| . |
|
|
 |
|
| Author: |
Scott Johnson
|
| Publisher: |
Balcony Press, 2008
|
| Hardcover: |
261 pages, 178 illustrations
|
| Language: |
English
|
| ISBN: |
978-1890449476
|
| Reviewer: |
Robert Lau, CTBUH Journal Associate Editor
|
|
|
|
Architecture Book
This new book by California-based architect Scott Johnson is a book about architecture. Specifically, it is a book about the Tall Building prototype that evolved from roots in Chicago and New York City to encompass the entire globe in the 21st century. Professionals in the urban environment will find this book worthwhile in its depth and insights into society’s views of Tall Buildings. This is not a technical book about how to design a skyscraper. It is much more geared toward architects, developers and urban planners on what the skyscraper means to the urban environment. Over the years, these views have changed. This book’s six chronological chapters each take a view at a specific age, to determine why the skyscrapers of these eras were designed the way they were. For the architecture student, this book is a good read to understand the external forces that lead to the designs that are built.
Trends in Design
As a starting point, he begins in Chicago and New York City in the late 19th century, where the towers continue to get taller. No one knows how tall a building can be built at this time, but the negatives of shadows and poor ventilation make it apparent that height can be an urban problem. Society then creates zoning to control the unbridled growth. The forces of private corporations with their designers’ ambitions and the welfare of urban society now seem to be at odds. It seems that only an economic downturn can rein in the corporations’ aspirations. A new breed from the International Style suggested that urban planning could benefit from the amenities presented by the Tall Buildings. Society can thrive in skyscraper-in-the-park plans instead of the squallier of the urban slums. While some of these projects did achieve their goals, the dreams of utopia that Le Corbusier and Hilberseimer envisioned did not materialize for the average urbanite.
Marketing Design
Corporations have always seen the value of star designers for their buildings. As skyscrapers began dominating a city’s skyline, the stature of these tower designers grew. Marketing and advertising are major industries in the 20th century. A good building design not only prospers the corporation but also the firm that designed it. Competitions and selecting a recognized designer have become media events. Besides the interest that global competitions have produced, they have also presented diverging solutions from designers for the same proposed program. As the Tall Building prototype has dissimilated from North America to the rest of the globe, we have seen the variety of possibilities. The modernists like Mies van der Rohe and SOM have given way to environmental designers like Norman Foster and Ken Yeang. Society continues to evolve and the current trends, whether they are efficient use of materials, environmental compatibility or conservation of fossil fuels, are embraced by the building’s design.
On the residential side, the name-recognition of a star architect can boost a project’s profile immensely. The branding of a project by the developer has gained importance. In our competitive marketplace, name recognition can be addictive.
The Future
Today we understand that skyscrapers can block sunlight from our streets and create wind tunnels. Our environmentally controlled workplaces and home life may not be the healthiest. Our use of fossil fuels has been wasteful in the past. Can urban life save us from an unhealthy future? Many cities around the globe have committed themselves to high-rise living. They cannot turn back now. Many more cities may elect to become high-rise urban metropolises in the future. Each has its own challenges on how it faces population expansion, energy use, mass transit, and distribution of resources. The future is unknown. Our future challenges are not apparent in the present. Designers like UNStudio and Jean Nouvel continue to challenge conventional thinking in architectural design. The illustrations presented in this book indicate the breadth and expanse of what has happened in skyscraper design and what the future could hold.
Conclusion
This is a high-quality book in a large format. While it seems appropriate to place it on a coffee table, it has more value as a resource. The large-scale photos and illustrations are of excellent quality. Mr. Johnson has gone to great lengths to research the subjects he presents. All in all, this book is well worth a read and should be retained as a resource for its in-depth descriptions of building trends. As a lead designer in his firm Johnson Fain, Mr. Johnson has successfully lead his readers through the forces that contribute to the physical creation of a skyscraper.