The increasing demand on high-rise buildings and their history

Abstract

Large-scale urban centres have entered the twenty-first century with a paradox to discuss. As the cities touch the skies with their growing skyscrapers, they also reach out to attract and embrace as many people as possible. Aiming to become an important financial, commercial, cultural, technological, or touristic place, and therefore attract investments, they need to grow. The more the cities grow, more people are needed to make it grow. With more people, more infrastructures are necessary. In this on-going trend, tall buildings appear both as protagonists and antagonists.