Understanding Tall Buildings ─ A Theory of Placemaking

In recent years, the rapid pace of tall building construction has fostered a certain kind of placelessness, with many new tall buildings being built out of scale, context and place. By analyzing hundreds of tall buildings and by providing hundreds of visuals that inspire, stimulate, and engage, Understanding Tall Buildings: A Theory of Placemaking contends that well-designed tall buildings can rejuvenate cities, ignite economic activity, support social life and boost city pride. Although this book does not claim to possess all the solutions, it does propose specific tall building design guidelines that may help to promote placemaking. Through this work, it is the author’s hope that ill-conceived developments will become less common in the future and that good placemaking will become the norm, not the exception. This book is a must read for students and practitioners working to create better tall buildings and better urban environments.

Kheir Al-Kodmany is a Professor of Sustainable Urban Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Having published over 100 articles on planning and design, this is Dr. Al-Kodmany’s fourth book on tall buildings. He previously worked as an architect at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.