Evolo02(Spring2010):SkyscrapersoftheFuture

Ithasbeenatremendoussatisfactiontocompilethisbookaboutthepast,present,andfutureoftheskyscraper.Nootherarchitecturalgenrecapturesourimaginationandreflectsourculturalandtechnologicalachievementslikethesetowersthatpiercethesky.Westartoffwiththehistoryandevolutionofbuildinghigh,fromtheEgyptianpyramids,Gothiccathedrals,andfirstAmericanskyscraperstothecontemporaryrealityinAsiaandtheMiddleEast.Wepresenttwofascinatinginterviews,thefirstonewithCarolWillis,thefounderanddirectoroftheSkyscraperMuseuminNewYorkCity,whoexplainsthetruegeneticsandeconomicsbehindthebirthandfutureoftheskyscraper.ThesecondonewithItalianartist,GiacomoCosta,whoshareshisvisionabouttherelationshipbetweenthenaturalenvironment,humanactivity,andsupernaturalrealitywithprovocativeimagesofanapocalypticurbanfuture.JavierQuintanaexposesthetimegapbetweennewarchitecturalconceptsandtheirbuiltrealitylikeArneHoseksCityoftheFuturedesignedin1928andmaterializedin1998byCésarPelliasthePetronasTowersinKualaLumpurorSergeiLopatins1925ideafortheVeshenkaTowerinMoscow,laterobservedastheWillisTower(formerSearsTower)inChicagoin1974.AnothergroupofessaysexploretheglobalinfluenceofManhattanasacontemporaryBabylontobereplicatedacrosstheworld,ortheroleoftheItalianFuturists,JapaneseMetabolists,andArchigram,whoinfluencedgenerationsofarchitectsanddesignerstopushforwardtheconceptofverticalliving.IntheOpinionsectionyouwillfindcritiquesonsomeofthelatestideasforskyscraperdesignbysomeofthemostforward-lookingarchitectsliketheconceptofpixilatedtectonicsinLeProjectTriangleinParisbyHerzog&deMeuronandRodøveresSkyVillagebyMVRDV.Ontheotherhand,JeanNouvelredefinedtheItalianloggiatowersoftheseventeenthcenturywiththeTourSignalinLaDéfense,Paris;whileMorphosisArchitectsexploresnewprogramsforverticaldensitywithThePhareTower.Lastly,StudioSHIFTmasterfullyintegratestheirMiyiTowerinSichuan,China,withtheexistinglandscape.CentraltothisbookarethirtyprojectsfromeVolos2009SkyscraperCompetitionwhichlookintothefutureoftheskyscraperwiththeuseofnewtechnologies,programs,andaestheticexpression.Sustainability,globalization,flexibility,andadaptabilityarejustsomeofthemulti-layeredelementsexploredbysometheentries.Youwillfindexamplesofcitiesinthesky,horizontalskyscrapersthatlinkvariouscities,oremergencyarchitecturefordisasterzones.Finally,wepresenttheworkofAranda/Lasch,ayoungNewYork-baseddesignstudiowhichdevelopstheirresearchontheobservationofthepatternsoforganizationinthenaturalworldanditsimplementationinarchitectureanddesign.TheirQuasi-SeriesfurnitureisdesignedfollowingtheassemblagelogicofQuasi-crystals,whereastructuralpatterndoesnotrepeatitself.