Description
In the late 19th Century, advances in materials, iron, steel, and concrete coupled with the development of electricity, the elevator, heating, and cooling led to a building boom in the early 20th Century that created intense rivalries and the race to build the tallest. in the period up to the Depression. The focus shifts from incorporation of historic forms and styles to Modernism, stark forms rejecting ornamentation. By the mid-century, the skyscraper became the “glass box” ubiquitous, spread across the world burdening infrastructure, fueling congestion, and imposing environmental consequences. The lecture concludes with an overview of the current race for the tallest in Asia, the Middle East, and the supertall condominiums in Manhattan.
