Overview

An architectural expert tours 46 of the world's most significant skyscrapers. ""A useful ready-reference work and a treat for architecture buffs."" -- Booklist ""Handsome color photographs, fact-packed summaries and crisp drawings (especially, a lucid cutaway look at each skyscraper) enhance his bite-sized blocks of text... This book stays true to its title, probing beneath the skin of skyscrapers to reveal their structural bones and the other things that shape them. It's a fine primer, especially for skyscraper geeks in search of a vicarious 'round-the-world tour."" -- Chicago Tribune This distinctive book is the most comprehensive collection of modern skyscrapers published in the last 20 years. Skyscrapers have been piercing the clouds since the end of the nineteenth century but today's soaring land prices are driving developers to build bigger, better and higher while aiming for as small a footprint as possible. The lavish spreads feature 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. Concise text describes historical context; unusual or innovative construction; engineering and structural systems; foundation, facade, and shape; the site history; and building usage; as well as any special features that make the skyscraper unique. For example, ""The Gherkin"" at 30 St Mary Axe, London, UK, surprisingly has only one piece of curved glass, despite its rounded shape. The 46 skyscrapers in How to Build a Skyscraper appear not for their height but for their pioneering technology, sustainability, and other characteristics that set them apart. They are distributed over the world's most developed regions of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

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9780228104315

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Reviews

[Review of hardcover: ] A useful ready-reference work and a treat for architecture buffs... A good jumping off for science and engineering students.--Eve Datisman Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's and Young Adult Literature (1/6/2018 12:00:00 AM) [Review of hardcover: ] Deeply researched yet accessible to nonarchitects, this smartly presented survey of 45 skyscrapers around the globe includes three Chicago towers -- Tribune Tower, the John Hancock Center and Willis Tower -- and others, like the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, that were designed here... Handsome color photographs, fact-packed summaries and crisp drawings (especially, a lucid cutaway look at each skyscraper) enhance his bite-sized blocks of text... This book stays true to its title, probing beneath the skin of skyscrapers to reveal their structural bones and the other things that shape them. It's a fine primer, especially for skyscraper geeks in search of a vicarious 'round-the-world tour.--Blair Kamin Chicago Tribune (11/26/2017 12:00:00 AM) [Review of hardcover: ] The design and construction of forty-six buildings from five continents reflect consideration of economics, natural phenomena, functionality, and aesthetic preferences. The choice of buildings includes those with particularly ambitious design and awe-inspiring architectural detailing, ranging from older buildings, such as the Chrysler and Empire State buildings, to newer buildings, such as One World Trade Center and the Shanghai Tower. The two-four page entries for each building include such information as historical background, information about the people involved (the architects and the owners), basic and detailed design information, comparison to similar buildings, materials used, site location, etc. Color illustrations, some with cut-away views of certain cross-sections, provide interesting details. A glossary at the end helps with some of the architectural terminology that may be unfamiliar to most readers and is followed by an index. This resource would serve as a very informative beginning to further research.--Martha Lawler ARBA (3/1/2019 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

John Hill is a registered architect, editor-in-chief of the Daily News section of World-Architects com (over 100k monthly visitors) and founder and editor-in-chief of the blog A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books (archidose blogspot com) He is the author of Buildings in Print: 100 Influential and Inspiring Illustrated Architecture Books, Guide to Contemporary New York City Architecture and 100 Years, 100 Buildings, and he oversees the Building of the Year competition for the American branch of the World-Architects com platform He has a strong presence on key social media channels, including Twitter (@archidose, 12k) He focuses on writing, blogging and editing projects and gives architectural tours of New York City

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