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Skyline: Empire State Building, New York : An Art Deco classic that does not go out of fashion. Architects Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. By Daniel Schwen, via Wikimedia Commons. -
Fabulous: Chrysler Building, New York : Elegant lines, eccentric terraced arches with a stylised sunburst pattern, American eagle gargoyles, automobile inspired details and stainless steel cladding... just fab. By Petri Krohn, via Wikimedia Commons. -
Masterpiece: Chrysler Building, New York : The Chrysler building was in 1930, for only a few months, the tallest building in the world. It is a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture and remains one of the finest buildings in New York. Architect William Van Alen. By Kadellar, via Wikimedia Commons. -
Classic: Empire State Building, New York : Think "skyscraper". Aren’t you picturing New York’s skyline and the Empire State Building? By Eric Mayville from New York, via Wikimedia Commons. -
Intricate: Doha Office Tower, Qatar : The skin of the building controls the sunlight and creates mesmerizing games of light and shadows. -
Thick skinned: Doha Office Tower, Qatar : The lacey texture of the layered skin evokes the traditional patterns of Arabic screens. -
Monolith: Doha Office Tower, Qatar : Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, the Doha Office Tower softly combines technology and local tradition. -
Sharp: The Shard, London : Delicate and impressive, the Shard London Bridge has transformed London’s skyline. Eight shards of clear glass are arranged in a destructured pyramid without ever meeting, and reflect the sky changing shades like a crystal. Architect Renzo Piano. -
Building of the future: Pearl River Tower, China : The sculpted body of the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou funnels the wind through turbines that produce energy. The revolutionary energy-efficient tower also features photovoltaic panels, chilled ceilings and floor ventilation. -
Eighties baby: Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong : The distinctive look of the Bank of China Tower, with its clear triangular structure, makes it one of Hong Kong’s icons. It steps up in a minimalist representation of bamboo shoots as symbols of prosperity. Architects I M Pei and Partners. -
Room with a view: Aqua building, Chicago : The undulating slabs provide shade and dissipate the wind, so one can enjoy the views onto Chicago’s cityscape from a wind-free balcony. -
Liquid facade: Aqua building, Chicago : Individually shaped balconies create the rippled facade of the Aqua building. Architect Jeanne Gang took inspiration from the striated limestone outcroppings of the Lake District. -
More is more: Burj Khalifa, Dubai : The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is, by far, the tallest building ever built. The wide base progressively thins out and terminates in a sculpted spire, culminating at 829 m. An engineering feat designed by skyscraper specialists SOM. -
Movie star: Absolute World condominiums, Canada : Architects MAD have just completed the Absolute World condominiums in Mississauga, Canada. So curvaceous they are nicknamed the Marylin Monroe towers. -
Reinvented: CCTV Headquarters, Beijing : The skyscraper reinvented by OMA is not a vertical structure but a gigantic loop over the city of Beijing. -
Patterned: CCTV Headquarters, Beijing : The complex structure that keeps the skew volume up is legible on the facade, generating a distorted diamond pattern.
COMPILED BY Marine Leblond
Year after year, buildings climb higher and higher, in an impossible attempt to connect the earth to the skies. An exciting new show on Discovery Channel inspired us to collect together the 10 most striking skyscrapers around the globe in 2012.
Premiering on Sunday 4 November at 8.55pm on Discovery Channel is How We Invented the World with an entire episode dedicated to the origins, visionaries and significance of the skyscraper. Here is an exclusive VISI excerpt, dramatising the attempted bombing of the Empire State Building.
Tall towers have captivated people since the legends of Babel and the age of the Pyramids. Today we can build, live and work above the clouds. One of the defining inventions of the 21st century, inspiring awe is the only true purpose of skyscrapers. They are the stuff of dreams and bling.
A towering building whose weight is supported by a steel frame rather than by masonry walls, the skyscraper is among the most amazing achievements of modern engineering and technology, and has dramatically altered the appearance of the world’s biggest cities. Every year, the competition gets more fierce and fast-paced in the attempt to build the highest, maddest, coolest towers.
