The "skyscraper" is a uniquely American invention that has come to symbolize the cultural and economic predominance of the United States in the twentieth century. With the invention of the elevator in 1859 and the development of new...

Until one hundred years ago, the skylines of the world's cities were characterized by silhouettes of trees and church towers, but as urban populations have grown, urban land has become extremely valuable. To keep up with the demands of the population...

A skyscraper is a very tall, continuously habitable building. There is no official definition or a precise cutoff height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper. However, as per usual practice in most cities, the definition is...

WE ARE ENTIRELY in favour of skyscrapers - in the right place. As our architecture correspondent wrote yesterday, tall towers can be the stuff that dreams are made on, soaring landmarks which inspire the mind and betoken confidence and prosperity. Nobody can visit Manhattan...

After keeping him in prison for 14 years, Chinese leaders decided one day in 1993 to give their leading dissident, Wei Jingsheng, a tour of Beijing. For Wei, the tour produced a shock -- and perhaps something of a reproof as well. Wei had...

With its grandiose colonial buildings, ultramodern skyline and hyperkinetic downtown streets, Shanghai rarely fails to make one heck of a first impression. And while the city's glamor may eventually fade under the stress...

Prince Charles warned Thursday that historic sites like the Tower of London have been "vandalized" by high-rise construction that threatens to ruin the character of the capital.The heir to the British throne, who spoke at a conference on city planning, argued that poor planning could...