Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher

SUPERTALL

Stefan Al

How the World's Largest Buildings are Reshaping Our Cities and Our Lives

Supertall captures the global boom in skyscrapers - why it's happening now, how they're made, and what they do to cities and people.

We are living in a new urban age and its most tangible expression is the "supertall": megastructures that are dramatically bigger, higher, and more ambitious than any in history. Cities around the world are racing to build the first mile-high building, stretching the limits of engineering and design as never before. In this fascinating work of urban history and design, TED resident Stefan Al - himself an experienced architect - explores the factors that have led to this worldwide boom. He reveals the marvelous and underappreciated feats of engineering that make today's supertalls a reality, from double-decker elevators that silently move up to 50 miles per hour to the sophisticated blend of polymers and steel fibers that enables concrete to withstand 8,000 tons of pressure per square meter. Taking readers behind the scenes of the building and design of remarkable megastructures, both from the past (the Empire State Building, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower) and the present (Dubai's Burj Khalifa, London's Shard, Shanghai Tower), Al demonstrates the impact of these innovations. Yet while the supertall is undoubtedly a testament to great technological victories, it can come at an environmental and social cost. Focusing on four global cities - London, New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore - Al examines the risks of wealth inequality, carbon emissions, and contagion that stem from supertalls. And he uncovers the latest innovations in sustainable building, from skyscrapers made of wood to tree-covered buildings, that promise to yield a better urban future. Featuring more than thirty architectural drawings, Supertall is both a fascinating exploration of our greatest accomplishments and a powerful argument for a more equitable way forward. Stefan Al's books include The Strip: Las Vegas, The Architecture of the American Dream, and Beyond Mobility: Planning Cities for People and Places. He holds a PhD in urban planning from UC Berkeley as well as a Master's in architecture from University College London, and has worked for KPF, one of the leading architecture firms in the world. He lives in New York.

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Book Published 2022-04-12 by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. - New York (USA)

Comments

Lighter concrete, faster elevators, and even faster-growing cities are part of the formula architect Stefan Al lays out in this foundational book. Rather than describing the latest supertall skyscrapers, he shows us what makes them possible and why cities and companies think they are necessary. Mixing personal experience, history lessons, and explanations of technology that are clear and simple, Al's book shows how and why a new generation of skyscrapers is now under construction around the world.

We look at how skyscrapers have changed the built environment around us, and profile a few of the megastructures planning to top out in 2022. ... Dutch architect and urban designer Stefan Al takes us through his forthcoming book 'Supertall: How the World's Tallest Buildings are Reshaping our Cities and Our Lives' and examines the wider world of skyscrapers. Read more...

Stefan Al draws on the exhilarating history of skyscrapers and his own work as an architect for some of the iconic Supertall structures that are transforming cities around the globe. He then warns us about the environmental and socioeconomic repercussions of this recent phenomenon. The result is a fascinating and necessary book.

In Supertall, Stefan Al turns the jumbled skylines of our biggest cities into a powerful story of human possibility. Looking to both past and future, this astonishing synthesis reveals how skyscrapers have made us who we are and can help us become who we want to be.

In this age of staggeringly massive buildings, merely scraping the sky is a quaint accomplishment. City skylines throughout the world now include towers that reach atmospheric heights unthinkable in an earlier era. As Stefan Al writes in "Supertall: How the World's Tallest Buildings Are Reshaping Our Cities and Our Lives," these lofty structures are "the cathedrals of our time."... Read more...

Interview with Kai Ryssdal - Can supertall buildings help us build more sustainable cities? Read more...

An informative introduction to supertalls and the global cities where they rise above the skyline. Read more...

Stefan Al's Supertall is a thoughtful inquiry into the new generation of skyscrapers, which are taller and more ubiquitous than their predecessors. There is a lot of rich history here, well and concisely told (and illustrated with superb line drawings, a refreshing change from the big, splashy photographs of coffee-table books). Read more...

Author's essay: Can Hong Kong, One of the World's Densest Cities, Bounce Back From Covid? The pandemic dealt another blow to an already battered Hong Kong. A die-hard urbanist ponders the city's future. Read more...