Abstract
Since the dawn of human history, man has been striving hard to build high in order to make his
mark on the world. Towers, pyramids, obelisks, cathedral’s steeples etc. are perhaps the earliest
architectural statements of the human urge to reach to the sky. From the late 18th century, the
Industrial Revolution brought drastic improvements in iron manufacturing and construction.
William Le Baron Jenney, an American Engineer and architect, development of load-bearing steel
frame, which led to the "Chicago skeleton" form of construction made possible variety of
skyscrapers in the later years. His Home Insurance Company Building, in Chicago constructed in
1885 was the first one to employ the frame structure. This revolutionized urban life because in
higher buildings greater number of people could have been accommodated in limited areas. Over
the time, in being home to the worlds’ tallest building has become a major issue on the political
agenda of many countries because of the stigma of economic prosperity and superiority attached
to it. USA dominated the race for the title of the tallest building in the world during the first 90
years of 20th century. Malaysia acclaimed the title of housing the tallest building of the world in
1996 but soon after, Taiwan proclaimed the title in 2004. The futuristic contender is Dubai, UAE,
where Burj Dubai is supposed to reach well over 2, 000 feet by the time it is completed in 2008. It
seems that the story of the tallest buildings has no end and sky has become the limit. As it has
become an icon of superiority therefore, tower blocks are soaring into South Asian countries
regardless of their compatibility within the local context and Pakistan is no exception. Though,
tall buildings are visually fascinating, but the horrified images of 9/11 has brought into focus
scale of damage caused by such buildings during emergency. 10/8 earthquake in Pakistan
brought another shock to the world and feasibility of high-rise buildings was slammed at the local
level. The author’s felt obliged to unfold socio-political forces behind high-rise construction
leading to skyscraper in the West. As a first step, design philosophy of masterminds, rotation of
titles, and psychophysical affects on human beings would be explored rather than tall buildings as
single finished objects and how the other countries along with Pakistan joined the race and
adapted these factors? Documentary resources, internet search, informal discussions with local
professionals and personal probing constitutes major content of the research. Based on above, a
separate research with special reference to major cities of Pakistan will be carried out. The
author is convinced that such analysis would be beneficial in creating awareness among local
architects, planners, builders and policy makers, in determining their future direction.
N. Naz . (2007) Proliferation of the Tallest Building Syndrome: From Global to Local, Pakistan Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Volume 1, Issue 1.
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