Product Description
Who designs skyscrapers? How are they built? Why don't they fall down?

From the Tower of Babel to the Great Pyramids to New York's Freedom Tower (to be completed in 2010), skyscrapers in one form or another have captured humankind's imagination. This book covers the world's most important skyscrapers, beginning with the earliest attempts to build to the sky, through the major design periods, and right up to post-September 11.

The acetate overlays feature:- The Chrysler Building: cutaway view of the crown- The New York Skyline: 1876 and today- The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank: cutaway view of its structure- The Petronas Tower, Kuala Lumpur: in 1996, the world's tallest building.

The Uncovering series: Exposing science and technology in stunning color and detail.

Jam-packed with exacting full-color illustrations, these titles focus on topics of particular interest to young readers. Informative text and descriptive captions and sidebars complement dozens of annotated drawings. Each book contains four acetate overlays, used in some cases to show changes over time, in others to show a cutaway interior. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Skyscrapers and American Imagination
I got this for a 5 year old young man who likes to build things. The book is written to be enjoyed by him but also for the adult that is reading it to him.

unhappy
one color picture in the book, rest are black and white, very unhappy with book, would not recommend. ... Read more

Product Description
Ken Yeang has become synonymous with the term "the green skyscraper". The Malaysian-born architect has changed our perception of the high-rise, questioning every premise on which it was founded. It has long been assumed that skyscrapers, as high consumers of energy and materials, cannot be sensitive to ecological and environmental issues. Yeang's towers, by contrast, use vegetation as a crucial component of the facade and interior, acting both to remove heat and purify the air. In a wider sense, Yeang sees skyscrapers as "cities in the sky", with good pedestrian linkages, public zones, a wide variety of uses, stunning vistas and a sense of place extended upwards. His philosophy has had a global impact. By the year 2025 more than 70 per cent of humankind will be city dwellers. Yeang's solutions for the skyscraper, discussed and illustrated in depth in this monograph, offer a vision of urban habitation in the 21st century. ... Read more

Product Description
Skyscraper! The very word evokes a range of emotional responses, from fascination to fear, and, as we enter the third millennium, new trends in the evolution of this popular commercial building type are coming to the fore.This book primarily examines planned skyscrapers and projects under construction, as well as featuring some selected built projects, to show the latest developments in the skyscraper's form, character, and technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

68 tall buildings in photos and tech. drawings on glossy paper
68 mostly built projects are depicted in this sizable survey mostly by excellent, largephotos, but also by renderings, plans, models, sketches, site plans, details, sections, hard line presentation drawings, etc., but not more tech. drawings than one or two small ones per project.Interestingly, the SEG Apartment Tower presented on pp. 88-89 has a design of its one side found latter in all four sides of the Freedom Tower by David Childs.

Good, but a coffee table book at best
After seeing the exhibit by the same name at the Art Institute of Chicago,I found the book to have some disappointments: many of the exhibits fromthe museum were not mentioned in the book, some of the book's pictures werepoorly reproduced (probably photographed from the exhibit's panels orenlarged from 35-mm slides), and some of the projects weren't discussed asin-depth as the museum exhibit.I got the feeling that this book waswritten not as an exhibit guide (even though the Art Institute of Chicagoadvertised it is the companion book to the exhibit by the same name), butas a stand-alone book about a few noteworthy projects.

Great Conversation Piece
This is a perfect book for the coffee table. It has a nice mix of Architecture from around the world with quite a mix of building sizes and shapes. It is more global than expected and that is a plus. Anyone lookingfor significant design details may be disappointed. Skyscaper afficinadoswill wish for more depth. A good reference guide. ... Read more

Product Description
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.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Beautiful Photography for Architecture/skyscraper Fans.
Beautiful Photography for Architecture/skyscraper Fans. This book is excellent for what I enjoy: The basic Stats, designer, and great photos of buildings. 5 stars.

64 tall buildings in photos and tech. drawings
64 projects in this small size survey at only 6.5 x 8.25 inches (16.5 x 21 cm) are depicted mainly by photos, but good ones.Many projects also include renderings, plans, models, sketches, site plans, details, sections, hard line presentation drawings, etc.Following the introductory part on 10 pages with many illustration, each of 64 projects is headed by a title page, half filled with text and half - with illustration(s), followed usually by a page (rarely more) of illustration(s).There is an assay at the end about WTC proposals followed by several pages with photos of WTC projects. This is an album-like book with a slight tech. edge.It is similar to the book "Skyscrapers:The New Millennium" (ISBN: 3791323431), but only a half of its size.Like all from the Universe Architecture series, it is compact and well published.Interestingly, the SEG Apartment Tower presented on pp. 192-5 has a design of its one side found latter in all four sides of the Freedom Tower by David Childs.
CONTENTS:
6 preface
8 vertical now: the skyscraper at the beginning of the 21st century
GLOBAL/LOCAL
20 TAIPEI FINANCIAL CENTER C. Y. Lee & Partners, Taipei, 2004
24 JIM MAO TOWER Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Shanghai, 1997
28 PETRONAS TOWERS Cesar Pelli & Associates, Kuala Lumpur, 1997
HIGH-TECH
36 HONGKONG SHANGHAI BANK HEADQUARTERS Foster and Partners, Hong Kong, 1985
40 CENTURY TOWER Foster and Partners, Tokyo, 1991
42 BANK OF CHINA I. M. Pei & Partners, Hong Kong, 1989
44 WAN XIANG INTERNATIONAL PLAZA lngenhoven, Overdiek und Partner, Shanghai, 1995 (designed)
46 HEARST TOWER Foster and Partners, New York, 2001 (designed)
48 DEBIS HEADQUARTERS Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Berlin, 1999
52 NEW YORK TIMES HEADQUARTERS Renzo Piano Building Workshop, New York, 2000 (designed)
MONOLITHIC
60 LONDON BRIDGE TOWER Penzo Piano Building Workshop, London, 2002 (designed)
62 MILLENNIUM TOWER Foster and Partners, Tokyo, 1989 (designed)
66 AL FAISALIAH COMPLEX Foster and Partners, Riyadh, 2000
68 30 ST. MARY AXE Foster and Partners, London, 2004
70 TORRE AGBAR Jean Nouvel, Barcelona, 2003
74 SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Shanghai, 2008
76 KOWLOON STATION TOWER Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Hong Kong, 2007
78 TOUR EDF Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, Paris, 2001
80 SONY CENTER Murphy/Jahn, Berlin, 2000
82 AURORA PLACE Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Sydney, 2000
84 DAEWOO TOWER 88 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Pusan, 1997 (designed)
88 NATIONAL BANK OF DUBAI Carlos Ott and Norr Limited, Dubai, 1998
90 ONE PEKING ROAD Rocco Design Limited, Hong Kong, 2003
92 KINGDOM CENTER Ellerbe Becket, Riyadh, 2003
94 ESPIRITO SANTO PLAZA Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, Miami, 2003
96 TRUMP WORLD TOWER Costas Kondylis & Partners, New York, 2001
100 CREDIT LYONNAIS Christian be Portzamparc, Lille, 1995
102 MAX REINHARDT HAUS Eisenman Architects, Berlin, 1992 (designed)
104 CCTV HEADQUARTERS Office for Metropolitan Architecture Beiiinq, 2008
KINETIC
116 HOTEL HABITAT Dominique Perrault, Barcelona, 2004
118 TORQUED TOWER Santiago Calatrava, Malmo, 2003
120 PARKHAVEN TOWER Kobn Pedersen Fox International, Rotterdam, 2002 (designed)
122 MAAS TOWERS Archi-Tectonics, Rotterdam, 2003
124 DONG BU HEADQUARTERS Kohn Pedersen Fox, Associates Seoul, 2002
126 POSTEEL TOWER Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Seoul, 2003
128 ROPPONGI TOWER Kohri Pedersen Fox Associates. Tokyo, 2003
132 GASOMETER B TOWER Coop HimmelbC)au. Vienna, 2001
SCENOGRAPHIC
140 AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM Raimund Abraham, New York, 2002
142 1250 BOULEVARD REN LEVESQUE Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Montreal, 1992
144 DG BANK Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Frankfurt, 1993
146 PLAZA 66 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Shanghai. 2001
148 SHUN HING SQUARE K.Y. Cheung Design Associates, Shenzhen, 1996
152 INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTER 2 Cesar Pelli & Associates, Hong Kong, 2004
156 BURJ AL ARAB W.S Atkins, Dubai, 1999
MEDIATIC
162 TOUR SANS FINS Jean Nouvel, Paris, 1989 (designed)
164 5 TIMES SQUARE Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, New York, 2002
166 LVMH TOWER Christian de Portzamparc, New York, 1999
170 AlA TOWER OMA Asia, Hong Kong. 1998
172 THE CENTRE Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man, Hong Kong. 1997
174 CHEUNG KONG CENTRE Leo Daly with Cesar Pelli, Hong Kong, 1999
ECOLOGICAL
180 COMMERZBANK HEADQUARTERS Foster and Partners, Frankturt, 1997
182 MENARA UMNO TB Hamzah & Yeang, Georgetown, 1998
184 CONDE NAST BUILDING Fox & Fowle, New York, 1999
186 RWE HEADQUARTERS Ingenhoven Overdiek und Partner, Essen, 1996
190 DEUTSCHE POST AG Murphy/Jahn, Bonn, 2001
192 SEG APARTMENT TOWER Coop Himmelb(l)au, Vienna, 1998
196 GSW ADMINISTRATION BUILDING Sauerbruch Hutton Architekten, Berlin, 1999
198 ADIA HEADQUARTERS Kohn Pedersen Fox International, Abs Dhabi, 2004
200 110 BISHOPSGATE Kohn Pedersen Fox International, London, 2005
202 ELEPHANT & CASTLE, ECO-TOWER T.R. Hamzah & Yeang, London, 2010
204 WORLD TRADE CENTER PROPOSALS, LMDC COMPETITION 2003
FOSTER AND PARTNERS 214
SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL 218
RICHARD MEIER, PETER EISENMAN, CHARLES GWATHMEY, STEVEN HOLL 222 THINK 226
UNITED ARCHITECTS 230
STUDIO DANIEL LIBESKIND 234

Full of Fluff
Yet another work of fluff about skyscrapers.This is simply eye candy with no depth or discussion of how the genre' will survive after 9/11.yawn, more garbage from the city that never sleeps... ... Read more

Product Description
What do you picture when you think of New York City? For most, it is the city's distinctive skyline, made famous by countless movies and photographs. Everyone in Manhattan, whether first-time visitor or longtime resident, experiences the awe of gazing up at the soaring stone, steel, and glass towers of Wall Street or Midtown, and wonders how those structures came to be built. First published in 1999, Manhattan Skyscrapers was the first book to document the most important peaks in the city's concrete canyons. From the earliest skyscrapers built in the city—such as the 1896 American Tract Society Building—to the most well known, including the Woolworth, Empire State, and Chrysler buildings, the book has become the definitive reference work on the Big Apple's skyline. Now available in a revised third edition, Manhattan Skyscrapers presents more than a century's worth of New York's most fascinating and important buildings. Each skyscraper is presented with informative and entertaining texts by New York Times contributor Eric Nash, a striking full-page photograph by architectural photographer Norman McGrath, archival images, interior views, and architectural drawings.

In addition to the eighty-five buildings documented in previous versions of the book, Manhattan Skyscrapers showcases eight of the most exciting new skyscrapers built in the past few years. These wonderfully diverse additions to the city—the New York Times Building by Renzo Piano, the Standard Hotel by Polshek Partnership Architects, 7 World Trade Center by SOM, the Blue Tower by Bernard Tschumi, Bank of America Tower by Cook + Fox, 11 Times Square by FXFOWLE, 200 West Street by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, and 425 Fifth Avenue by Michael Graves—give an indication of how the city continues to evolve in the twenty-first century. Manhattan Skyscrapers is an indispensable book for both the serious student of architecture and the casual collector of all things New York.Amazon.com Review
Whether or not New York City, in all its teeming chaos, strikes readers as exciting or abominating, its superb urban architecture is undeniable. Life in the Big Apple is so fast-paced that most of the time the buildings that fill the island go unnoticed. Manhattan Skyscrapers offers the chance to leisurely peruse the stunning skyline, one building at a time, by compiling 75 of the most noteworthy towers in Manhattan (and one in Brooklyn). Spanning about a 100-year history and organized in chronological order, the book treats each skyscraper to its own section replete with photographs, commentary, and history. And the shifting architectural styles are fascinating to see in one volume. These tall buildings can appear intimidating, dwarfing the people who live in their midst, but this book offers readers an intimacy with these immense structures. There are details here that readers could easily miss in person; for instance, built into the lobby of the gothic-style Woolworth Building of 1913 are gargoyles depicting F.W. Woolworth counting his fortune and the builder in a monk's hood. The photographs are beautiful, with clear perspectives that seem almost impossible to get on the crowded streets of New York. --J.P. Cohen ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Manhattan Skyscrapers
Definitely one of the best Skyscraper books in a nutshell visually and informatically. Very simple layout and would tell you directions to the particular skyscraper if in the area. This was for a College Elective Class and my professor swore to this book (for a GOOD reason). By the way, its not just Manhattan, Brooklyn carries some too.

Very Informative, Beautiful Pictures...
This excellent coffee-table book has two things going for it -- great pictures and great writing.The skyscrapers of New York City are beautifully presented, in chronological order, by both the photographer and the author.The revised and expanded edition that I purchased also had an excellent tribute to the past and future versions of the World Trade Center towers that went down in September, 2001.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is, like myself, a tall-building enthusiast -- and even more so for those who are fans of the 'big apple.'I give the book 5 stars for being everything it claims to be and more.

Manhattan Skyscrapers - A towering success!
Although a Brit, my wife and I lived in Manhattan for quite a long time.We remember ground breaking for The World Trade twin towers, the day the first tower became taller than the Empire State building, and seeing the
dreadful dust cloud, days after 9/11 as we over flew to Newark Int'l.Everything is here in this book, the 19th century, beautifully detailed buildings to the latest, breathtaking architecture, and finally an impression of Freedom Tower.This is a coffee table book par excellance, the superb pictures using parallax corrected cameras, and the associated text is detailed enough to be understood by non-technical folk like me. For anyone with a love for Manhattan and all it's architectural idiosyncronies, this is the one to ownManhattan Skyscrapers: Revised and Expanded Edition

Fabulous Gift
My nephew just completed his masters degree in architecture and is now working in New York City.He loved receiving this book as a gift from us.The photographs and text are very well done.

Manhattan Skyscrapers: Revised
Excellent photos but too much emphasis on the newest boxy glass cubes. ... Read more

Book Description

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Product Description
from the IntroductionThis study will, first, document the historic contributions of women to American architecture; second, analyze the underlying social and economic reasons for the present situation by attracting more women to the profession of architecture. This book is part of the general discussion concerning women in this country; it is part of a trend and, hopefully, this trend will lead not only to further discussion but to constructive activity. One cannot deny the facts, but perhaps many people will disagree with the point of view expressed in this book. The ideas presented here are based upon research, interviews, and discussion with my male and female colleagues and, not surprisingly, there was a diversity of opinions, ideas, and goals, even among the women. The point is not that women are more likely than their male counterparts to have found the answers to the difficult issues confronting the profession of architecture, but that perhaps they are raising new and different questions which are pertinent to its future. ... Read more

Product Description
This analysis of skyscrapers consists of a c oncrete survey of most recent and outstanding examples. On t op of a detailed photographic and plan report, it includes a written analysis of city implementation, an outline and a t echnical description. ' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Splendid and dazzling.
This book covers many recent representative skyscrapers from all over the world. It is filled with lots of beautiful photos and detailed drawings. The introduction text is terse and clear. An indispensible addition to anycollection of skyscraper fans. ... Read more

Product Description
SOFTCOVER ... Read more

Product Description
More than a century after its inception, the skyscraper has finally come of age. Though it has long been lampooned as a venal and inhospitable guzzler of resources, a revolutionary new school of skyscraper design has refashioned the idiom with buildings that are sensitive to their environments, benevolent to their occupants, and economically viable to build and maintain. Designed by some of the best-known architects in the world, these towers are as daring aesthetically as they are innovative environmentally.

Big and Green is the first book to examine the sustainable skyscraper, its history, the technologies that make it possible, and its role in the future of urban development.

The book examines more than 40 of the most important recent sustainable skyscrapers-including Fox & Fowle's Reuters Buildings in New York, Norman Foster's Commerzbank in Frankfurt, and MVRDV's spectacular Dutch Pavilion from Expo 2000 in Hanover-with project descriptions, photographs, and detailed drawings. Interviews with such leaders in the field as Sir Richard Rogers, William McDonough, and Kenneth Yeang are also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A slick series of illustrations of sustainable design
Mostly a book about green image, this is a sleekly designed but superficial overview of allegedly sustainable buildings. The book ironically illustrates a few alarming points about green building, mainly that sustainability is a slippery term, and that its possible to decry sustainability as a marketing tool while being basically that at the same time.

The book illustrates a series of projects, devoting exactly two pages to each one. A short paragraph of verbal description, a listing of credits, then a series of vague and imprecise bullet points constitutes the projects' text, then the projects have one large commercial photograph and a couple of thumbnail photographs or diagrams. It's not much more than an announcement "this is a green building, take our word for it."

If indeed the exhibit organizers wanted to explore the thematic chapters(energy, light and air, greenery, construction, urbanism) they might have done better selecting fewer projects but show how those projects illustrated the theme. As it is, the string of projects does not coherently hold together.

Nina Rapaport's interviews, at the end of the book, suggest how depth might have been imparted to the book, these are interesting and far more illustrative of sustainable strategies than the brief case studies themselves.

not detailed...very general overview of various green buildings
book is small format. covers about 50 building/urban projects which utilize green energy. however, most analysis is only one page to 2 page including diagrams and photos, and without any detail summary. the author have divided the book in sections such as "air we breath, skyscraper garden, energy, construction, and etc". Despite a clear outline, he uses too many buildings with very little detail instead of just using 1 or 2 buildings in great detail for each topic.
unfortunately, this book is more of a guidebook of the latest green energy buildings with brief description.
I would not buy this book unless you find it at super bargain price (like $10-15). this should be 2 stars instead of 3 but I cannot change due to Amazon's editing function.

Information on the Surface
The book was a bit dissapointing.I anticipated reading more indepth detail about the featured projects with diagrams/pictures of the major energy efficient application.Instead the information is only on the surface.It provides beautiful pictures of the building, with two page excerpts of each project (mainly pictures with a paragraph description), a list of the energy efficient applicatios and small floor plans and elevations, if any.A few projects feature the sustainable application methods, such as a diagram of natural ventilation.Overall, it's a good reference to start your research and find a sustainable building to research on, but the information is limited.It's also a good reference for lists of sustainable applications, definitions and essays.The projects are also divided up in five categories: Energy, Light & Air, Greenery Water & Waste, Construction and Urbanism.There are a lot of projects within each category that will spark your interest.

Fresh air
"Big and Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century", by David Gissen, is published in conjunction with an exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. from January 17 to June 22, 2003.The book clearly shows that a group of architects has addressed the energy and environmental challenges facing many countries as they industrialize and enter the global marketplace.Their buildings indicate that a breath of fresh air has reinvigorated architectural practice to produce buildings that are climate-responsive, energy efficient, and occupant friendly while cleaning rainwater, reducing air pollucion, and enhancing the local environment as opposed to degrading it.The forms and shapes of these new buildings express these new functions in an authentic and genuine manner rather than look like relatively normal buildings with alien technologies applied to them.These buildings give hope that architecture can improve conditions for a sustainable society and not remain an energy and resource sink. ... Read more

Product Description
Jam-packed with hundreds of specially commissioned photographs accompanied by a lively, authoritative text, New Urban Giants tells the story of the design and building of thirty-one remarkable structures around the world, including corporate headquarters, residential towers, and state-of-the-art hotels. The text places each in its historical context, revealing the technological advances that made each building possible, and the social and economic climate that made each necessary. Hundreds of close-up photographs, panoramic shots, and architects’ plans demonstrate the innovations that make each of these structures a pivotal element of their city’s skyline. Readers tour the HSB Turning Tower in Malmö, Sweden, which is based on a sculpture by Santiago Calatrava. Photographs reveal the unique incremental angles that occur from the ground to the top floor, resulting in a full 90-degree twist. Other groundbreaking structures highlighted include: the sleek New York Times Tower in Manhattan, Highcliff—a 75-story residential tower in Hong Kong—and Aurora Place in Sydney, Australia with its unique geometric shape. Taking readers from Dubai to Tokyo to Vienna, this is an architectural tour not to be missed by professional architects and design enthusiasts alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Magnificent!
The book presents large skyscrapers, recent or under construction, throughout the world with of course a concentration in Asia.

For each building, a concise, well-written text provides background information and comments.

The book's large scale is perfectly adapted to the topic and allows the gorgeous photographs to be presented to their full effect.

This work is strongly recommended as a cheap and practical way of developing a better awareness of a continuing global trend that touches only today the largest of our western cities.

... Read more

Product Description
Millions of visitors flock to New York each year to witness the excitement of Wall Street, famous for its shoulder-to-shoulder Deco towers jostling for prominence above the canyon like streets.Skyscraper Rivals is the first book to examine the architecture of Wall Street between the wars through an amazing array of contemporary and archival images and an informed discussion of the financial, geographical, and historical forces that shaped this district.The book focuses on the AIG Building-once known as the Cities Service Building-and three other major towers in the financial district, in their race to be the tallest, the most modern, and the most lavish. We meet the tycoons who paid for these structures, the architects who designed them, the workers who labored in them, and the artists and photographers who portrayed them. The economics of skyscraper construction and the real-estate market of Wall Street are explained; also included are illuminating details and anecdotes surrounding each building's history. An essay by Carol Willis, director of New York's Skyscraper Museum and author of Form Follows Finance, provides an introduction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent Book
I had become fascinated with the lower Manhattan skyscrapers on a walking tour of the area, and wanted to learn more about them. This book has great photos of important Wall St. skyscrapers, and also information about the owners, architects, tenants, inside ornamentation, etc. Really a fine book.

Wonders of Wall Street
What a wonderful book, the vintage black and white photos are amazing.I found this book so interesting, I had no idea about this wonderful story.I recommend this book on so many levels.If you enjoy great vintage photos, interesting history, and New York..all of which I do.This books makes you appreciate the beauty of Art Deco skyscrapers and makes you sad that the more modern buildings don't even compare.I commend the authors on reviving this wonderful history and for providing wonderful vintage photos of a more stylish past.

Production values (pictorially/editorially) are fantastic.
Coincidentally, I also am in Somerville, MA.I happened upon this only because it was displayed prominently in a local Cambridge institution in Harvard Square on top of a stack of new architecture and art books that I passed by just browsing.I probably buy more computer-related books (not many at all) than architecture these days, but after looking through this I easily decided to buy it then and there.Two buildings I never previously knew existed, but are richly and lovingly documented (right down to the oddball uniforms the staff had to wear during that period in time).Equal parts historical reference and architectural anthology of the two structures.It currently occupies the top shelf of my living room bookcase.

A Great Book on Skyscrapers
Daniel Abramson is a first-class writer who beautifully handles a large and interesting subject.Hundreds of photos make the book highly accessible.The text perfectly complements the photographs.Outstanding. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

An architectural history of contention about the future of the industrial city
"Chicago 1890" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Merwood-Salisbury's book interview ran here as the cover feature on January 4, 2010.
... Read more

Product Description
This prizewinning book chronicles the history of New York`s first skyscrapers, challenging conventional wisdom that it was in Chicago, not New York, that the skyscraper was born. Drawing on rich contemporary sources to show how remarkable developments in commerce, land use, technology, design, and zoning law enabled architects and engineers to create the first tall buildings, the authors claim New York City was beyond doubt the birthplace of skyscraper form and construction techniques.Amazon.com Review
A confluence of technology (the elevator), social change (theincrease in the number of office workers), and geology (a downtown limited inarea by surrounding water) transformed New York City from an expanse of lowbuildings to a forest of skyscrapers. Landau, an art history professor at NewYork University, and Condit, a professor emeritus of art history atNorthwestern, explore the development of the skyscraper from the 1868Equitable Building, the first to use elevators for people rather thanfreight, to the Woolworth Building, which was called the "Cathedral ofCommerce" and for which President Woodrow Wilson traveled to New York toactivate the building's lights during its grand opening. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

History of construction techniques in New York
As a practicing Structural Engineer in California, I was involved in a project that required rapid determination of structural systems of buildings in and around New York City based on viewing photographs. This book, along with "Historical Building Construction" by Friedman, provided a fairly complete description of structural systems used over the years in the New York area.I would imagine that the audience for both books would tend to be primarily architects, engineers, or other construction professionals but both books have useful bits of information that might be interesting to even the layperson that just enjoys buildings.

Doug Silver, S.E.
Los Angeles, CA

D-U-L-L
This book really has to be considered a failure, for although it is full of great old photographs, just reading a single paragraph is like listening to Ben Stein in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Typical of a dry academic treatise. Still, there are so few books out there on the subject... it is worthwhile.

Documenting New York's earliest high-rise buildings
As the title indicates, this book covers New York 'skyscrapers' (loosely-defined) from 1865 to 1913. The book begins with 5-story masonry buildings of the late 1800s and culminates with such landmarks as the Woolworth and Singer Buildings. The authors highlight the technical angle, and explain the developments that occurred in steel framing, foundations, and elevators, although the exterior aesthetics of these buildings also receive attention. Some space is allocated to hotels and apartment buildings; however, most of the book is devoted to office buildings. Best of all are the magnificent period photographs of early high-rises, about a hundred in all. Also, there are twenty floor plans.

Interesting , but a bit boring
I am a very apassionated researcher about the development of the great American and Latin American cities. I have found this book very useful for my researchs, with a very great amount of information and a very serious investigation on the issue . The main critic I have found is that the same thing could have been done in a more narrative and amusing way, to keep the reader interested in the reading.The story of New York has been dinamic and full of force, and nothing of that has been reflected on this book. Outside of that, I have really learned a lot about the issue, and it has really been very useful for my own investigations about the issue. I am an architect with a Master on Urban Economics in Buenos Aires, and all this literature is really important for my researchs. ... Read more

Product Description
The nation's largest retailer wanted the largest headquarters in the nation, and they got it. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the 110-story anodized aluminum-clad Sears Tower occupies three acres. The bundled-tube construction allowed for more windows and more corner offices per square foot. The total area within the Tower is 4.4 million square feet; the Sky Deck on the 103rd floor offers tremendous views and welcomes more than 1 million visitors yearly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

So Small
I did not like the book b/c of its size.It's so small, I really didn't anticipate that a book on the Sears Tower would be about the size of my hand.I'm not sure if in the description it had said the size of this book but either way I'm disappointed.

P.S. from the Publisher
"When SOM [Skidmore, Owings & Merrill] realized that their design was only ten stories short of what was supposed to the record-breaking height of the World Trade Center then under construction (1,368 feet), they broke the record, coming in at 1,454 feet.

"By Jay Pridmore. 64 pages, 5 3/4 x 6 1/2". Smythe-sewn casebound with dust jacket. ISBN: 0-7649-2021-9."--© Pomegranate

good overview of Sears Tower
As an occupant of Sears Tower, I find that Pridmore provides an easily-understandable overview of Sears Tower with an especially good focus on how the building was conceived and developed, with dozens of color pictures.There are also a few pictures of the Tower's offices, including Sears Roebuck's old offices, though the offices are mysteriously devoid of human inhabitation.Too often people think that towers like Sears are built by Cities wanting to be boastful rather than private enterprise seeking profits, and in that sense Pridmore tells the story of the tower very well except the sterile interior pictures.He also avoids the cliches like how many toilets are in the Tower.

I have only seen one good discussion of the daily life in a skyscraper, and this is not it.(See the Feb '89 National Geographic if interested.)Pridmore's discussion of the Tower post-construction is limited to discussing renovations and neglects other aspects that my friends usually find much more interesting.For instance, Tower occupants often see amazing sunsets--that is, when the upper floors aren't enshrouded in clouds.Some Tower occupants become motion-sick when the building sways and creaks in windstorms--also not discussed.A man can punch the windows with his fist but they will not break.(I've seen it tried--but don't you try it.)Finally, rumor is that although Sears Roebuck lost its ownership of the Tower a decade ago, they still own the giant Calder sculptures and mobile on the Wacker side.Sears was unable to move the artwork when they left, and because they are screwed in place, the artwork is not technically part of the building. ... Read more

Product Description
This generously illustrated survey of the Chicago skyscraper traces the fascinating history of the great Chicago School of Architecture, which came into existence in the 1880s and influenced generations of architects worldwide. Beginning with such landmarks as the S.S. Beman Fine Arts Building of 1885 and its neighbor, the Adler and Sullivan Auditorium of 1889, the authors discuss more than a hundred extant buildings dating from 1885 through 1990, including the Wrigley Building of 1922, the Merchandise Mart of 1931, the Inland Steel Building of 1958, and the phenomenal Sears Tower, which from 1974 to 1996, held the title of world's tallest building. The book concludes with a series of skyscrapers in progress by a new generation of architects who have a strong sense of the city's history yet embrace modern technology and styles. Profiles of Chicago's major architectural firms complete the volume.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Comprehensive, Descriptive, Excellent
One of the greatest books on Chicago Architecture that I've read.I reccomend this book to anyone with even the slightest intrest in architecture or this great city.Perfect, scholarly writing skills.Couldn't ask for anything more.In one word: Perfect.

Los viejos y nuevos edificios de la ciudad de Chicago
Las tipologías de edificios que se encuentran en la ciudad de chicago, desde los viejos donde los materiales crean la apariencia pesada de una masa que se extiende o intenta extenderse al cielo hasta los modernos queparecieran realizar un pequeño esfuerzo para alcanzar tales alturas. ... Read more

Product Description
The skyscraper has changed the face of urban architecture--and it all started in Chicago. Born out of the ashes of Chicago's Great Fire of 1871, the first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building located at the northeast corner of LaSalle and Adams Streets, was completed in 1885. Designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the nine-story building had a metal load-carrying structural frame, the development of which led to steel-frame skeletal construction and the taller skyscrapers that would follow. Much has changed in skyscraper construction since 1885. But Chicago's impressive urban landscape has maintained its important place in architectural history and today boasts the tallest skyscraper in North America, at 110 stories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

gorgeous and fascinating
Lovers of Chicago's magnificent architecture will very much enjoy this unique little book.It is essentially comprised of a series of photographs (most of them from vintage postcards) of various architectural gems and highlights from Chicago's downtown, especially the Loop, which were erected between about 1866 to the mid 1930s, and many of which either no longer exist or have been significantly altered over the years.It is a look back into history.

The book is organized by area of town, i.e. Michigan Ave., Wabash Ave., State St., Dearborn St., Clark St., La Salle St., and along the river and North Michigan St.Each chapter opens with a street layout, with a key to each important building in the area, whether or not it is in the photographs.The photos/postcards follow, each identifying buildings, significant details, alterations, occasionally interior photos, and once in a while even text of the postcard on the back.The presentation is well thought out and thoroughly engrossing.

I am very glad I bought this book.I thumb through it often.If you are a fan of Chicago's architectural heritage, you ought to have a copy. ... Read more

Product Description
The Chicago Tribune Tower competition was one of the largest, most important and most controversial design contests of the 1920s.The 263 entries for the design of the new Tribune tower represented a broad constellation of approaches to the skyscraper at a time of transition. This book demonstrates how the competition contributed to changing concepts of the skyscraper, how it engaged with the production of consumer culture, with conflicts of national identity and cultural unity, and with a newspaper's efforts to produce a civic and corporate icon during the turbulent years following World War I. ... Read more