Death to the Skyscraper

Skyscraper construction, and the financial system that underpins it, is not stopping any time soon, despite its detrimental impact on the environment. For the Architectural Review.

Apr 20, 2023

This month, I wrote about the appalling ecological impact of skyscrapers for the Architectural Review, which you can read online: https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/death-to-the-skyscraper. It was edited by Kristina Rapacki.

However, my real interest was around the fact that skyscrapers are symptomatic of deeper issues linked to a deregulated and financialised construction sector - high land values, architectural skills being siphoned to luxury projects, and a neoliberal agenda that prioritises profits over places and ecology.

There has been some discussion of the piece online, which has all seemed to be around the ecological argument:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/roberto-mirabella-0bb8a022_death-to-the-skyscraper-architectural-review-activity-7051815220414959617-aGy3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/natasha-watson_death-to-the-skyscraper-architectural-review-activity-7051493704280207360-9_CF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Carbon Upfront!
How tall should a building be: How not to build in a climate crisis
In my previous post, I asked How big should a home be? In this post, I ask how tall should a building be? In Toronto, where I live, developers knock down perfectly good rental buildings like the one on the left to build far taller condominium buildings like the ones on the right. Many people who I admire think this is a good thing; we need a lot of hous…
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2 years ago · 14 likes · Lloyd Alter

Martha’s Substack

Death to the Skyscraper

Skyscraper construction, and the financial system that underpins it, is not stopping any time soon, despite its detrimental impact on the environment. For the Architectural Review.