Top 10 high-rise buildings

The choice of high-achieving person held an architectural critic Rowan Moore.

(10 photos)

1. Chrysler Building, New York.

I could write a list of the top 10 skyscrapers, without leaving Manhattan: Woolworth Building, Empire State, Flatiron District, the Seagram Building, the American Radiator Building, whose facade is decorated with bronze accents, the heroic emptiness in the place of the twin towers. But if you want to pick one, it should be a Chrysler Building because of its fantastic nature and elegance. The shiny top of a semicircle and triangles in the pure Gothic style. At the same time, it is surprisingly stable, reinforced by fine lines horizontally and vertically, which increases the structural strength.

2. Pirelli Tower, Milan.

Pirelli tower fashion, as suits Marcello Mastroianni, and powerful, like Alfa Romeo. Built in 1960, is an emblem of cultural modernity, which Italy has enchanted the world in the 50's and 60's. It stands apart from other buildings in Milan, not in the middle of the quarter, and the old buildings around there, but it does not interfere. You just know she's there as well-dressed man in the room. Its shape, tapering at the ends, to destroy the stereotypes that the towers should be rectangular, and has become an example for the less elegant options, such as the Centre Point in London and the Tower of Alpha in Birmingham.

3. Marina City, Chicago.

Early skyscrapers expressed through fantasy inlaid ornament, gothic, art decor, classical elements, Babylonian motifs, elements of the Maya - all want the architect. Then came the glass building, beloved by modernist architects. Marina City, the construction of most of the floors was completed in 1960, expresses the fantasy endlessly repeating petals curved concrete. The Two Towers look like works of nature and were, inevitably, dubbed corncobs. The bottom quarter of each of them - spiral ramp parking lot that resembles a demonstration of the old movie stars smoking.

4. Burj Dubai, Dubai.

It is hard to hide the fact that it is not only the tallest residential building in the world, which exceeded the previous record Taypey101 by 60%, but also the tallest building of any kind. The highest, typically, does not mean the best, and with the Burj Dubai is not the case. His brilliant, swinging exterior essentially processing of known designs, and its base is in the world trade centers, rather than the tense streets of Manhattan. But his height and thinness, the desire to break the record cost of even the area, make it outstanding.

5. HSBC, Hong Kong.

HSBC Tower in Hong Kong, the result of precise development industry. Not many buildings of this size has been given so much attention to every detail, they have been reviewed and revised, drawn and redrawn. The goal was not to cut costs, and achieving excellence. The building was constructed in accordance with its function - a symbol of Hong Kong. One critic said: "Its steel structure is allocated through the façade as Sylvester Stallone's muscle," which in 1985 was considered a good sign. But the building is thought much better than Rambo. It has a complex structure and levels, and you can walk under it and enter into it.

6. Highpoint 1, London.

Most modernist dream was to build a skyscraper to save space for nature and recreation, big parks, where people could exercise in the sun and breathe fresh air. The usual lack of budget funds for maintenance means that this place has become a sad and ominous wasteland. At Highpoint-1, completed in 1935 in Highgate, north London, the dream came true: the building was built for wealthy residents who could afford the service, it provides lush gardens and tennis courts, out of which rises elegantly in the sky white tower.

7. Trellik Tower, London.

Highpoint-1 was built in the early dating of Great Britain with modern trends in architecture. In the west London tower located Trellik, completed in 1972. It was one of the last block towers built for the council tenants, their ideas at that time ceased to be encouraged. Tower knew of neglect and crime, until it became available only to those people who wanted to live there. Then she flourished, and became a popular favorite. Now you can admire the graceful and powerful monolithic form of the tower from moving cars on the Westway.

8. The project is a glass skyscraper (not implemented).

Architects have always thought that glass buildings are bright, limpid and crystalline. As a rule, due to the fact that the glass reflects light, they were opaque and majestic. This idea is surprisingly early came up with Mies van der Rohe, the v1919, build a glass skyscraper: nothing like it was actually implemented in the next 40 years or so. When the project was presented, the talk about transparency, not clouded by the fact that the building was graceful, even with reflections on the glass, would look pretty good in real life.

9. Building on Kudrinskaya Square, Moscow.

Is it possible to admire the Soviet skyscraper in Moscow, without thinking that the man who built them, made it to glorify the reign of Joseph Stalin? Yes, it's the same thing to admire the pyramids, built by order of the pharaohs. Building on Kudrinskaya Square - a residential home for the government-approved cultural figures, is one of the "seven sisters", who planned to be built in the city. They tried to beat American skyscrapers, and though a little creepy, but at least some of their fates were scattered over time.

10. CCTV in Beijing.

Another tyranny, the other tower. This time it's China, and the headquarters for the big propaganda machine - the state television, designed by Rem Koolhaas, a man who maintains its status as the eminent architect in the world for many years. He justifies this fact by using constructive engagement with innovative elements in the Chinese plant. The shape of the building, bent into a corner loop, should contribute to the interior of interactivity, and differ from standard American corporate buildings. We'll have to wait for her much-anticipated opening to visit inside.