Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and Chicago
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Book Overview
Although fundamental factors of program, technology, and economics make tall buildings everywhere take similar forms, skyscrapers in New York and Chicago developed very differently in the first half of the twentieth century. In contrast to standard histories that counterpose the design philosophies of the Chicago and New York "schools," Willis shows how market formulas produced characteristic forms in each city"vernaculars of capitalism"that resulted from local land-use patterns, municipal codes, and zoning. Refuting some common clichs of skyscraper history such as the equation of big buildings with big business and the idea of a "corporate skyline," Willis emphasizes the importance of speculative development and the impact of real-estate cycles on the forms of buildings and on their spatial distribution.
Form Follows Finance cautions that the city must be understood as a complex commercial environment where buildings are themselves businesses, space is a commodity, and location and image have value.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1568980442
ISBN13:9781568980447
Release Date:December 1997
Publisher:Princeton Architectural Press
Length:224 Pages
Weight:0.94 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.8" x 9.0"
Age Range:13 years and up
Grade Range:Grade 8 to Postsecondary
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Very Interesting
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Perhaps a little to dry for someone not totally engaged in the subject matter, but overall this book is extremely interesting and full of helpfull information to anyone interested in urban design, the cities of New York or Chicago, or architecture.
In Contrast: Chicago and New York
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This book is great and well written...This book gives a comprehensive look at the developement of the skyscraper between the two major cities that shaped the world of high-rise architecture. Each chapter provides a detailed look of the different factors and events that led to the design of skyscrapers that gave the amazing profile of Chicago and New York as we see it today. This book is a must for architects, architectural historians, preservationist!
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