Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings -- Revised and Updated
Look up!  Architectural historian Dupré, who's also written about bridges (Bridges: A History of the World's Most Important Spans), churches (Churches), and monuments (Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory), has updated her 1996 "instant classic" with 15 new essays and plenty of new contenders for World's Tallest Building.Reflecting the many changes in the world, and in the world of architecture, since 1996, the new edition looks at the myriad "supertalls" in China and elsewhere, the wave of "green" skyscrapers, and the barrier-busting work of architects such as Adrian Smith, who designed the current tall champion, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Burj Khalifa won't hold the title for long: Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture are busy working on the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which will top out at one kilometer. It's scheduled to be completed in 2018.The book's design is supertall itself, measuring 9? x 18? to really make the gorgeous renderings and photos pop. Dupré starts with the world's first skyscraper (Chicago's Home Insurance Building, built in 1885, demolished in 1931) and proceeds through the classics like the Flatiron Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Empire State Building in New York, Marina City and the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) in Chicago, to newer achievements in building height located in London, Atlanta, Sweden, Asia and various Arab countries.I spent a lot of time gazing at the photos of Cesar Pelli's beautiful design for the Petronas Towers in Juala Lumpur, Malaysia, the tallest building(s) in the world from 1997–2004. Dupré writes: Although Pelli was charged with creating a design that would be uniquely Malaysian, there was little authentically Malaysian design in the city: British Colonialists had built its most significant buildings and its commercial structures were rendered in a nondescript International Style. The only truly traditional constructions were short bamboo structures with thatched roofs. Instead, Pelli said he "tried to respond to the climate, to the dominant Islamic culture, and to the sense of form and patterning that I could perceive in traditional Malaysian building." Evidently, the architect achieved that aim: In 2004, Pelli was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the towers' design. The dear departed (can you say that about a structure?) World Trade Center towers are documented as well—the photo representation is of the double "towers of light" that make their appearance every September 11. The single-spire replacement for the towers, which LJ staffers can see out our office window, is also documented. That much-delayed project is due to be completed next year.