The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraper

Description

The skyscraper is perhaps the most recognisable icon of the modern urban landscape, but what does it really take to sustain human life at such enormous heights? Exploring the interconnected systems that make life liveable in the sky is the task of Kate Ascher's stunningly illustrated The Heights. Ascher examines skyscrapers from around the world to learn how these incredible structures operate. No detail is too small, no difficulty too big to escape Ascher's encyclopaedic eye. Filled with vivid illustrations and anecdotes, The Heights is the ultimate guide to life on high.

Kate Ascher is the author of The Works- Anatomy of a City. She serves on the faculty of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and manages Happold Consulting's U.S. practice. She lives in New York City.

"Lavishly illustrated...meticulously and lucidly deconstructs the design." The New York Times "[An] eye-widening piece of illustrated deconstruction...on the most enduring symbol of city life." Wired "Images of diaphragm walls, skeletal frame systems and elevator shafts may not sound like a colourful depiction of the high life, but a new intricate detailing of the inner workings of the mighty skyscraper might well be one of the most interesting books published all year." The Independent (UK) "A remarkably plain-language reexamination of tall buildings in a sustainability-conscious age...a laudable, one-stop summary that goes beyond lists and photographs of tall buildings and gives a rich grounding in vertical basics that all students of cities both need and deserve" The Atlantic Cities