The rise of skyscrapers

Jason M Barr presents towering buildings in a new light-as a strategic balancing act between costs and revenues to maximise profits, rather than a display of hubris

Cities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World's Tallest Skyscrapers 

Author: Jason M Barr

Publisher:  Scribner

Pages: 384

Price: Rs 2,111

Each time crossing over the Bandra-Worli Sea link, my eyes get locked in to admire Mumbai’s skyline of towers, wrapped in glass. The history, engineering, economics, and politics of skyscrapers are fascinating. Jason Barr’s new book Cities in the Sky makes them come alive with the personalities and constraints of the people who build and use them.

Skyscrapers are a response to match the supply of valuable urban land with its demand. They perform this function handsomely.