Skyscrapers: An American urban art form
- Introduction.
- The skyscrapers evolution.
- Initial look of skyscraper's - strictly utilitarian.
- The post-war boom of the 1920s.
- Neo-Gothic style.
- The product of eclecticism.
- How far a building could be abstracted.
- The beauty of these structures.
- The design of a building to be a work of art.
- Libeskind's original design.
- Conclusion.
It isn't often that we think of buildings as works of art. We have a word to describe the art of designing buildings and structures - architecture - but to most of us, buildings are things of purpose, not things to be admired. We pass in and out of them, conducting our business, and never give a thought to the structures themselves. This is especially true of the skyscraper. These massive objects are imposing, dominating and at times, almost oppressive. Their size, especially in larger cities, is often overwhelming. Skyscrapers have come to represent the artificial nature of the city, confining and cutting us off from the natural world by taking up large areas of the city with their footprints and blocking out the sky with their scale.
