought us awe and wonder, and yet they remain controversial—for their high costs, shadows, and overt grandiosity. But, decade by decade, they keep getting higher and higher. What is driving this global building spree of epic proportions? In Cities in the Sky, author Jason Barr explains all: why they appeal to cities and nations, how they get financed, why they succeed economically, and how they change a city’s skyline and enable the world’s greatest metropolises to thrive in the 21st century. From the Empire State Building (1,250 feet) to the Shanghai Tower (2,073 feet) and everywhere in between, Barr explains the unique architectural and engineering efforts that led to the creation of each. Along the way, Barr visits and unpacks some surprising myths about the earliest skyscrapers and the growth of American skylines after World War II, which incorporated a new suite of technologies that spread to the rest of the world in the 1990s. Barr also explores why London banned skyscrapers at the end of the 19th century but then embraced them in the 21st and explains how Hong Kong created the densest cluster of skyscrapers on the planet. Also covered is the dramatic result of China’s “skyscraper fever” and then on to the Arabian Peninsula to see what drove Dubai to build the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which at 2,717 feet, is higher than the new One World Trade Center in New York by three football fields. Filled with fascinating details for urbanists, architecture buffs, and urban design enthusiasts alike, Cities in the Sky addresses the good, bad, and ugly for cities that have embraced vertical skylines and offers us a glimpse to the future to see whether cities around the world will continue their journey ever upwards.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982174218
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
From one of the world’s top experts on the economics of skyscrapers—a fascinating account of the ever-growing quest for super tall buildings across the globe. The world’s skyscrapers have brought us awe and wonder, and yet they remain controversial—for their high costs, shadows, and overt grandiosity. But, decade by decade, they keep getting higher and higher. What is driving this global building spree of epic proportions? In Cities in the Sky, author Jason Barr explains all: why they appeal to cities and nations, how they get financed, why they succeed economically, and how they change a city’s skyline and enable the world’s greatest metropolises to thrive in the 21st century. From the Empire State Building (1,250 feet) to the Shanghai Tower (2,073 feet) and everywhere in between, Barr explains the unique architectural and engineering efforts that led to the creation of each. Along the way, Barr visits and unpacks some surprising myths about the earliest skyscrapers and the growth of American skylines after World War II, which incorporated a new suite of technologies that spread to the rest of the world in the 1990s. Barr also explores why London banned skyscrapers at the end of the 19th century but then embraced them in the 21st and explains how Hong Kong created the densest cluster of skyscrapers on the planet. Also covered is the dramatic result of China’s “skyscraper fever” and then on to the Arabian Peninsula to see what drove Dubai to build the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which at 2,717 feet, is higher than the new One World Trade Center in New York by three football fields. Filled with fascinating details for urbanists, architecture buffs, and urban design enthusiasts alike, Cities in the Sky addresses the good, bad, and ugly for cities that have embraced vertical skylines and offers us a glimpse to the future to see whether cities around the world will continue their journey ever upwards.
Mall City
Author: Stefan Al
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888208969
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Hong Kong is the twenty-first-century paradigmatic capital of consumerism. Of all places, it has the densest and tallest concentration of malls, reaching tens of stories. Hong Kong’s malls are also the most visited, sandwiched between subways and skyscrapers. These mall complexes have become cities in and of themselves, accommodating tens of thousands of people who live, work, and play within a single structure. Mall City features Hong Kong as a unique rendering of an advanced consumer society. Retail space has come a long way since the nineteenth-century covered passages of Paris, which once awed the bourgeoisie with glass roofs and gaslights. It has morphed from the arcade to the department store, and from the mall into the “mall city”—where “expresscalators” crisscross mesmerizing atriums. Highlighting the effects of this development in Hong Kong, this book raises questions about architecture, city planning, culture, and urban life. “At the nexus of density, humidity, topography, and prosperity, Hong Kong has spawned more malls per square mile than any place on earth. This fantastic book decodes and graphically depicts an environment both apart and ubiquitous, a convulsive form of public space in a liquid territory where intensely contested politics, commerce, and sociability weirdly merge in a city like no other.” —Michael Sorkin, distinguished professor of architecture of the City University of New York “Hong Kong may be packed with the most shopping malls per square kilometer in the world, but Mall City is packed with the most drawings, information, and fascinating mall facts. The book dissects, categorizes, and displays all kinds of intriguing data on the city-state’s shopping complexes and culture. Its richly layered analysis perfectly matches Hong Kong’s multi-story machines for consumption.” —Clifford Pearson, director of USC American Academy in China “Stefan Al has again produced a book that provides a sharp lens on radically new urban forms that are emerging in China. While his previous books, Villages in the City andFactory Towns of South China introduced the site of production and housing for the migrant labor of the Pearl River Delta, here we enter the phantasmagoria of the enormous interconnected free-trade shopping zone of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mall City dissects the basic unit of this climate-controlled consumer landscape—the mall. This beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for those who wish to understand the future of public space in high-density cities.” —Brian McGrath, professor of urban design and dean of constructed environments, Parsons School of Design
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888208969
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Hong Kong is the twenty-first-century paradigmatic capital of consumerism. Of all places, it has the densest and tallest concentration of malls, reaching tens of stories. Hong Kong’s malls are also the most visited, sandwiched between subways and skyscrapers. These mall complexes have become cities in and of themselves, accommodating tens of thousands of people who live, work, and play within a single structure. Mall City features Hong Kong as a unique rendering of an advanced consumer society. Retail space has come a long way since the nineteenth-century covered passages of Paris, which once awed the bourgeoisie with glass roofs and gaslights. It has morphed from the arcade to the department store, and from the mall into the “mall city”—where “expresscalators” crisscross mesmerizing atriums. Highlighting the effects of this development in Hong Kong, this book raises questions about architecture, city planning, culture, and urban life. “At the nexus of density, humidity, topography, and prosperity, Hong Kong has spawned more malls per square mile than any place on earth. This fantastic book decodes and graphically depicts an environment both apart and ubiquitous, a convulsive form of public space in a liquid territory where intensely contested politics, commerce, and sociability weirdly merge in a city like no other.” —Michael Sorkin, distinguished professor of architecture of the City University of New York “Hong Kong may be packed with the most shopping malls per square kilometer in the world, but Mall City is packed with the most drawings, information, and fascinating mall facts. The book dissects, categorizes, and displays all kinds of intriguing data on the city-state’s shopping complexes and culture. Its richly layered analysis perfectly matches Hong Kong’s multi-story machines for consumption.” —Clifford Pearson, director of USC American Academy in China “Stefan Al has again produced a book that provides a sharp lens on radically new urban forms that are emerging in China. While his previous books, Villages in the City andFactory Towns of South China introduced the site of production and housing for the migrant labor of the Pearl River Delta, here we enter the phantasmagoria of the enormous interconnected free-trade shopping zone of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mall City dissects the basic unit of this climate-controlled consumer landscape—the mall. This beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for those who wish to understand the future of public space in high-density cities.” —Brian McGrath, professor of urban design and dean of constructed environments, Parsons School of Design
Reimagining Alternative Technology for Design in the 21st Century
Author: Brook S. Kennedy
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000870235
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
Reimagining Alternative Technology for Design in the 21st Century presents a new approach to design that harnesses still-valuable alternative, traditional and abandoned technologies alongside the creation of new ones to address contemporary global problems. It focuses on design opportunities that reduce energy and material consumption to tackle issues such as climate change and pollution in industrialized economies. The book takes the reader on a journey surveying different facets of human activity to identify underused and discarded technologies that could be indispensable today. It critically addresses newer approaches to design and technology by comparing them to existing alternatives, unpacking examples including air conditioning with smart thermostats, electric lighting, durable reusable products, domestic maintenance tools and methods of transportation. Written for practicing designers and students in industrial design, architecture, sustainable design and human-centered design, this book provides new ideas and tools for creating more useful, energy-and-resource-efficient product designs and systems.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000870235
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
Reimagining Alternative Technology for Design in the 21st Century presents a new approach to design that harnesses still-valuable alternative, traditional and abandoned technologies alongside the creation of new ones to address contemporary global problems. It focuses on design opportunities that reduce energy and material consumption to tackle issues such as climate change and pollution in industrialized economies. The book takes the reader on a journey surveying different facets of human activity to identify underused and discarded technologies that could be indispensable today. It critically addresses newer approaches to design and technology by comparing them to existing alternatives, unpacking examples including air conditioning with smart thermostats, electric lighting, durable reusable products, domestic maintenance tools and methods of transportation. Written for practicing designers and students in industrial design, architecture, sustainable design and human-centered design, this book provides new ideas and tools for creating more useful, energy-and-resource-efficient product designs and systems.
Tall: the design and construction of high-rise architecture
Author: Guy Marriage
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429788843
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
This is a guide to both the basics and the details of tall building design, delving into the rudimentary aspects of design that an architect of a tall office building must consider, as well as looking at the rationale for why and how a building must be built the way it is. Liberally illustrated with clear, simple black and white illustrations showing how the building structure and details can be built, this book greatly assists the reader in their understanding of the building process for a modern office tower. It breaks down the building into three main components: the structure, the core and the facade, writing about them and illustrating them in a simple-to-understand manner. By focusing on the nuts and bolts of real-life design and construction, it provides a practical guide and desk-reference to any architect or architecture student embarking on a tall building project.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429788843
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
This is a guide to both the basics and the details of tall building design, delving into the rudimentary aspects of design that an architect of a tall office building must consider, as well as looking at the rationale for why and how a building must be built the way it is. Liberally illustrated with clear, simple black and white illustrations showing how the building structure and details can be built, this book greatly assists the reader in their understanding of the building process for a modern office tower. It breaks down the building into three main components: the structure, the core and the facade, writing about them and illustrating them in a simple-to-understand manner. By focusing on the nuts and bolts of real-life design and construction, it provides a practical guide and desk-reference to any architect or architecture student embarking on a tall building project.
How to Build a Skyscraper
Author: John Hill
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781770859609
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
"45 skyscrapers are examined for their pioneering technology, sustainability, and other characteristics that set them apart. Each building is presented with a large photograph with cross-section drawings plus fact boxes listing location, year of completion, height, stories, primary functions, owner/developer, architect, structural engineer, and construction firm. The buildings examined are distributed over the world's most developed regions of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia."--
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781770859609
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
"45 skyscrapers are examined for their pioneering technology, sustainability, and other characteristics that set them apart. Each building is presented with a large photograph with cross-section drawings plus fact boxes listing location, year of completion, height, stories, primary functions, owner/developer, architect, structural engineer, and construction firm. The buildings examined are distributed over the world's most developed regions of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia."--
One World Trade Center
Author: Judith Dupré
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316353590
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 562
Book Description
From the bestselling author of Skyscrapers, the behind-the-scenes story of the most extraordinary building in the world: One World Trade Center. The new World Trade Center represents one of the most complex collaborations in human history. Nearly every state in the nation, a dozen countries around the world, and more than 25,000 workers helped raise the tower, which consumed ninety million pounds of steel, one million square feet of glass, and enough concrete to pave a sidewalk from New York to Chicago. With more than seventy interviews with the people most intimately involved, and unprecedented access to the building site, suppliers, and archives, Duprè unfurls the definitive story of fourteen years of conflict and controversy-and its triumphant resolution. This fascinating, oversize book delivers new insight into the 1,776-foot-tall engineering marvel, from design and excavation through the final placement of its spire. It offers: Access to the minds of world-class architects, engineers, ironworkers, and other tradespeople Panoramas of New York from One World Observatory-1,268 feet above the earth Dramatic cutaways that show the building's advanced structural technologies A time-lapse montage showing the evolution of the sixteen-acre site Chronologies tracking design, construction, and financial milestones, with rare historic photographs It also features extensive tour of the entire Trade Center, including in-depth chapters on Two, Three, Four, and Seven World Trade Center; the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; Liberty Park; St. Nicholas National Shrine; and the soaring Transportation Hub. One World Trade Center is the only book authorized by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and the one book necessary to understand the new World Trade Center in its totality. This is a must-have celebration of American resilience and ingenuity for all who are invested in the rebuilding of Ground Zero.
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316353590
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 562
Book Description
From the bestselling author of Skyscrapers, the behind-the-scenes story of the most extraordinary building in the world: One World Trade Center. The new World Trade Center represents one of the most complex collaborations in human history. Nearly every state in the nation, a dozen countries around the world, and more than 25,000 workers helped raise the tower, which consumed ninety million pounds of steel, one million square feet of glass, and enough concrete to pave a sidewalk from New York to Chicago. With more than seventy interviews with the people most intimately involved, and unprecedented access to the building site, suppliers, and archives, Duprè unfurls the definitive story of fourteen years of conflict and controversy-and its triumphant resolution. This fascinating, oversize book delivers new insight into the 1,776-foot-tall engineering marvel, from design and excavation through the final placement of its spire. It offers: Access to the minds of world-class architects, engineers, ironworkers, and other tradespeople Panoramas of New York from One World Observatory-1,268 feet above the earth Dramatic cutaways that show the building's advanced structural technologies A time-lapse montage showing the evolution of the sixteen-acre site Chronologies tracking design, construction, and financial milestones, with rare historic photographs It also features extensive tour of the entire Trade Center, including in-depth chapters on Two, Three, Four, and Seven World Trade Center; the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; Liberty Park; St. Nicholas National Shrine; and the soaring Transportation Hub. One World Trade Center is the only book authorized by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and the one book necessary to understand the new World Trade Center in its totality. This is a must-have celebration of American resilience and ingenuity for all who are invested in the rebuilding of Ground Zero.
Skyscraper Manual Builders' Workshop Manual
Author: Alexandra Wynne
Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK
ISBN: 9781785211096
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
It’s hard to believe that the world's first skyscraper was built in 1885 – the ten-storey Home Insurance Building in Chicago. Little more than a century later the highest skyscraper is the 163-storey Burj Khalifa in Dubai, standing 828 metres tall. By 2020, the 1,000-metre Kingdom Tower in Jeddah will take first place. The designs are becoming more extraordinary, but behind all the steel and glass how is a skyscraper logistically constructed? The Haynes Skyscraper Manual takes the reader, be they armchair enthusiast or architect, through the fascinating process, from initial concepts through to modern-day building methods. Interspersed with intriguing facts and figures, the Skyscraper Manual is fully illustrated with stunning photographs and technical drawings
Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK
ISBN: 9781785211096
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
It’s hard to believe that the world's first skyscraper was built in 1885 – the ten-storey Home Insurance Building in Chicago. Little more than a century later the highest skyscraper is the 163-storey Burj Khalifa in Dubai, standing 828 metres tall. By 2020, the 1,000-metre Kingdom Tower in Jeddah will take first place. The designs are becoming more extraordinary, but behind all the steel and glass how is a skyscraper logistically constructed? The Haynes Skyscraper Manual takes the reader, be they armchair enthusiast or architect, through the fascinating process, from initial concepts through to modern-day building methods. Interspersed with intriguing facts and figures, the Skyscraper Manual is fully illustrated with stunning photographs and technical drawings
Building the Skyline
Author: Jason M. Barr
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199344388
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 457
Book Description
The Manhattan skyline is one of the great wonders of the modern world. But how and why did it form? Much has been written about the city's architecture and its general history, but little work has explored the economic forces that created the skyline. In Building the Skyline, Jason Barr chronicles the economic history of the Manhattan skyline. In the process, he debunks some widely held misconceptions about the city's history. Starting with Manhattan's natural and geological history, Barr moves on to how these formations influenced early land use and the development of neighborhoods, including the dense tenement neighborhoods of Five Points and the Lower East Side, and how these early decisions eventually impacted the location of skyscrapers built during the Skyscraper Revolution at the end of the 19th century. Barr then explores the economic history of skyscrapers and the skyline, investigating the reasons for their heights, frequencies, locations, and shapes. He discusses why skyscrapers emerged downtown and why they appeared three miles to the north in midtown-but not in between the two areas. Contrary to popular belief, this was not due to the depths of Manhattan's bedrock, nor the presence of Grand Central Station. Rather, midtown's emergence was a response to the economic and demographic forces that were taking place north of 14th Street after the Civil War. Building the Skyline also presents the first rigorous investigation of the causes of the building boom during the Roaring Twenties. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the boom was largely a rational response to the economic growth of the nation and city. The last chapter investigates the value of Manhattan Island and the relationship between skyscrapers and land prices. Finally, an Epilogue offers policy recommendations for a resilient and robust future skyline.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199344388
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 457
Book Description
The Manhattan skyline is one of the great wonders of the modern world. But how and why did it form? Much has been written about the city's architecture and its general history, but little work has explored the economic forces that created the skyline. In Building the Skyline, Jason Barr chronicles the economic history of the Manhattan skyline. In the process, he debunks some widely held misconceptions about the city's history. Starting with Manhattan's natural and geological history, Barr moves on to how these formations influenced early land use and the development of neighborhoods, including the dense tenement neighborhoods of Five Points and the Lower East Side, and how these early decisions eventually impacted the location of skyscrapers built during the Skyscraper Revolution at the end of the 19th century. Barr then explores the economic history of skyscrapers and the skyline, investigating the reasons for their heights, frequencies, locations, and shapes. He discusses why skyscrapers emerged downtown and why they appeared three miles to the north in midtown-but not in between the two areas. Contrary to popular belief, this was not due to the depths of Manhattan's bedrock, nor the presence of Grand Central Station. Rather, midtown's emergence was a response to the economic and demographic forces that were taking place north of 14th Street after the Civil War. Building the Skyline also presents the first rigorous investigation of the causes of the building boom during the Roaring Twenties. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the boom was largely a rational response to the economic growth of the nation and city. The last chapter investigates the value of Manhattan Island and the relationship between skyscrapers and land prices. Finally, an Epilogue offers policy recommendations for a resilient and robust future skyline.